Mars (rapper)

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Mario Raphael Delgado (born April 18, 1980), better known by his stage name Mars, is a Mexican American rapper, entrepreneur, record producer, photographer, and actor from the San Francisco Bay Area city of Pittsburg, California that often performs with a Hannibal Lecter style mask. He specializes in horrorcore music.

Career

Delgado began his rap career in 1997 with childhood friend J RZ who formed Mad Insanity Records to release their basement style tapes to a circle of friends locally. His stage name "Mars" was a nickname he had been called by classmates as a short version of his name Mario.

In 1998 he released his first unofficial project S.I.D.S. on homemade cassettes and CD-Rs. Topics included rape, suicide, murder, and abortion. The tape is now considered a collectors item by fans.

On Sunday May 9, 1999 J RZ and Mars along with several members of the Mad Insanity Records roster and crew were involved in a fight with Detroit rapper Eminem and Proof at The Fillmore in San Francisco during Eminem's performance on his first headlining "Slim Shady" tour. The incident was published in several notable hip-hop blogs as well as Bay Area newspapers allowing Mad Insanity Records to gain a regional buzz.