Emerald Morrell

The mark of a true artist is the ability to harness all life experiences, both positive and negative and seamlessly mold them together for the listening/viewing audience. Not everyone has the exact same struggle or progression but the underlying goal is to create a public canvas, so to speak. In the case of Detroit-based emcee Emerald Morrell, the ups and downs of everyday life and musical exploration are interwoven carefully, creating this “Emerald in the rough”.

The much-traveled Morrell began her journey shortly after high school graduation, sending her next to The Art Institute of California to begin studies in Graphic Design. During her time there she joined the legendary MC Lyte’s Hip Hop Sisters Foundation, that promotes positive images of women of ethic diversity.

The entire combined process of life and music has seen her live or spend long periods of time in California, New York, Detroit (a 10,000x). A mixture of both coasts and major markets combined with stops in areas regarded as Blue Collar Territory added to her range of musical influences and helped shape her wide-ranging thought process. Personal decisions of dropping out of school, missing out on a job at GM that was virtually promised to her, identity theft, back-to-back deaths in the family and health issues with her mother would be enough for anyone to put music on hold. Actually, this all served as motivation for a continuing pursuit of a dream. It also led her to get back in school to major in Business and work with GrungeCake Magazine, where she covered events/festivals (DEMF, Dilla Day, NYFW) and interviewed artists.

It’s clear her music remains her driving force, as performing from in cities from Brooklyn to Detroit helped her keep her focus. This also was instrumental in helping her to build with other artists, including the roster of independent label Butter Made, where she credits them as her Family.

Determination and perseverance are without question two strong points of Morrell. Her continuance in the music is notable, as it remains free of the usual stereotypes associated with many artists today. The beauty of it is the story will continue to get better, as we personally get a chance to witness her growth and ability. She’s traveled many miles to get to her current status but there are many more miles to go.