After a phenomenal year in 2024, marked by over 60 million streams in just 12 months, Birmingham rapper Marnz Malone has firmly established himself as a force to watch. His mixtape, Tina’s Boy, a Top 10 rap album, garnered widespread acclaim and caught the attention of key industry voices such as i-D, Clash Magazine, Complex UK, TRENCH, and GRM Daily. Marnz also featured on Nines’ chart-topping album Quit While You’re Ahead and earned a spot on Complex UK’s prestigious “Ones To Watch” list.
Marnz teams up with rising artist KayMuni on the hard-hitting new single “I Hate January.” This track offers a poignant glimpse into the themes explored in the upcoming project, tackling the harrowing issue of rising suicide rates in custody—a deeply personal subject for Marnz that he believes deserves far greater attention.
According to the House Of Commons, In 2023, statistics show that there were 93 suicides in prison custody in England and Wales. This represented a rate of 10.8 suicides per 10,000 prison population, a rise on the 2022 figure of 9.4. Marnz highlighting this issue, especially at a time of a mental health crisis amongst men, is incredibly powerful and something that needs to be listened to all year round, but especially the winter months.
“January is naturally the most depressing time of the year. I wrote the verse speaking about things that make me depressed, being in Jail, losing my bredrin, growing up in poverty. I felt it was only right for the video to focus on depression in custody and how it can end with people taking their lives in this hopeless place”.
– Marnz Malone
“I Hate January” combines raw, emotionally charged storytelling with haunting production that gives space for both artists’ verses to take the spotlight. The accompanying music video amplifies the track’s impact, following the lives of two prisoners struggling with mental health crises, one of whom tragically takes his own life. In an era often dominated by fleeting TikTok trends, Marnz Malone is making a statement, championing authenticity and depth with this powerful release.
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