North Omaha is bordered by the Missouri River\u00a0and\u00a0Carter Lake, Iowa,\u00a0and is home to more than 100,000 Nebraska residents, 59% of them African American. The area has a rich cultural history steeped in blues and jazz and is the birthplace of Malcolm X.<\/p>\n
Love\u2019s Jazz & Arts Center, founded by and named after local jazz great Preston Love Sr., lived in the historic district of 24th and Lake streets until 2020, before the North Omaha Music and Arts center took over the space, a testament to the cultural significance still looming in Omaha.<\/p>\n
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Less than a half-mile away sits Culxr House, a creative hub established by award-winning hip-hop artist, songwriter, emcee, producer, and visionary Marcey Yates. Serving the Omaha community since 2018, Culxr House is a place where music, fashion, the arts, and civic engagement intersect. Through concerts, art exhibitions, workshops, and public gatherings, it has become an important resource for promoting creativity and strengthening connections within North Omaha. It\u2019s one of the things that motivates Yates every day. He could have solely stuck to music, but his vision extends far beyond the studio.<\/p>\n
\u201cI want to see what else I can do to sustain myself and help others,\u201d he says. \u201cBut I also want to improve myself. I\u2019m almost obsessed with it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Yates has been laser-focused on music and forging community for years. Born in Omaha, Yates lost both of his parents at a young age. His early exposure to a plethora of music as a child, which started at his grandparents\u2019 church, the Church of God, was the foundation.<\/p>\n
\u201cChurch taught me how to feel music and express it from the soul; it was almost like testifying,\u201d he says. \u201cI think that\u2019s why it\u2019s so pure. It\u2019s coming from my soul.\u201d<\/p>\n
It was only a matter of time before hip-hop entered his life.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy older brother got me into hip-hop\u2014underground to be specific,\u201d he adds. \u201cIt was all about West Coast artists like San Quinn, Messy Marv, Jayo Felony, and Kurupt, and East Coast artists like JAY-Z, Wu-Tang Clan, and Nas. But he also put me on to Little Brother, 9th Wonder, Slum Village, Common, and J Dilla.\u201d<\/p>\n
After four years at the University of Nebraska-Omaha, he headed to Arizona in the 2000s to study music production at the Conservatory of Recording Arts and Sciences. Once back home, he started releasing albums and mixtapes as a solo artist, formed the Dilla Kids, and pumped out additional projects under his producer alias, Op2mus. Beginning with 2014\u2019s Vanilla Sky and Social Studies, Yates has put his appreciation and respect for classic hip-hop and Dilla-esque production center stage.<\/p>\n
(Credit: Kevin Kabore)<\/p>\n
\u201cHip-hop made an instant impact to how I would build myself,\u201d he says. \u201cIt\u2019s crazy to say sometimes, the influence it\u2019s had on me. I\u2019m a hip-hop producer primarily, but I think I\u2019ve grown into a producer more because of the collaborations with the symphony and opera and experience composing. I am an emcee, a recording artist, and performing artist, but I\u2019m hip-hop to the core and that\u2019s my genre.<\/p>\n
\u201cI always was intrigued with how beats were made. I always made them with my mouth. I didn\u2019t write much. I was a freestylist first, then when I began to actually make songs I knew I needed to write to feel better about my product. I wrote my first song when I was around 13 or something and it wasn\u2019t about much. It was actually cringe [laughs].\u201d<\/p>\n
Since then, Yates has put in the 10,000 hours to perfect his craft and continued to pump out projects at a dizzying pace, including 2023\u2019s Chocolate For Water and 2024\u2019s 9 Months. He\u2019s won five Omaha Entertainment and Arts Awards in categories like Album of the Year (Culxr House: Freedom Summer), Outstanding Hip-Hop and Cultural Stewardship for his work with Culxr House.<\/p>\n
(Credit: Calling Creatives)<\/p>\n
More recently, Marcey signed with a Wichita, Kansas-based artist development nonprofit and dropped his first Midtopia project, House Rules, in November 2025. His latest project, Vanilla Sky II, finds Yates firmly established as a community leader, father, entrepreneur, and polished emcee\/producer. Released in February, the album is a snapshot of Yates\u2019s ongoing evolution. From album opener \u201cBasically Set\u201d to \u201cHidden Gems\u201d to \u201c4:14,\u201d each song is a shining example of his appreciation for classic boom bap beats and top-tier lyricism. On \u201cGift & Curse,\u201d he opens up about his mother\u2019s death and wrestles with the challenges of being an independent artist.<\/p>\n
In an industry that too often celebrates materialism and misogyny, Yates\u2019s introspective lyrics and intriguing production style are refreshing reminders of what\u2019s missing in mainstream rap.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe influence of hip-hop\u2019s golden era is a comfort zone to me, and when I feel like going to the gym and hooping, I\u2019mma get to my spots and cook,\u201d he says. \u201cI feel since I grew up in that era and I\u2019m from that cloth I do it better. It comes more natural. With Vanilla Sky II, I wanted to keep it dusty and raw with a lot of the drums.\u201d<\/p>\n
The sky (no pun intended) is the limit for Yates. Earlier this year, he landed a campaign with McDonald\u2019s and Red Bull, which will include a mini-tour. Looking toward 2027, he plans on releasing more projects and continuing to tour. He\u2019s also launching a media company, Culxr Media, another way to keep cultivating community.<\/p>\n
\u201cUltimately, my goal is to get the respect I feel like I deserve and get my music into everyone\u2019s ears, and to become a household name and continue to leverage my platform I built into more brand deals and sponsorships,\u201d he says. \u201cObviously, my kids are a driving factor into my success, just being able to have their support and love, plus the fact God put me here for a reason keeps me going.\u201d<\/p>\n