Even though he’s working toward a degree, that’s not stopping one WKU student from also working on his rap career.

Indianapolis, Ind. sophomore Steff Marvin’s song, “Have Mercy,” has been played on multiple radio stations at WKU, in Chicago and in Indianapolis. He said he started by producing music and at first, just making beats for fun, until other artists showed interest in them.

“Over time, I just got better and better and better and then in high school, I met a couple artists who really liked them, so they wanted to start buying them and that’s how I got my name out there,” he said.

Marvin has a few songs on YouTube, but filmed his first music video Saturday that he plans on posting to the website.

The video was filmed on-campus, near the Academic Complex.

He said he didn’t want to film a really busy video.

“I really just wanted a location that was kind of low-key…not too much action going on,” he said. “I just wanted something simple — like a simple concept.”

Indianapolis, Ind. junior Anthony Bell, Marvin’s manager, is a public relations major and said he felt honored when Marvin asked him to do the job. He said they have been friends since Bell was 17 years old.

He said Marvin has been working really hard on making beats and on his music since November, when the whole process started.

“There’s times where I have to tell him to go to sleep,” he said. “Over Christmas break, it was literally an everyday, non-stop thing.”

Marvin said he told Bell about wanting to become a rapper because he feels like he is talented and wanted people to hear his music.

The video was performed live without instruments — there was just one other person in the video who provided the beatboxing.

Indianapolis, Ind. sophomore Elijah Norwood said he joined the video to do the beatboxing spur of the moment, and he and Marvin didn’t have a ton of time to practice.

He said he was really happy and excited when he first heard Marvin’s song and heard how good it was.

“It sounds like a song that is already legit,” he said.

He also said performing the video was fun and he enjoyed it.

“I wasn’t the best, but it worked,” Norwood said.

Marvin said he had recently written the song for the video and it didn’t have a name yet. When he filmed it for the video, it was just one verse.

“It’s kind of like a teaser,” he said.

Bell said they have mostly been promoting Marvin’s music through Twitter and Facebook. Marvin has a Facebook page, Steff Marvin Fanpage and fans can follow Bell at @a_bell5 and Marvin at @steffmarvin.

“We’re getting the song out there; it’s just about building the fan base and just letting people know who he really is,” Bell said.

Marvin’s first show is coming up on Feb. 7 at Three Brothers in downtown Bowling Green and both he and Bell are really excited about it.

“It’s our first, you know, big opportunity to really push his name out there and get his music out there, so we’re trying to get as many people to come out as possible,” he said.