Long Island MC/producer Roc Marciano’s sophomore album Reloaded drops tomorrow, and it’s one of the strongest LPs to come out of New York this year, displaying ridiculous rhyming and progressive production that aim to make him a man who's no longer slept on in the booth or behind the boards.
Roc has been flying below the radar for years. His first solo LP, 2010's Marcberg, is acclaimed, but widely unknown to the rap masses. It was an underground hit displaying the precision he's been known for since coming into the game under Busta Rhymes' tutelage over a decade ago. Now with the release of Reloaded, Roc is spitting the best rhymes of his career, with production looks from The Alchemist and Q-Tip to boot.
To get a feel for what type of music influenced Roc Marciano, we asked him to break down his 25 favorite albums. It’s a rap-heavy list, with a strong Long Island foundation, supreme Queens representation, a West Coast and Southern component, and a soul element, all which will clue you in to what sounds made him the artist he is today. These are Roc’s emeralds of choice.
As told to Daniel Isenberg (@stanipcus)