“Savage,” the new single from Los Angeles artist Ross Victory and Bronx-born singer and performer MARQUE, is already making noise in the hip hop community. This West Coast hip hop and queer rap collaboration pairs Ross Victory’s raunchy rap persona with MARQUE’s melodic Puerto Rican Bronx fire, creating a high-energy, club-ready track that blends West Coast bounce with East Coast attitude. “Savage” stands out as a new hip hop release that centers queer men, independent artists, and bi-coastal collaboration while still capturing the raw spirit of hip hop storytelling.
MARQUE, known for choreographing for artists like Ylona Garcia, Ina Bravo, and Tony Sunshine, and performing alongside Alaska Thunderfuck (RuPaul’s Drag Race) and Ty Dolla $ign, brings his commanding stage presence into the booth. With influences ranging from Aaliyah to Blink-182, the ONQUE star’s delivery on “Savage” adds both melody and menace, bridging his pop, R&B, and dance with Ross’ bold lyrics.
This link-up wasn’t industry manufactured — it was community-grown. The two independent artists crossed paths in 2024 at the LGBT Center in Los Angeles. Ross was a panelist for the BiYou event sponsored by bisexual social club AmBi Los Angeles, while MARQUE was lighting up the stage as a featured performer.
When Ross began mapping out “Savage”, he knew the track needed an energetic feature — an artist who could meet his raw delivery but also stand confidently on their own.
“As artists, we express ourselves differently,” Ross says. “But at the core is authenticity and a love for songwriting and radio. Musicality is what made this collab a no-brainer and why we have that sonic chemistry. We are both in our comfort zones.”
Ross wastes no time setting the scene from the first bar: “When you see my face you know I came to take it all / f** ’em like a savage…”* The delivery is playful but daring, confident but calculated — the mark of someone who knows how to get a reaction and live rent-free in your head.
MARQUE flips the energy without losing the edge: “Big big feeler, booty killa, stroke game A1, sex drug dealer.” His verse is brash and melodic, providing a sharp lyrical and sonic contrast to Ross’s attack, before detouring into a hook that makes you hit rewind: “I feel like I’ve been here before, going in and out like a revolving door.”
The result is a bass-heavy, West Coast bounce cut built for both the streets and the club. Ross spits unfiltered bars, channeling a fearlessness through his rap persona Aloutte Hayes, who says what Ross is thinking but won’t say out loud. MARQUE’s verse then slides in with an intoxicating mix of R&B smoothness and aggressive cadence. It’s a back-and-forth that plays like a verbal chess match — tension, release, and zero hesitation.
“When Ross sent me the beat, I knew exactly where to take it,” MARQUE says. “I wanted my verse to feel like you’re caught in between — it’s that space where you can’t pull away, and you don’t want to.”
Beyond the record, “Savage” is a celebration of intersectional collaboration in hip hop, connecting East and West coasts, elevating LGBTQ artists, and showing what is possible when identity, talent, and vision are not gatekept. As Black and Latino queer men, Ross Victory and MARQUE are pushing the culture forward by taking up space on their own terms and encouraging their listeners and other independent artists to do be brave and reach for their version of freedom and joy.
Produced by Track Pros and recorded at Good Vibez Studios and Glasshaus in Los Angeles, “Savage” is now available on Spotify and Apple Music.