An MC and producer from New York City's tradition-rich Long Island,
Roc Marciano is well respected for his moody, claustrophobic beats and stream-of-consciousness, heavily stylized lyrics. Briefly affiliated with
Flipmode Squad early in his career, he formed the short-lived crew the U.N. during the early 2000s before going solo, earning massive acclaim for his self-produced 2010 full-length Marcberg. Collaborating with rappers and producers like
Q-Tip,
the Alchemist,
Ka, and
Action Bronson, subsequent releases such as 2013's
Marci Beaucoup and 2018's RR2: The Bitter Dose featured more experimental production as well as sharper lyricism.
Born
Rakeem Myer, Long Island hip-hop steered his musical vision, approach, and tastes as a youth growing up in Hempstead. He cited Long Island greats such as
Public Enemy,
EPMD,
De La Soul, and the lesser-known
Grand Daddy I.U., as well as new-school pioneers
Nas and
the Notorious B.I.G. But it was
Busta Rhymes, originally from Long Island's
Leaders of the New School, who gave
Marciano his biggest break.
Busta was given a tape of early
Marciano music, and the platinum-selling rapper decided to sign
Marciano to his Flipmode label, which, at the time, was one of rap's foremost artist-owned imprints.
Marciano appeared on
Busta's 2000 full-length
Anarchy, on which he traded verses with
Wu-Tang's
Raekwon and
Ghostface ("The Heist").
Around this time,
Marciano formed the U.N., made up of Dino Brave, Laku, and Mike Raw -- all high-school classmates at Long Island's Uniondale. Together, they appeared on
Pete Rock's
PeteStrumentals and released their buzzworthy mixtape Strength & Honor and the 2004 LP
UN or U Out? Soon, though, the crew disintegrated; they found it hard to get industry traction.
Marciano forged on by dropping verses on
GZA's Pro Tools and
Marco Polo's
Port Authority. In 2010, he released Marcberg, his official solo debut album. He handled all production, and wrote and rhymed all but one verse. It was hailed by New York underground hip-hop royalty. The following year, he teamed up with
the Alchemist and
Oh No for the Greneberg EP.
LUV NY, a supergroup set featuring
Marciano beside the likes of
Kool Keith and
A.G., was released in July 2012. A few months later,
Marciano issued his second proper album,
Reloaded, which was mostly self-produced but also included
the Alchemist as well as
Q-Tip. Critical praise nearly equaled the level of Marcberg.
Marci Beaucoup appeared at the end of 2013, with many features (including frequent contributors
Ka and
Knowledge Pirate, plus
Freeway,
Guilty Simpson,
Action Bronson,
Evidence, and
Cormega).
Marciano spent several years lying low, but was featured on a track from
De La Soul's
And the Anonymous Nobody. He finally emerged in 2017 with his fourth album, the independently released
Rosebudd's Revenge, which included few guests but more outside production (from beatmakers including
Knxwledge,
the Arch Druids, and Mushroom Jesus). This kickstarted a prolific run which continued with no less than three full-lengths in 2018: the murky, electronic-influenced RR2: The Bitter Dose,
Behold a Dark Horse, and the
DJ Muggs-produced KAOS. The Prequel, a brief collection of rarities, appeared in 2019. ~ Vincent Thomas