“Hangin’ pictures on my wall / Every Saturday Rap Attack, Mr. Magic, Marley Marl”

Now the term “legend” gets thrown around a lot these days, but the world of Hip-Hop as we know it wouldn’t even be close to the same if it weren’t for the man mentioned in the Biggie lyric above. When it comes to producing and being a pioneer in the game, few can even get mentioned in the same sentence as the legendary Queensbridge pioneer Marley Marl. As a the producer for the Juice Crew (which included Hip-Hop royalty such as Big Daddy Kane, Biz Markie, Craig G, Masta Ace, and Kool G. Rap), Marley helped create music that would eventually inspire countless future MCs to pick up a microphone. He is said to be the first to sample a break-beat (The elusive Honeydrippers’ “Impeach The President”) and re-program it back in 1985, which means that without his foresight? Hip-Hop would sound completely different. But luckily Marley Marl did innovate and make timeless music, so here’s a couple of videos with him discussing those times on Sway In the Morning.

What’s your favorite Marley Marl production?

Part 1

Part 2

Related: Marley Marl – Classic Recipes: The Making of Mama Said Knock You Out (Video)