Marxman

Marxman
Origin	Dublin/London/Bristol
Genres	Alternative hip hop, political hip hop, Celtic hip hop, trip hop, hip hop
Years active	1989–1996
Labels	Talkin' Loud, Polygram, A&M Records
Members	Oisin Lunny Stephen Brown MC Hollis DJ K One

Marxman were a four-piece Marxist hip-hop group with two MCs formed in London in 1989. Their lyrics expounded socialism and an end to economic and social injustice. They are one of only a few groups that combine hip-hop with traditional Irish compositions.

The band was formed by college friends Stephen Brown (Phrase D) and (MC) Hollis Michael Byrne, who also enlisted the help of Byrne's childhood friend from Ireland, Oisin Lunny, son of Irish traditional musician Dónal. The band were completed by scratch mixer DJ K One. Together they developed an overt political message in a scene dominated by Gangsta rap, inspired by Hip-Hop, Motown soul and traditional Irish music. Their debut 1992 single "Sad Affair" which borrowed lyrics from the Irish rebel song "Irish Ways and Irish Laws" was banned by the BBC. The bands later single, "All About Eve" peaked at number 28 in the UK Singles Chart, resulting in a performance on the BBC's flagship music programme Top of the Pops. Their controversial influences stemmed more from their militant socialism than traditional nationalism.

Their initial releases were on the Talkin' Loud record label and the group built a significant fanbase prior to the release of their debut single. Their debut album came the following year, when they released 33 Revolutions per Minute in the UK, before launching themselves to the American market in 1994. However the album failed to generate significant sales in the USA and Marxman left Talkin' Loud for the More Rockers label. They released their second and final album in 1996, Time Capsule which was a strong album but with less overtly Irish traditional musical influences than their debut release before disbanding later in the same year.

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