As a young, up-and-coming artist born and raised in Indianapolis, self-proclaimed hip hop artist Mark Battles’ success is driven by his desire to properly represent his hometown with the production of effective music that listeners will not only appreciate, but also remember. With influences such as Eminem, Tupac, Jay-Z, Big Pun, DMX, LL Cool J, and Drake, Mark describes his own style as not only “modernized” hip hop, but also “the essence of real hip hop”.