Today we’d like to introduce you to Marcus Orelias
Hi Marcus , please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
My name is Marcus Orelias, I am a recording artist, game designer, storyteller, graphic designer, songwriter, entrepreneur, and actor operating out of the Phoenix area. My formative career actually began in 2008 when I was in a video titled “Generation WE”, this sparked my love for theatre and acting. That year I would go on to attend the American Conservatory Theatre in San Francisco after a group of actors calling themselves “The Nia Project” came to my school to promote the program for Black students wanting to get into acting. One of my mentors was screenwriter Ms. Mfoniso Udofia who helped craft my talent. After being admitted personally by director Craig Slaight (who has now retired), I attended A.C.T. for almost a decade throughout my formative years into high school. Up until that time I was into manga, which helped to sparked my love of drawing as well. Early in my life I wanted to be a “mangaka” or a manga artist but that dream never actually realized. I think this was sparked when my cousin introduced me to anime back in the 90s with “Pokemon” and early 2000s with “Dragon Ball Z”. I also played video games a lot, I considered gaming young as a part of my “10,000 hours” but also as a way our elders kept us out of the streets.
At A.C.T. I honed my skills and landed small extra roles on TV shows and a few movies as well as performed in several plays in the “Young Conservatory” program. A acting program that served as a pipeline for young actors to go into the “Masters of Fine Arts” program. Eventually I graduated from the young conservatory program and decided to pursue a career in music. Music had always been in my blood because while I attended Herbert Hoover Middle School I played in the jazz band, taking up the baritone.
My music teacher at the time suggested I take it up due to the fact that I had a trumpet and understood the fingering on the trumpet which is similar to the Baritone horn. I really wanted to play the saxophone. Later, during my sophomore year I joined the band again and took up the Alto Saxophone but due to not-so-great influences, I gave up the saxophone. Still I sought out an outlet for music and I began rapping again, I say “again” because I actually used to write raps back in 2001, I still have journals and notepads of raps that I wrote then.
My passion for rapping became even more tangible when my brother came back from D.C. and had a CD of songs that he had recorded. On that CD there was a instrumental at the end called “Larger Than Life” that I wrote and actually recorded my first rap (which I still have and it’s bad) to on a hand-me-down 12″ Macbook Pro. From 2008-2010, while my brother was making music – I would spend time with him in the studio in Oakland and throughout California, learning, listening and wishing I could touch the mic with him but never did. I actually credit my brother as my biggest musical influence to this day.
He’s my biggest musical influence because of how unique and musical his style is and was. He no longer makes music as a recording artist but by 2012 I crafted my own sound and linked with Washington state based producer Jay B Beats. Before I graduated High School, I recorded my first single independently titled “We On” or “We On (Must Be)” featuring music industry veteran and Chicago legend, BJ the Chicago Kid. I flew out my engineer and we worked in the studio for a collective two weeks at the historic Hyde Street Studios in San Francisco. During the recording of the album my grandmother passed away which lit a fire under us all as creatives to get the album done. Eventually the album was released at the tender age of 19. Being indie, I needed an umbrella to release my music under so I created “Marcus Orelias Music” which would eventually become my current company “R.O.T.U. World”. The art of storytelling began with me writing music, drawing and gaming but through my business my creative output has evolved.
My entrepreneurial spirit for orchestrating “experiences” was born when I couldn’t get booked for shows, so under R.O.T.U. World LLC I rented out my own venue to perform. Continuing my musical journey I would go on to release my sophomore and heavily conceptual album “20s A Difficult Age” in 2017, my self titled album “Marcus Orelias” in 2022 and my fourth album “Maybe It’s Somethin’…” due for release in 2024. With my company R.O.T.U. World I wanted to create a conglomerate that encompassed more than just music. I love science fiction, I’m passionate about great storytelling, original POC representation, and great branding in media so I rebranded our company to reflect that.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
The toughest part of my journey has been getting people to believe in my talents and R.O.T.U. World but my growth has been to remain focused on those who support and know what we’re doing will come together. To me the tone of my career was set early on because I feel few really believed in me then but I found power in being the underdog. I do well under pressure. It’s conditioned me to be creative and fresh in everything I do.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
R.O.T.U. World LLC is a media company focused on creating original intellectual properties, branding, storytelling, and world-building, similar to LucasFilm or Disney. In addition to releasing my personal music, our company operates several departments:
R.O.T.U. Worldwide: Handles music releases, including my own.
RedRoc Interactive: Develops video games based on both original and existing intellectual properties we create.
R.O.T.U. Books: Publishes reading materials, including “kitabu,” a comic book genre I coined.
R.O.T.U. Originals: Manages merchandising of our IPs.
We have launched two intellectual properties so far: “20s A Difficult Age,” also the title of my sophomore album, and “Samsara Imago.” Currently, these properties are explored through the release of books (with covers illustrated by my friend and talented artist, Katlego Motaung), but we plan to expand them into other mediums soon. The “20s A Difficult Age” books are interconnected together and wish to tell a great story while completing the narrative I started on the original 2017 album.
To engage with our community and supporters, we host immersive experiences, a tradition that began in 2013 with the release of my first album in 2013, titled “Rebel of the Underground”. These events showcase our work and encourage community interaction with not only the work but with us as a business. For example, on June 15, 2024, we celebrated my fourth studio album, “Maybe It’s Somethin’…”, with a “tasting” curated by local chef, Desmond Washington for his start-up, “Foolin’ Around Kitchen”. The food was specifically curated to the music accompanied by a “silent” listening – where patrons listened to the full album through headphones. The event was held at The Copper House in Chandler, AZ. That was just one of six experiences we’ve done, and plan to do more.
Contributing to Phoenix’s culture of “locally-owned”, R.O.T.U. World aims to take part in building up the state by constructing a vibrant art culture in Phoenix, fostering community, providing future employment opportunities, and promoting artistic growth here in the valley. For more information and photos from our events, please visit our website (www.rotuworld.com).
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.rotuworld.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rotuworld
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OfficialMarcusOrelias/
- Twitter: https://x.com/rotuworld
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCu7Qwy6IeAEOXw7foVxB_aA
- Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/marcusorelias
Image Credits
Sir Wlm Photography
Marcus Orelias / R.O.T.U. World LLC
