FEATURES
MIAMI, FL–MTStreets is driving his way towards success on his own terms.
The singer-song writer, born Mark Rhodes (“roads” being turned to “streets” for his stage name and the ‘MT’ standing for Mark Thomas) has a musical background that’s already a lush resume of accomplishments that started from picking up piano as a child and making beats for many artists at 18-years-old, just before moving to Los Angeles.
Younger brother of MT, Bennett “Beanie” Rhodes, was a major influence on him making music. As a rapper and the founder of NBF, a label and brand standing for ‘Nothin But Family,’ Bennett encouraged MT to relocate to Los Angeles with him and the pair grew within the city’s music scene, connecting with other hip-hop artists and sharing a house with fellow producers. MTStreets had stayed on the production side of things until the tragic death of his brother in late 2019 from a fentanyl overdose. That loss made him feel like he should carry on Beanie’s legacy and unfold the stories of struggle, addiction, and death encountered.
“The first couple of months after Bennett died, I felt completely lost. I didn't know what to do with my music, with his album, or with anything we did. In February my grandfather died and in March, COVID happened. So, the world and my world in particular kind of shut down,” says MTStreets. “I didn't want to work. I didn't want to go to school. I didn't want to do anything, and because of COVID I didn't have to. I used that time to just focus on music and where I fit going forward. That’s when I became the artist rather than the producer. And that time gave me a really good lens into the sound I wanted to create. At first, because my brother was a rapper, I wanted to just follow in his footsteps, use what he told me, use what he taught me, even though he was my little brother. I learned so much from him and I didn't want his whole NBF brand to die with him, so, I took it on and became the face of NBF.”
MTStreets began working with top producers and Top 40 artists before even signing to a major label. He’s written an unreleased song with Dua Lipa through Sony’s songwriting camp, written and recorded his album #COLD4LIFE at Paramount Records with producers Paul Tyree and Rob McDaniels, and learned the beat-making ropes from Shawn “Cicero” Kyles of 808 Mafia while Cicero wrote for Bennett’s album.
Grieving Bennett’s death amid the pandemic was a time to utilize all the skills he’s taken on, but also a time of discovery and struggle for MTStreets, who was continuing to hone his sound. He briefly went into rap music for Bennett’s legacy, but it didn’t feel like MTStreets’ niche. He was also struggling with his own addiction which he sung about on his first pop single, “Highway to Hell” featuring Nova Blisto. The journey is not just a high-speed road trip, but a reflection on a time where the singer was taking his life downward at a fast and reckless pace, searching for help to pump the brakes.
“At that time in my life, I was truly a train wreck of a person. I was doing crazy shit partially to numb a lot of pain, partially to push the boundaries of life. I was all over the place, doing a ton of drugs and thinking I'm invincible. And I didn't ask anybody to help me because I just wanted to keep going down that highway to hell,” explains MTStreets about the song’s background. “When I look back at that time in my life, I think, oh my god, what the hell was I doing? I was going to die. So, I sang a whole song about that specific time in my life where I ended up finally getting help. I was so alone for so long, dealing with myself and my own emotions, that I even wanted to run away from myself. I wouldn't even want to be alone. I would have to be surrounded by people at all times, because if I wasn’t, I would have to face my own truth. I was a hot mess.”
MTStreets’ path has led him to Miami, where pop and multi-culture meet to form a music scene that is diverse and filled with dance music with Caribbean and Latino undertones. MTStreets feels that his music fits in the city. He puts all his energy into his sound with upbeat pop instrumentals and vocals akin to modern pop-hip-hop hybrids such as The Weeknd. But his lyrics aren’t just hit radio fluff–MTStreets puts his real-life situations and vulnerability into his writing with depth and emotion. His latest release “Just Friends” is about an on-and off again long-distance relationship that fell apart once they were in the same place, with the other person suddenly wanting to just be friends. This is based directly on a real relationship MTStreets has recently gotten out of.
“It's about a super specific relationship for me that is probably the most precise song I have. A lot of my other music is drawing from my experiences, but at the same time generic. I want everybody to be able to relate to my lyrics. But “Just Friends” is about a very specific instance,” he says. “The whole song literally is saying, ‘So you want to be just friends after I fell a little for you, because I remember back when you said you loved me in the middle of June. But with the distance, you grew a different heart. I used to miss this, but now it tore me apart. I'm really not that mad after saying goodbye. I want the best for you for the last time.’ And so that is a very specific kind of hook. I'm sure many people can relate to similar situations in their own lives. But for me, this song is deeply personal and written about someone who knows who she is.”
Inspire, inform, relate, entertain and help is what MTStreets is looking to do with his music. He aims to help others who are struggling by writing vulnerable lyrics rooted in reality; not only MTStreets’ reality, but the realities of many others. Whether it’s about a failed relationship, an illness, hardship or the death of a loved one, MTStreets says he wants to connect with listeners who may be struggling. He has even helped fans via Instagram who have expressed their gratitude for his music. “Highway to Hell” has gained local rotation at Miami clubs like The Wharf, where MTStreets has seen a positive reaction to the single. The song has also gained more than 500K streams across multiple platforms, while his other single “Driftin’ Away” and his latest “Just Friends” are rising fast. With each song, MTStreets is making a path towards positivity while expressing past pains. At the core of his songs there is intention, with each lyric there’s an invitation for others to heal alongside him.
“That's the beauty in what I do. I write pop music for people in pain. When I'm going through pain, I use music as a therapy. And when I create or sing a song, I'm trying to help others. But there is also an unexplainable thing that happens when I create a song and first hear the completed mixed and mastered song in its radio ready form. As I listen to my own song, painful energy purges from my whole being. Suddenly, I have pain relief in the form of a song that captures and releases everything I was feeling. By the end of the song, the pain actually releases from my body. And then when I drop the song out to the world, I'm hoping that when other people listen to it, if they're going through something similar, it does the same thing for them.”
Stay connected to MTStreets on all platforms for new music:
Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/artists/B07F4WLNY9/mtstreets
Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/artist/mtstreets/1405691143
Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/mark-rhodes-13
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/2F3QTcv7P4TxveL1tDeXmL
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6q2VH0hsuxsayojntg-qGg
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/prodmtstreets/
Instagram: https://instagram.com/mtstreets_official
Website: https://mtstreets.com/