Roc Marciano

Roc Marciano, an MC and beatmaker rooted in the hip-hop heritage of Long Island outside New York City, commands respect through his brooding, enclosed soundscapes and introspective, ornate rhymes. Early ties to Flipmode Squad gave way to his formation of the short-lived collective the U.N. in the early 2000s, after which he stepped out alone and drew widespread praise for the self-produced full-length Marcberg in 2010. Later projects such as Marci Beaucoup in 2013 and RR2: The Bitter Dose in 2018 incorporated more exploratory production and incisive rhymes while featuring input from artists including Q-Tip, Ka, and Action Bronson. Additional joint efforts in the early 2020s encompassed The Elephant Man's Bones with the Alchemist in 2022 and Nothing Bigger Than the Program with Jay Worthy in 2023, followed by the second Alchemist pairing The Skeleton Key in 2024.

Born Rakeem Myer, he absorbed the Long Island hip-hop environment that shaped his outlook, methods, and preferences during his Hempstead upbringing. He pointed to regional standouts such as Public Enemy, EPMD, De La Soul, and the lesser-known Grand Daddy I.U., along with new-school trailblazers Nas and the Notorious B.I.G. His pivotal opportunity arrived via Busta Rhymes, another Long Island native from Leaders of the New School, who received an early demo and signed Marciano to the platinum-selling rapper's Flipmode imprint, then among rap's leading artist-owned labels. Marciano contributed a verse alongside Wu-Tang members Raekwon and Ghostface on the track "The Heist" from Busta's 2000 album Anarchy.

Around the same period Marciano assembled the U.N. with high-school classmates from Uniondale—Dino Brave, Laku, and Mike Raw. The group appeared on Pete Rock's PeteStrumentals, issued the well-received mixtape Strength & Honor, and delivered the 2004 LP UN or U Out?, yet the crew soon dissolved amid limited industry momentum. Marciano persisted with guest verses on GZA's Pro Tools and Marco Polo's Port Authority before unveiling his official solo debut Marcberg in 2010, handling nearly all production and writing every rhyme except one; New York underground hip-hop figures hailed the project. The next year he joined the Alchemist and Oh No for the Greneberg EP, then released the supergroup project LUV NY in July 2012 alongside figures such as Kool Keith and A.G. Months later came his second proper album Reloaded, largely self-produced with additional beats from the Alchemist and Q-Tip, drawing acclaim comparable to that of Marcberg.

Marci Beaucoup closed out 2013 and spotlighted numerous guests, among them frequent partners Ka and Knowledge the Pirate plus Freeway, Guilty Simpson, Action Bronson, Evidence, and Cormega. After several quiet years that included a feature on De La Soul's And the Anonymous Nobody, Marciano returned in 2017 with the independently issued Rosebudd's Revenge, which featured fewer guests yet drew on outside production from Knxwledge, the Arch Druids, and Mushroom Jesus. That release launched a busy stretch that yielded three full-lengths in 2018—the murky, electronic-tinged RR2: The Bitter Dose, Behold a Dark Horse, and the DJ Muggs-produced KAOS—followed by the concise rarities collection The Prequel in 2019 and the full-length Marcielago at year's end.

Reasonable Drought with Stove God Cooks and the solo Mt. Marci both arrived in 2020, after which further collaborations emerged: Delgado with Flee Lord and Ekphrasis with Bronze Nazareth in 2021, then Blame Kansas with T.F. Mephux plus the widely praised The Elephant Man's Bones with the Alchemist in 2022. Marciano took the production reins for 2023's Nothing Bigger Than the Program alongside Canadian rapper Jay Worthy, and 2024 brought the solo Marciology featuring guests such as Larry June and Crimeapple alongside the second Alchemist collaboration The Skeleton Key.