Marian Mereba, better known mononymously as Mereba, (born September 19, 1990), is an American singer, songwriter, rapper and producer.[1]
Mereba | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Marian Mereba |
| Born | (1990-09-19) September 19, 1990 (age 32) |
| Genres | R&B, soul |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, songwriter, rapper, producer |
| Instrument(s) | Vocals |
| Years active | 2013–present |
Born in Montgomery, Alabama on September 19, 1990,[citation needed] Mereba was raised in Pennsylvania, and developed an interest in music at age 4.[1] Starting with singing, Mereba eventually learned to play piano, and then guitar.[2] Mereba's parents moved frequently to accommodate their jobs as university professors.[1] Because of this, she was raised around different people with wide ranges of backgrounds. She began writing songs in elementary school and has said they were "a way to process her feelings of often feeling like an outsider in her environment." Mereba went to high school in Greensboro, North Carolina.[3][4] She also spent nearly a year living in Ethiopia, her father's home country.[2][3] Her mother is African-American and was born and raised in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.[5]
After graduating high school at 17, Mereba continued her education at her parents' insistence, attending Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.[1] She eventually transferred in 2009 to the liberal arts women's college Spelman College in Atlanta, Georgia, seeking to immerse herself in the legacy of the historically black women's college.[1][2] Mereba graduated from Spelman in 2011 with an English degree and a Music minor.[1]
After spending years performing in the indie music scene in Atlanta, Mereba self-released her debut project Room For Living EP, under her full name, on February 14, 2013.[6]
In 2018, Mereba was signed by Interscope Records.[7] Singles "Black Truck" and "Planet U" were released in 2018,[8][9] and would go on to appear on her debut album, The Jungle Is The Only Way Out, released February 27, 2019.[10][11] The album, often acronymed as TJITOWO, was written and produced by Mereba with co-production by Samuel Hoffman, excluding the 9th Wonder-produced track, "Black Truck."
On December 13, 2021, Mereba released Glock Peaceful. The newly released song was featured as a soundtrack on season 5 [12] of the show insecure produced by Issa Rae on HBO max. This song was produced by herself along with producers Chris McClenny and Biako.
Her song Glock peaceful carries the same themes of racial violence and intersectionality as her Album the Jungle is the only way out. Glock peaceful is a foreshadowing of a country free of gun violence and police brutality. Mereb[13] a tells the role of a storyteller in the song as she illustrates a sunny day in LA where there are no cops and guns are peaceful. After she described how achievable a neighborhood free of gun violence could be, she proceeds to assure the listener that it is possible to create that neighborhood. In her words, it is one step away”.
Mereba cites Stevie Wonder as her "fairy Godfather" after meeting him in 2016 and becoming his mentee through the last stretch of finishing of her debut album, The Jungle is the Only Way Out. Wonder specifically encouraged Mereba to continue to produce her own music, comparing her passion for production to his own passion for songwriting early in his career. Both passions were initially discouraged by the people who worked with both Mereba and Wonder. Mereb[14] a performed alongside Wonder at Soho House in Malibu in 2017, where he co-signed and personally introduced her to an intimate audience of listeners.[15]
| Title | Album details |
|---|---|
| The Jungle Is The Only Way Out |
|
| Spilligion
(as part of Spillage Village) |
|
| Title | Album details |
|---|---|
| Room For Living EP |
|
| Radio Flyer EP |
|
| Kotton House, Vol. 1 – EP |
|
| AZEB — EP |
|
| Title | Released |
|---|---|
| "September" | June 1, 2014 |
| "Radio Flyer" | June 24, 2014 |
| "Bet" | September 5, 2016 |
| "Black Truck" | February 9, 2018 |
| "Planet U" | September 27, 2018 |
| "Late Bloomer" | December 20, 2018[16] |
| "Sandstorm" | February 25, 2019[17] |
| Title | Year | Artist | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| "UFOs" | 2013 | EARTHGANG | Shallow Graves For Toys |
| "Ultra Rare" | EARTHGANG | Shallow Graves For Toys | |
| "Grand Theft Auto" | JID | Para Tu | |
| "Church" | 2014 | Miloh Smith | Pulp Fiction |
| "Good Night" | CyHi The Prynce | Black Hystori Project | |
| "Lucky Buddha" | JID & Money Makin' Nique | Lucky Buddha | |
| "Calypso" | Khary | Swim Team EP | |
| "Fryin'" | 2015 | Spillage Village | Bears Like This Too |
| "Love Child" | Spillage Village | Bears Like This Too | |
| "Liquor Sto'" | EARTHGANG | Strays With Rabies | |
| "Lady Nectarine" | EARTHGANG | Strays With Rabies | |
| "Letters" | JID | N/A[18] | |
| "Off The Lot" | 2018 | EARTHGANG | Royalty |
| "PTSD" | 2019 | Dreamville | Revenge of the Dreamers III |
| "Myrlie" | Rapsody | Eve | |
| "Yo Love" | Vince Staples feat. 6lack | Queen & Slim: The Soundtrack | |
| "Self" | 2020 | Brandon Banks | STATIC |
| "Same Boatl" | Kojey Radical | N/A | |
| "Like I Feel" | Xavier Omar | if You Feel | |
| "Westside" | Reason | New Beginnings | |
| "End of Daze" | Spillage Village | Spilligion | |
| "Hapi" | Spillage Village | Spilligion | |
| "Pslamsing" | Spillage Village | Spilligion | |
| "Golden pt. 2" | Berhana | N/A |