Mars Black is an Omaha, Nebraska based hip-hop artist, born in Brooklyn, New York. Black takes his stage name from Mars Blackman, a character that appeared in Air Jordan commercials directed by Spike Lee in the 1980s. His debut album, , was released on Team Love Records in 2004 to mixed reviews. Black is the only rapper signed to Team Love, which is a label owned by Conor Oberst primarily associated with indie rock. He toured with such acts as Bright Eyes and The Faint in 2005. In 2008, he released his second full-length for Team Love, Stay Black.