On September 3, 2021, Montreal producer Nicholas Craven set a certain corner of Rap Twitter on fire. Drake had been released Certified Boy Lover that day, a memorable collection apart from its opener, “Champagne poetry.” Instead of the tiny, adjacent drums he usually favored, an unadorned, syncopated upright bass provided the rhythmic backbone of the track's first half. On the second it switched to a soul loop, the low end slightly boosted to keep the pulse intact. The lyrics were typical Drake, but he was in his technical bag and flirted with complex rhyme schemes. He carried them several bars at a time, only to carefully peel them off, as if wondering how they fit in the first place. All of this sounded very familiar to a certain subsection of rap fans, including Craven, who he tweeted“Rock Marciano is the immediate reason Champagne Poetry exists.”
If you scan Reddit threads, YouTube commentsand the tenth anniversary retrospectives, you will find a loose consensus on this Markberg, Marci's 2010 solo debut, set the stage for much of today's rap underground. In recent years, the focus had shifted away from the Golden Age New York sound in favor of Atlanta trap and wet Texas funk. Unlike the pair, Markberg they traded frayed, faint sonics, referencing and informing the bleak wintry menace of East Coast classics like Mobb Deep's HELL on earth and Big L's Lifestylez ov da Poor & Dangerous.
The Long Island rapper-producer's dusty, claustrophobic sound owed much to '90s forebears like RZA and 4th Disciple, but felt more carefully modern than hollow throwback. Marcy slowed the tempos to a crawl and stripped his samples of anything superfluous—sometimes forgoing drums altogether—and pounded out a gravelly, menacing monotone. Arguably, groups like Griselda and the Umbrella Collective or scenes like the Lynn, Massachusetts universe surrounding Estee Nack and al. divino, would not exist without the diligent study of his catalogue. To hear Marci's minimalism emulated by the world's biggest rapper, a man known for echoing innovation at those levels below, meant Marci had transcended. His latest album, Markology, is the most overt acknowledgment of his living legend status. The title conveys it as a text to be poured out: This is Roc Marciano the inimitable writer, still finding ways to tweak what he's already perfected.
As a producer, Marci uses minor-key loops like a hypnotist's pocket watch, intensifying the trance-like groove with each repeat. Markology features some of his weirdest work, sounding ripped from the soundtracks of dark European heist films. Marci is clearly inspired by the rich spaciousness Alchemist provided for their 2022 partnership, The Elephant's Bonesbut we intend to delve into the mushroomy experimentation of 2020 Mount Marcy. He directs ten of the album's 14 tracks, creating an unsettling psychedelic atmosphere. It all seems as awkward as a salvia breakthrough, recognizably part of Marci's palette, but decidedly weirder.
from our partners at https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/roc-marciano-marciology