The first hip-hop album that Roc Marciano ever got
Hip-hop has always been about the underground. That doesn’t mean the Tube, but the idea of music outside of the commercial norm. The genre itself derived from non-commercial means as it combined the values of soul and funk to create a new type of music. Nevertheless, rap is one of the most popular forms of music today, and it itself has developed an underground subgenera. Roc Marciano is underground hip-hop.
Marciano is one of the movement’s leaders and biggest names, alongside the likes of MF DOOM and Danny Brown. As one of the scene’s flagbearers, it is safe to say he knows his way around a verse. Marci is known for his exemplary revival of lyrical and rhyming rap in the wake of a modern movement towards more musically-centric hip-hop.
Born in New York, Rahkeim Mayer, whose name is early similar to ASAP Rocky’s Rakim Mayers, has been rapping for decades. Making his first appearance on ‘Whatcha Come Around Here For?’ as part of the Flipmode Squad. He eventually left in 2001 to form the U.N., slightly different to the United Nations, this was an early hardcore underground hip-hop group.
The Long Island rapper didn’t always operate in the shadows. His talent was noticed and desired by some of the biggest names of the era as he appeared on the 2005 Wu-Tang Clang compilation Wu-Tang Meets Indie Culture. He also later featured on legendary producer Pete Rock’s 2008 album NY’s Finest, a title befitting Marciano’s talent.
In 2010 he released his debut album Marcberg which was lauded by critics. His seemingly individual struggle to bring back lyric focused tracks was highly appreciated, but that’s not all that Meyer is known for.
The New York native isn’t just quick with a mic; he is also a highly respected producer. Out of his 10 albums, he produced eight of them and received positive reviews for his skill. An obvious fanatic about the genre, he has a keen eye and appreciation for production. When he passed the reigns over on the two albums that he didn’t solely create, he brought icons DJ Muggs for KAOS and The Alchemist for The Elephant Man’s Bones.
As an extremely talented lyricist, it comes as no surprise that when choosing his 25 favourite albums with Complex Marci, he included Eric B. & Rakim’s 1988 classic Follow the Leader.
He went onto explain that this was the first album he ever owned; “Follow The Leader was my first hip-hop album that I ever got… my mom knew I loved Rakim so she got me the album”. He further detailed that Rakim is the reason he became an artist; “Rakim is the best. What more can I say about The God? That’s why I even rap”. Perhaps this was always the plan considering as they practically share a first name.
Roc’s appreciation for The God MC is obvious and the influence this record seemingly had on his music is evident. Kool Moe Dee in her book There’s A God On The Mic: The True 50 Greatest MCs emphatically said that “Rakim created flow!” due to the legends’ integration of poetic techniques into his lyrics. Marci is trying desperately to bring the focus back on lyrical rap, and now it’s obvious why.