Today we’d like to introduce you to Marcus “M-Positive” Parker.
Marcus, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
My journey began in Port Arthur, Tx in where I was born and raised until joining the U.S. Air Force in 1993, where I served until 1997 in San Antonio, Tx as an electronics technician. After an honorable discharge, I moved to Austin, where I continued to work in electronics in a growing semiconductor industry. For the next few years, I worked day in and day out earning over $100,000 per year in my early twenties, and most of the money was invested into tech-stocks which were booming at the time. I became a financially independent at a young age until September 2001 came along. After September 11th, 2001, the tech stocks plummeted and I had lost my retirement funds.
So I almost had to give you the background before you could understand the rest of the story. Starting with very little to acquiring an abundance to losing it all, was where my life started to make more since and I understood things differently than I ever could before. I started to realize that everything that I thought was important in life, such as money, wealth, savings, credit, were all of the things which I had used to determine my self-worth. So after losing everything, I no longer had an identity and I went through a period where I was suicidal. This is where my true breakthrough occurred. In a closet inside of my beautiful Rowlett home, I sat with a 9mm in my hand about to end the nightmare that I was living at this time.
I would say that I started to understand myself more after this time but I knew that I wanted to write my story. So after investing the last $50,000 I still had into real estate which seemed like the right thing to do. This move would come back to bite me later in the story, but anyway I started to write out my story which turned into a Dallas morning news best-seller called “The Product”. The book sold thousands of copies and I started traveling and speaking at schools high schools and middle schools. So when realizing that the inner-city school’s students were having difficulty reading the lessons from the book, I started delivering the message through music which is what I called Motivational Rap. I started making this motivational rap music and performing it with motivational speaking. One of my songs called “What the P for” which was a positive rap song was getting radio play on K104.5 and KNON.
In 2008 I was indicted in a real estate scandal from the time I said that real estate came back to bite me after I was speaking and traveling with my book and performing Motivational rap. The indictment froze me for a total of five years being on pre-trial probation, six months house arrest and post-trial probation. So at this point, I was starting over again with five years off of the scene but this time there are smartphones and apps like Instagram to market products. I released a song on World Star Hip Hop which was an overwhelming flop.
By this time it was 2013 and had given up on my books which the next two,”The Secret to selling your music online”, and the “Final Product” both never measured up to the success I saw on the first book. I went back to my technical skills and began working as a trainer for a hybrid water heating company which allowed me to honor of being featured on HGTV “The Property Brothers At Home”. After having my very first shot on national television, the company closed down and I invested in a t-shirt machine and started printing “MOTIVATION” shirts which I sold thousands of shirts until calling it quits in 2016. At this point, I was 41 years old and had never completed my bachelor’s degree which I felt didn’t reflect the person that I was who had spoken at schools and written three books. So I went back to school at 41 at the University Of North Texas where I studied very hard to be on the dean’s list most semesters. I graduated with my bachelor’s degree in 2018 with a certificate in Rehabilitation from UNT and also completed a new book that encompassed all that I had learned at the University and through all of the ups and downs in life. The book was called “Find the Lie and Fix the Problem- a tool for emotional healing. ” and it includes the tools that I have learned to find happiness in the face of so much pain and trauma.
As of current, I teach state vocational classes for special education students and working on producing an online course which teaches individuals how to fix their emotions. When I am not promoting my books or training, I am spending quality time with my beautiful family. In going through all that I have lived through, it has helped me to understand what is most important in life so I live every day happy and only giving off positive energy.
Has it been a smooth road?
It has NOT been a smooth road, it has been bumpy and unpredictable. There have been many hurdles along the way, but I have learned to take personal responsibility for my problems in life and be truthful with myself about my involvement in the issues. My biggest challenge has been letting go of the past, and the pain associated with it.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with your music – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
As an independent artist and author, I sell music streams, downloads, and books through the internet.
Let’s touch on your thoughts about our city – what do you like the most and least?
I have lived in DFW longer than I have ever lived anywhere else. I love the Dallas area because I think the city is beautiful and has some beautiful sites and parks all over. The city has also shown me a lot of love over the years.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.amazon.com/author/marcusparker
- Email: bookmarcusparker@gmail.com
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