Marius Lucas Antonio Listhrop (born 19 June 1994), professionally known as Scarlxrd (pronounced "Scarlord"), is an English rapper, singer-songwriter, and former

YouTuber A YouTuber is a content creator and social media influencer who uploads or creates videos on the online video-sharing website YouTube, typically posting to their personal YouTube channel. The term was first used in the English language in 2006 ...

. He is known for his unique musical style and is considered a pioneer of the trap metal genre, a combination of

trap music Trap music, also known simply as trap, is a subgenre of hip-hop music which originated in the Southern United States, with lyrical references to trap starting in 1991 but the modern sound of trap appearing in 1999. The genre gets its name from t ...

and heavy metal. Formerly known under his YouTube moniker Mazzi Maz, he began a career in music as the vocalist for

nu metal Nu metal (sometimes stylized as nü-metal, with a metal umlaut) is a subgenre of that combines elements of heavy metal music with elements of other music genres such as hip hop music, hip hop, funk, industrial music, industrial, and grunge. Nu ...

band Myth City before debuting as a rapper under the Scarlxrd name. He rose to prominence after the music video for his single "Heart Attack" which gained significant attention, gaining over 100 million views on YouTube as of February 2023. He has since released other successful songs, namely "King, Scar", "6 Feet", "Berzerk", and "Head Gxne".

Early and personal life

Listhrop was born on 19 June 1994 in

Wolverhampton Wolverhampton ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands of England. Located around 12 miles (20 km) north of Birmingham, it forms the northwestern part of the West Midlands conurbation, with the towns of ...

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

. His father is half-

Ghanaian The Ghanaian people are a nation originating in the Gold Coast (region), Ghanaian Gold Coast. Ghanaians predominantly inhabit the Republic of Ghana and are the predominant cultural group and residents of Ghana, numbering 34 million people as of ...

and half- Jamaican, while his mother is half Jamaican and half English. Listhrop is an atheist.

YouTube career

Before he started a career in music, Listhrop began uploading videos on

YouTube YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...

as Mazzi Maz. His personality on the site was described as a "perky" and "super-smiley YouTuber" who recorded and published

vlog A vlog (), also known as a video blog or video log, is a form of blog for which the medium is video. Vlog entries often combine embedded video (or a video link) with supporting text, images, and other metadata. Entries can be recorded in one ta ...

s in his bedroom. He often collaborated with friends and fellow YouTube personalities Sam Pepper and Caspar Lee. From late-2013 to mid-2014, Listhrop and Pepper embarked on a worldwide comedy-music tour, "WDGAF Tour". By February 2017, Listhrop removed all of his Mazzi Maz videos from his YouTube channel and has since rebranded it to his Scarlxrd moniker. In a 2018 Interview, Listhrop described his time as a YouTube personality and posting videos on the site as "soul-destroying".

Music career

2014–2016: Myth City

In 2014, Listhrop founded the

rap rock Rap rock is a music genre that developed from the early to mid-1980s, when hip hop DJs incorporated rock records into their routines and rappers began incorporating original and sampled rock instrumentation into hip hop music. Rap rock is co ...

band Myth City, in which he performed as the vocalist. Listhrop also described the band's sound as a fusion of

rap music Rapping (also rhyming, flowing, spitting, emceeing, or MCing) is an artistic form of vocal delivery and emotive expression that incorporates "rhyme, rhythmic speech, and ommonlystreet vernacular". It is usually performed over a backing ...

and

grindcore Grindcore is an extreme metal, extreme fusion genre of heavy metal music, heavy metal and hardcore punk that originated in the mid-1980s, drawing inspiration from abrasive-sounding musical styles, such as thrashcore, crust punk, hardcore punk, e ...

. The band's YouTube channel quickly gained a following mainly consisting of Mazzi Maz fans, who gave the group a mixed reception; fans responded positively to Listhrop's screamed vocals, but were confused on the contrast between the band's harsh musical style and Listhrop's "smiley" YouTube videos. Myth City released their self-titled debut EP on 28 February 2015.

2016–2018: Early albums and breakthrough

Listhrop performing in 2018 Listhrop performing in 2018 In August 2016, Scarlxrd debuted his new moniker with the release of "Girlfriend". The music video depicts him unmasked and rapping over a "humid, tropical hip-hop track". By the end of 2016, he released two albums, his self-titled album (stylised in

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

ese characters as ''スカー藩主'') and ''Rxse''. After the release of two more albums, ''Cabin Fever'' and ''Chaxsthexry'', in April 2017, Scarlxrd released the video for "Chain$aw" on 31 May; a week later, he released the music video for "King, Scar". On 23 June, he published the music video for "Heart Attack" and the video quickly gained popularity; he credits his consistency of releasing music videos, specifically the videos for "Chain$aw" and "King, Scar", for the video's popularity rise. On 29 September, he released his fifth studio album ''Lxrdszn''. "King, Scar" and "Chain$aw" were also released as music kits in '' Counter-Strike: Global Offensive''. In February 2018, it was announced that Scarlxrd would perform at the

2018 Events January * January 1 – Bulgaria takes over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, after the Estonian presidency. * January 4 – SPLM-IO rebels loyal to Chan Garang Lual start a raid against Juba, capital of ...

Reading and Leeds Festivals The Reading and Leeds Festivals are a pair of annual music festivals that take place in Reading and Leeds in England. The events take place simultaneously on the Friday, Saturday and Sunday of the August bank holiday weekend. The Reading Fest ...

. In April, it was revealed that he would be featured on Carnage's second studio album, '' Battered Bruised & Bloody'', released on 13 April; Scarlxrd performed on the song "Up Nxw". On 4 May, he released his sixth studio album and major label debut ''Dxxm'' via

Island Records Island Records is a multinational record label owned by Universal Music Group. It was founded in Jamaica by Chris Blackwell, Graeme Goodall, and Leslie Kong in 1959, and was eventually sold to PolyGram in 1989. Island and A&M Records, another ...

2018–2020: Continued major label releases

After releasing singles from mid-2018 to early-2019 in anticipation of an upcoming album, including "Hxw They Judge", "Berzerk", "Sx Sad", and "Head Gxne", Scarlxrd announced his seventh studio album, ''Infinity'', which was released on 15 March 2019. He was a nominee in the 2019 Kerrang! Awards for Best British Breakthrough. Later that year, "The Purge" was featured on the first season of the

HBO Home Box Office (HBO) is an American pay television service, which is the flagship property of namesake parent-subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is based a ...

television series ''

Euphoria Euphoria ( ) is the experience (or affect) of pleasure or excitement and intense feelings of well-being and happiness. Certain natural rewards and social activities, such as aerobic exercise, laughter, listening to or making music and da ...

''. Scarlxrd released his second album of 2019 titled ''Immxrtalisatixn'' on 4 October. He released his third 2019 studio album on 13 December, titled ''Acquired Taste: Vxl 1''. On 19 December, "I Can Dx What I Want" was announced as the official theme song for the WWE

NXT UK ''NXT UK'' was a professional wrestling television programme that was produced exclusively in the United Kingdom by the American promotion WWE. It aired on BT Sport and 5Action (previously known as Paramount Network). In the United States, the ...

event, NXT UK TakeOver: Blackpool II. His first studio album of 2020, ''Scarhxurs'', was released on 28 February. The release of his next album, ''Fantasy Vxid'', was split into five EP's, with the full project being released on 12 June.

2021–present: Independent releases

On 14 January 2021, Scarlxrd released "Let the Wxrld Burn" via his independent label Lxrd Records, marking his first release since his departure from Island Records. On 5 February, Scarlxrd released his 12th studio album ''Dxxm II'', a sequel to his 2018 project ''Dxxm''. Later that year, he featured on "Dead Desert" by Trippie Redd, which also featured Zillakami. Scarlxrd also released a collaborative EP with Ghostemane titled ''Lxrdmage''. On 29 October 2021, he released his second album of the year, ''DeadRising''. On 13 May 2022, Scarlxrd released his 14th studio album, ''Acquired Taste: Vxl. 2'', a sequel to his 2019 album ''Acquired Taste Vxl. 1.'' In August, he was featured on

Corpse Husband Corpse Husband (born August 8, 1997), commonly abbreviated as Corpse and stylized in all caps, is an American YouTuber and musician. Corpse is best known for his music and "faceless" work on YouTube. He is mostly known for his horror story na ...

's single "Misa Misa". In October, he released the EP ''Psychx'' with Kordhell. On 21 July 2023, Scarlxrd released his 15th studio album titled ''Made In Hell''. In 2024 Scarlxrd released the surprise EP titled WELCXME BACK : 1 along with 9 other EP's until his final EP of 2024 being titled I’ll Be Back Sxxn : 10. On May, 2nd 2025 Scarlxrd released a new album titled Traplxrd being the first album since Made In Hell.

Artistry

Scarlxrd's combination of

and heavy metal has been dubbed " trap metal", a style which multiple publications have described him as a pioneer of. He is often associated with SoundCloud rap artists. In a 2018 article, ''

NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming and culture website, bimonthly magazine, and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a "Rock music, rock inkie", the ''NME'' would be ...

'' described him as a "tormented outsider hip-hop artist". They also called him a "

rap metal Rap metal is a fusion genre that combines hip hop music, hip hop with heavy metal music, heavy metal. It usually consists of heavy metal guitar riffs, funk metal elements, Rapping, rapped vocals and sometimes turntablism, turntables. History O ...

overlord" and his style to include "screamed vocals, claustrophobic trap beats and ear-shredding bursts of distorted guitar", as well as calling it a fusion of metal and "

nihilistic Nihilism () encompasses various views that reject certain aspects of existence. There have been different nihilist positions, including the views that life is meaningless, that moral values are baseless, and that knowledge is impossible. Thes ...

rap". Scarlxrd grew up listening to heavy metal music and cites hip hop artists including

Missy Elliott Melissa Arnette "Missy" Elliott (born July 1, 1971), also known as Misdemeanor, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record producer. She began her musical career as a member of the Contemporary R&B, R&B girl group 4 All the Sistas Arou ...

Nelly Cornell Iral Haynes Jr. (born November 2, 1974), better known by his stage name Nelly, is an American rapper, singer, and actor. He grew up in St. Louis, Missouri, and embarked on his musical career in 1993 as a member of the Midwest hip hop g ...

and

Eminem Marshall Bruce Mathers III (born October 17, 1972), known professionally as Eminem, is an American rapper, songwriter, and record producer. Regarded as one of the greatest and most influential rappers of all time, he is credited with popula ...

as influences. He also stated that he formed Myth City after listening to

Linkin Park Linkin Park is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Agoura Hills, California, in 1996. The band's current lineup consists of vocalist/rhythm guitarist/keyboardist Mike Shinoda, lead guitarist Brad Delson, DJ/turntablist Joe Hahn, bass ...

Rage Against the Machine Rage Against the Machine (often abbreviated as RATM or shortened to Rage) was an American Rock music, rock band formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1991. It consisted of vocalist Zack de la Rocha, bassist and backing vocalist Tim ...

Incubus An Incubus () is a demon, male demon in human form in folklore that seeks to have Sexuality in Christian demonology, sexual intercourse with sleeping women; the corresponding spirit in female form is called a succubus. Parallels exist in many c ...

and

Deftones Deftones is an American alternative metal band formed in Sacramento, California in 1988. They were formed by frontman Chino Moreno, lead guitarist Stephen Carpenter and drummer Abe Cunningham, with bassist Chi Cheng and keyboardist and tu ...

. He is known to replace the letter "o" with "x", which is shown in his stage name and song titles. Scarlxrd's visual aesthetic within his music videos and clothing style is heavily influenced from

Japanese culture Japanese culture has changed greatly over the millennia, from the country's prehistoric Jōmon period, to its contemporary modern culture, which absorbs influences from Asia and other regions of the world. Since the Jomon period, ancestral ...

, especially

anime is a Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, , in Japan and in Ja ...

. His signature

surgical mask A surgical mask, also known by other names such as a medical face mask or procedure mask, is a personal protective equipment used by healthcare professionals that serves as a mechanical barrier that interferes with direct airflow in and out of r ...

, which he wears to distance himself from his YouTube image, was inspired by the Japanese

manga are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long history in earlier Japanese art. The term is used in Japan to refer to both comics ...

Tokyo Ghoul is a Japanese dark fantasy manga series written and illustrated by Sui Ishida. It was serialized in Shueisha's manga magazine ''Weekly Young Jump'' from September 2011 to September 2014, with its chapters collected in 14 vo ...

''. He began wearing the mask less often after the release of ''Infinity''. Scarlxrd also cited American heavy metal band Slipknot as an inspiration towards his visuals.

Discography

Studio albums

Extended plays

* ''Thrxwaways As Prxmised '' (2019) * ''FantasyVxid; Intrx'' (2020) * ''FantasyVxid; Spring'' (2020) * ''FantasyVxid; Autumn'' (2020) * ''FantasyVxid; Winter'' (2020) * ''FantasyVxid; Summer'' (2020) * ''LXRDMAGE '' with Ghostemane (2021) * ''Atv2. Act I: Genesis'' (2022) * ''Atv2. Act II: Severance'' (2022) * ''Atv2. Act III: Cxnflict'' (2022) * ''Atv2. Act IV: Prxmise'' (2022) * ''Lxlwut?'' (2022) * ''Psychx'' with Kordhell (2022) * ''WELCXME BACK : 1'' (2024) * ''NXW XR NEVER : 2'' (2024) * ''REMAIN UNBRXKEN : 3'' (2024) * ''YXU WILL HEAL : 4'' (2024) * ''DIGITAL RECREATIXN : 5'' (2024) * ''SXUL SEARCH : 6'' (2024) * ''HIDDEN CXDE : 7'' (2024) * ''FXCUSED XUTSIDER : 8'' (2024) * ''SXLUTIXN FXUND : 9'' (2024) * ''I'll Be Back Sxxn : 10'' (2024)

Other releases

* ''Annx Dxmini'' (2016; only available on

SoundCloud SoundCloud is a German audio streaming service owned and operated by SoundCloud Global Limited & Co. KG. The service enables its users to upload, promote, and share audio. Founded in 2007 by Alexander Ljung and Eric Wahlforss, SoundCloud is ...

) * ''One''. (EP, as SPRNKLZ; 2019; only available on YouTube, Spotify and SoundCloud) * ''HEAVEN FIRE''. (Album, as Lucas Hector; 2019; only available on YouTube) * ''Practice'' (EP, as TAKA LXRD; 2021; only available on YouTube, Spotify and SoundCloud) * ''Obama Katana'' (2023; Short remix of 777-777-777., produced for the YouTube channel Smosh as a part of the video "WE WERE ROBBED!") * ''BLUDGEON'' (2024; by MARAUDA, uses Listhrop's vocals from HEAVE)

Guest appearances

References

External links

* * {{authority control 1994 births Living people 21st-century British rappers 21st-century Black British male singers 21st-century English male singers 21st-century English singer-songwriters Black British male rappers British rap rock musicians British trap musicians English male rappers 21st-century male rappers English male singer-songwriters English people of Ghanaian descent English people of Jamaican descent English YouTubers Island Records artists Masked musicians Musicians from the West Midlands (county) British music YouTubers musicians from Wolverhampton Nu metal singers Rap metal musicians Trap metal musicians YouTubers from the West Midlands (county)