Markos Hurtt. The "Greek" Hop Hop Geek

Markos Hurtt (The Hip Hop Geek) was born on October 31st, 1994 in Columbia, SC,

is Greek-American and loves Chess, Basketball, and writing music. 

He studies Public Relations and Business Management 

and his future plans are to create a networking platform for musicians 

and to represent Hip Hop artists as a Public Relations Director.

Fun Fact: My Chihuahua's name is Hercules, and my cat's name is Kitty Purry.

(Marko Hurtt, known as "The Hip Hop Geek")

You are making Rap for 6 years. What does music mean for your life?
Music is a way that I can channel my thoughts and turn them into audible works of art.

"It's On Us" is a national campaign that was originally started by Vice President Joe Biden to end sexual assaults on college campuses.

What are your lyrics about. Tell us more what it is about with the song "It's on us".
I try to keep my lyrics clean so as not to limit my audience. 
I want anyone to be able to listen to it, from children, to my own mother, 
while at the same time creating a vibe that allows traditional hip hop listeners to enjoy it. 
My song " #ItsOnUSC " was written for the It's On Us campaign 
at my university (University of South Carolina). 

(listen to the song "It's On Us": https://soundcloud.com/thehiphopgeek/itsonusc)

It's On Us is a national campaign that was originally started by Vice President Joe Biden 
to end sexual assaults on college campuses. 
The song attempts to address the importance of protecting our women from sexual assault 
and to encourages others to take the pledge.

So how I relate my studies to hip hop, is that I discover what the audience in my community is, 

and provide them with artists who are suited to fit their preferences. 

You study Public Relations and Business Management. 
How can you relate your studies to your music?
At the University of South Carolina, I study Public Relations. 
Essentially as a practitioner of Public Relations, 
I will be an advocate between an organization and its' public, 
as well as a councilman for important decisions to ensure the public approval. 
For example: 
If I was the Public Relations Director for Justin Timberlake (one can only dream), 
and he made a song or wore an outfit to a concert, that was outlandish, 
or that did not reflect what the population has come to know 
and love about Justin Timberlake, then as his Public Relations Director, 
I would notify him in advance, to not release the song, 
or to change a lyric, or to find something else to wear.  
In bigger companies, let's say, Coca-Cola, I would be part of a team of public relations officers 
who would conduct research to find out the most appropriate ways to hold campaigns 
or host events or release new products that best fit the mission statement of Coca Cola. 
So how I relate my studies to Hip Hop, is that I discover what the audience in my community is, 
and provide them with artists who are suited to fit their preferences. 
As an artist myself, I have to be very specific with how I write because my audience, 
for the most part, is unfiltered, so I must ensure that each lyric 
is appropriate and can please everyone.

Have you done any concerts or cooperation with other artist of your kind?
I host many showcases in my hometown (Columbia, SC) with local artists 
(usually between 4 and 8 at a time). 
As a matter of fact, I'm kicking off a new concert series called: 
Hippy Hop at a coffee shop downtown. 
This past summer, I took 7 artists on a micro tour. 
We had shows in Philadelphia, PA, Charlotte, NC, Charleston, SC, and Brunswick, GA.

"I feel like the best part about my friendship with him (J Gard, aka Yannis Gardelis)

 is that we both share a love for music 

and even though there's an ocean that separates us"

Tell us about Greece and the cooperation with the Hip Hop artist JGard?

(Featuring with the Greek Hip Hop artist JGard (aka Yannis Gardelis)

In the summer of 2015, I spent 3 months in Greece to visit my grandparents. 
It was a very special time for me. During the week, we lived at our beach house in Rafina, 
and on Sundays, we would go to church and spend the day in Athens. 
It was in Rafina, at a beach called Marikes that I met J Gard. 
I saw he was wearing a Derek Rose Chicago Bulls basketball jersey, 
and me being a New York Knicks fan, I teased him saying, 
"Are you sure Derek Rose won't get injured again this year??" 
(Ironically, Derek Rose was traded to the New York Knicks at the end of last season, 
so I really hope he doesn't get injured this season hahaha!) 
I hung out with a couple of his friends, Harris, Anthony, Theodora, and a few others that afternoon 
and gave them copies of my CD entitled "That's A Rap" that I was passing out. 
J Gard then mentioned that he did music also and so the next day 
we met up again and started writing a song: "I Can Do Dat, Too!". 
A week later, we went to Athens and recorded it at Studio Terra. 

(listen to the song "I Can Do Dat, Too", featuring J Gard: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2u6b3cRRrVY)

Now, a year has gone by, and as I've been keeping up with Yannis (J Gard) via Facebook, 
he's been telling me about his new album coming out. 
I told him to send me an instrumental for me to write to so I could be featured on it. 
He emailed me the instrumental to "No Compromise", and I started writing immediately. 

(listen to the the song "No Compromise", 

Marko Hurtt is featuring on the out coming album of JGard "Orama":

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hLClYTow1O8)

I feel like the best part about my friendship with him is that we both share a love for music 
and even though there's an ocean that separates us, 
we can still collaborate in doing what we love to praise Jesus Christ. 
This is very special to me because I have very few friends that would do this.

[]...I plan on staying for a long period of time, maybe 6 months to a year, 

and then tour my music in Greece, 

and maybe other parts of Europe with J Gard and The Blancos.

How do you feel going back to Greece as a (half) Greek?

I cannot wait until I return to Greece. 
I always feel like I'm returning home--- to my home away from home. 
I will probably have to wait until after I graduate college (2018) before returning, 
but when I do, I plan on staying for a long period of time, maybe 6 months to a year, 
and then tour my music in Greece, 
and maybe other parts of Europe with J Gard and The Blancos.

To ALL Greeks: Dream Big. Work Hard. Make Boss Moves. and Stay Strong!

Before closing, what would you wish and say to the Greeks outside and those living in Greece?
To the Greeks living outside of Greece: 
Do not forget our homeland. 
This ancient land is the one thing that connects us all. 
Do not forget the history; do not forget the ideology, 
and do not forget the passion that was created there. 

To the Greeks living inside of Greece: 

"Exo mia gata; exo ena skilo. Marko, ti tha fas? 

Na fao ena milo. Sto market mou agorazo feta ena kilo. 

To flo mu kafto sa na benni sto psyheio." 

(The beginning of my Greek rap I made for the show JGard 
and I had at Marikes on my last day in Rafina.... 
the translation is silly, 
but I was proud that I could write something in Greek that rhymed) 

"I have a cat; I have a dog. Marko, what will you eat? 

I will eat an apple. I go to the store to buy a kilo of feta cheese, 

and my flow is hot, and I put yours into the refrigerator"

To ALL Greeks: Dream Big. Work Hard. Make Boss Moves. and Stay Strong!


Markos Hurtt
Sound Cloud: The Hip Hop Geek
https://soundcloud.com/thehiphopgeek
YouTube: Marko Hurtt
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCrHUy-pIKLkWAQB54At7x-w

N.S. 31/10/2016