It’s early afternoon and MTStreets is just getting started. Entering Miami Music Week, the artist is gearing up for a late night of exploring potential venues and linking up with influential peers in the music industry. These days, MTStreets is enjoying the fruits of his labor, but his story—and music—tell a longer journey of triumphs and challenges.
Mark Thomas Rhodes—known as MTStreets—is a multi-talented pop-music artist who can play anything he hears on the keys. The singer-songwriter and record producer hails from Voorhees, New Jersey and was raised in Cincinnati, Ohio and La Jolla, California. Born into a family of Ivy League graduates, the young artist chose a different path for himself rather than take his 4.3 GPA to Harvard. Unbeknownst to many, his original path also included tennis—the young MTStreets ranked as the #1 Junior for Boy’s 14 and under in California. He was a contemporary of Taylor Frits, who is now an American professional tennis player with a career high ranking of 13 in the world. The two played together a few times. As MTStreets remembers, “Taylor was an extraordinarily talented player. I was really good. He was really great.” At 14, after a day in the Universal Music studio in Los Angeles where Bruno Marz recorded Billionaire, the blossoming artist decided to trade his tennis racket for a career in music.
His parent’s divorce marked the beginning of a few tumultuous years of change within his family, a teenage MTStreets was sent to the Army Navy Academy. On his 18th birthday, and against his parent’s wishes, he exercised his right as an adult to withdraw from the school. That decision temporarily rendered him homeless and, on the streets, and beaches of San Diego. It was in upstate New York that the 18-year-old MTStreets recovered and then flourished under the care of his grandparents and father. With two part-time jobs under his belt, the young MTStreets played mini concerts on the piano at his grandmother’s nursing home and returned to write songs late at night. Through this volunteer experience, he found the therapeutic power of music and was forever changed.
Recognized for his introspective lyrics and unique vocal style, the artist caught the attention of the public with his first album, “Open Thoughts,” a 12-song collection released in March 2020. With hit singles including “Who Started It,” “Places,” and “Bop,” the album featured a collaboration with his late brother, an artist known as Beanie. Prior to “Open Thoughts,” MTStreets released a few singles, but it was the singles he released in 2020 that includes his most successful track to date: “Bourbon Street.” In fall of 2020, MTStreets linked with producer Paul Tyre and singer-songwriter Bobby Brown, Jr., to record his sophomore album, “#Cold4Life.” Released in 2021, the album helped pave the way for the artist’s first international tour.
In 2019, MTStreets lost his brother and music partner, Beanie, to a fentanyl overdose, thus fueling a renewed drive to succeed in music. Without his late brother’s influence—showing him the ropes of performing as an artist—MTStreets wouldn’t be where he is today. “Because of his inspiration, I was able to take control of music career.”
From producer to artist, MTStreets transitioned seamlessly into the spotlight. Unfortunately, grief seemed to follow the artist over the course of many years that were weighed down by personal losses to substance abuse. Of all of his accomplishments, the artist is most proud of not letting the hardships of his life destroy him. MTStreets has overcome numerous dark moments—including the unimaginable losses of more than twenty loved ones. “So many things happened in my life where I could’ve taken the darkest road and didn’t. What I’m proud of the most is taking what I’ve been through and channeling it into music that can help people experiencing similar circumstances.”
Blending pop, hip-hop, R&B and rap, MTStreets creates his music when the mood is right. “If I’m not in the mood, I won’t make songs,” says MTStreets. “The vibe has to be there.” The introspective artist finds inspiration in everyday life. “If I have writer’s block, it means I need to go out for a while and live, experience things. I need to make mistakes and write about them.”
On a typical day, MTStreets spends a good amount of time “listening to and studying music, figuring out what songs and sounds he likes and what’s next—what’s the future of music and where’s it going?” He spends time dissecting lyrics, studying chord progressions, and analyzing the science and art of superstars and up and coming artists in the early parts of his days. Then he creates or listens to new beats and plays around on the piano until a vibe arrives. At night is when the lyrics usually come into his head, that’s when he starts pulling everything together into a rough draft of a new hit. “When I have inspiration in my head, I end up rocking with it and recording it as fast as I can.” Whether recording at a studio in Miami or Los Angeles or playing around in his home studio, the artist has mastered his music making process.
“There is nothing like the feeling of creating a new song.” What’s the artist’s favorite part of the music-making process? “I love listening to a song when it all finally comes together. It’s such a magical and fulfilling feeling.” While MTStreets crafted his producer skills for years, he no longer enjoys making beats. “I’ve made thousands of beats, but when I changed my lane over to pop music a couple of years, I lost a little of my passion for making beats. Now my passion is singing, performing and creating music that helps people going through hard times.”
It’s a good thing that MTStreets is following his passion. 2022 is already panning out to be a big year for the artist who will be dropping singles at the rate of one every three weeks until his next big project—a collaborative album—in June. As he puts it, “the first half of 2022 is all about creating and releasing singles and my third album. The second half will focus on live performances in Miami, Los Angeles, and Las Vegas which will set the stage for my European tour in 2023.”
To hear the artist’s latest releases and news, be sure to check out the links below:
- YouTube is: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6q2VH0hsuxsayojntg-qGg
- Soundcloud is: https://soundcloud.com/mark-rhodes-13
- Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/2F3QTcv7P4TxveL1tDeXmL
- Website: https://mtstreets.com/
- IG: https://www.instagram.com/mtstreets_official/?hl=en
- FB: https://www.facebook.com/prodmtstreets/