


He inspired stunning performances from his collaborators. He was more than a resident beat maker Marley Marl was a rapper's producer. He understood the potential break that beats presented and helped others visualize where it could lead. He produced Eric B & Rakim's early hits, including "My Melody" and "Eric B Is President." He was instrumental in early hip-hop beefs, having produced Roxanne Shante's diss record to UTFO.Ībove all, Marley defined the East Coast sound. Marley was the go-to producer of the Juice Crew and its key members: Big Daddy Kane, Kool G Rap, Biz Markie, and MC Shan. He would bring it all home with his own magic. Marley's style sounded like nothing else at the time. He treated his samples like a band, grabbing a kick from a James Brown record and a snare from who knows where. The genius of Marley's early style was that he found a way to work within the limitations of the SP-1200. He stumbled upon the art of sampling in the 1980s, blazing a trail for an entire generation of sound architects.

Marley Marl is the all-time king of sampling. See how this list compares with your favorites:
There are sound visionaries-RZA and J Dilla possessed a third-eye vision that enabled them to make vodka out of water. Dre and Timbaland reinvented urban radio. There are culturally powerful producers-Dr. There are influential producers-Pete Rock and Marley Marl changed the game with the art of sampling. They break in new artists and shift the culture forward. They steer the direction of songs and entire albums. The best producers don't simply lay down tracks. Producers have always been as pivotal to the creative process as emcees. Anyone with a Wi-Fi-enabled laptop can whip up a radio-ready hit from his or her bedroom. Later hip-hop production transcends samplers and studios. By the time the Ad-Rock rapped, "Well, I'm the Benihana chef on the SP-12" on 1998's " Putting Shame in Your Game," beat makers had moved on to the more "powerful" SP-1200 and the AKAI MPC60. Released in 1985, the E-mu SP-12, the godmother of sampling machines, was considered an innovative musical instrument, albeit limited. Havoc recorded off cassette boomboxes and looped samples off the radio. Marley Marl nabbed kicks and snares from completely different records. Musical equipment wasn't originally designed for hip-hop beats, but despite the limitations of early drum machines, hip-hop producers made enduring art out of dirty sounds with whatever tools were available. Easy Mo Bee manually chopped up samples.
