An MC and producer from New York City's tradition-rich Long Island, Roc Marciano is well-respected for his moody, claustrophobic beats and stream-of-consciousness, heavily stylized lyrics. Briefly affiliated with Flipmode Squad early in his career, he formed the short-lived crew the U.N. during the early 2000s before going solo, earning massive acclaim for his self-produced 2010 full-length Marcberg. Collaborating with rappers and producers like Q-Tip, Ka, and Action Bronson, subsequent releases such as 2013's Marci Beaucoup and 2018's RR2: The Bitter Dose featured more experimental production as well as sharper lyricism. Numerous collaborations appeared during the early 2020s, including 2022's The Elephant Man's Bones, produced by the Alchemist, and 2023's Nothing Bigger Than the Program with Jay Worthy.

Born Rakeem Myer, Long Island hip-hop steered his musical vision, approach, and tastes as a youth growing up in Hempstead. He cited Long Island greats such as Public Enemy, EPMD, De La Soul, and the lesser-known Grand Daddy I.U., as well as new-school pioneers Nas and the Notorious B.I.G. But it was Busta Rhymes, originally from Long Island's Leaders of the New School, who gave Marciano his biggest break. Busta was given a tape of early Marciano music, and the platinum-selling rapper decided to sign Marciano to his Flipmode label, which, at the time, was one of rap's foremost artist-owned imprints. Marciano appeared on Busta's 2000 full-length Anarchy, on which he traded verses with Wu-Tang's Raekwon and Ghostface ("The Heist").

Around this time, Marciano formed the U.N., made up of Dino Brave, Laku, and Mike Raw -- all high-school classmates at Long Island's Uniondale. Together, they appeared on Pete Rock's PeteStrumentals and released their buzzworthy mixtape Strength & Honor and the 2004 LP UN or U Out? Soon, though, the crew disintegrated; they found it hard to get industry traction. Marciano forged on by dropping verses on GZA's Pro Tools and Marco Polo's Port Authority. In 2010, he released Marcberg, his official solo debut album. He handled all production, and wrote and rhymed all but one verse. It was hailed by New York underground hip-hop royalty. The following year, he teamed up with the Alchemist and Oh No for the Greneberg EP. LUV NY, a supergroup set featuring Marciano beside the likes of Kool Keith and A.G., was released in July 2012. A few months later, Marciano issued his second proper album, Reloaded, which was mostly self-produced but also included the Alchemist as well as Q-Tip. Critical praise nearly equaled the level of Marcberg.

Marci Beaucoup appeared at the end of 2013, with many features (including frequent contributors Ka and Knowledge the Pirate, plus Freeway, Guilty Simpson, Action Bronson, Evidence, and Cormega). Marciano spent several years lying low, but was featured on a track from De La Soul's And the Anonymous Nobody. He finally emerged in 2017 with his fourth album, the independently released Rosebudd's Revenge, which included few guests but more outside production (from beatmakers including Knxwledge, the Arch Druids, and Mushroom Jesus). This kickstarted a prolific run which continued with no less than three full-lengths in 2018: the murky, electronic-influenced RR2: The Bitter Dose, Behold a Dark Horse, and the DJ Muggs-produced KAOS. The Prequel, a brief collection of rarities, appeared in 2019. The year ended with the release of the full-length Marcielago.

Reasonable Drought (with Stove God Cooks) and solo effort Mt. Marci both surfaced in 2020. Several additional collaborations followed. Delgado (with Flee Lord) and Ekphrasis (with Bronze Nazareth) both appeared in 2021. The following year, Marciano released Blame Kansas (with T.F. Mephux) and the acclaimed The Elephant Man's Bones (with the Alchemist). He then took the producer's chair for the 2023 effort Nothing Bigger Than the Program with Canadian rapper Jay Worthy. ~ Vincent Thomas & Paul Simpson

One of the most revered and prolific rap producers of his generation, the Alchemist crafts sample-heavy, tough, yet detailed beats suffused with soul. His extensive discography, dating back to the early 1990s, includes tracks by the likes of Dilated Peoples, Mobb Deep, Nas, Ghostface Killah, Lil Wayne, and Kendrick Lamar, and he's so valued as a collaborator that he has been behind joint albums co-billed with the likes of Prodigy (Return of the Mac, 2007), Oh No (including Gutter Water, the duo's first album as Gangrene, 2010), Curren$y (Covert Coup, 2011 and again in 2022 with critical favorite Continuance), Freddie Gibbs (Alfredo, 2020), and Roc Marciano (The Elephant Man's Bones, 2022). One of his highest-charting albums, the Larry June collaboration The Great Escape, appeared in 2023, as well as albums with MIKE and Earl Sweatshirt. In addition to his supporting work as a beatmaker, he has delivered numerous concurrent projects as a headliner and occasional rapper, such as the albums 1st Infantry, Chemical Warfare, and Russian Roulette, and a ceiling-scraping stack of EPs, mixtapes, and instrumental sets. He's also Eminem's long-tenured official DJ.

Born Alan Maman, the Alchemist grew up in Beverly Hills and began his career in nearby Los Angeles. As a teenager, when he was known as Mudfoot, he was part of the Whooliganz (with Scott Caan, son of James) and DJ Muggs' Soul Assassins collective. The Whooliganz released the single "Put Your Handz Up" on Tommy Boy in 1993, but their debut full-length, Make Way for the W, was shelved. Alchemist continued making beats, however, working with and learning from Muggs on 1995's Cypress Hill III: Temples of Boom as well as with childhood friend Evidence of Dilated Peoples. These connections led to a prolific career.

After moving to New York to attend college, Al hooked up with Queensbridge duo Mobb Deep, producing the songs "The Realest" and "Thug Music" for their 1999 album Murda Muzik. The collaboration was followed by work with Pharoahe Monch, Royce da 5'9", Fat Joe, Ludacris, Big Daddy Kane, and Ghostface Killah, among many other rappers, and even rock and electronica acts like Linkin Park and Morcheeba. Across 2003 and 2004, the Alchemist released his first tapes, as well as his first proper solo full-length, 1st Infantry, which, besides featuring his own beats, also had him rapping alongside Stat Quo, the Game, Lloyd Banks, Mobb Deep, and Dilated Peoples. In 2005, after Eminem's DJ Green Lantern left the Anger Management 3 tour, the Detroit rapper hired Al as his replacement.

In 2006, Alchemist continued to showcase his work with The Chemistry Files and No Days Off, a pair of mixtapes containing previously released and unreleased material. After supporting Prodigy on the 2007 album Return of the Mac and producing "You Ain't Got Nuthin" for Lil Wayne's Grammy-nominated 2008 LP Tha Carter III, Alchemist tended to his solo discography with 2009's Chemical Warfare, featuring the likes of Eminem and Juvenile. The next year, he and Oh No launched their Gangrene project with the Sawblade EP and the Gutter Water LP. The year 2012 found him releasing Vol. 2 of Rapper's Best Friend along with Gangrene's Vodka & Ayahuasca, and his own Russian Roulette, an album built by sampling Russian music. A year later, he worked again with Prodigy on the album Albert Einstein and produced the entirety of Boldy James' My 1st Chemistry Set. Affiliation with Oh No continued with Welcome to Los Santos, a 2015 collection inspired by the virtual radio stations found in the video game Grand Theft Auto V. The same year, Alchemist assembled the Israeli Salad beat tape, featuring samples from radio broadcasts and thrift store albums the producer sourced in Israel.

During the next few years, the Alchemist was behind collaborative projects with the likes of Curren$y, Havoc, and Jay Worthy. He issued a fourth volume of Rapper's Best Friend and continued to produce for a select group of artists, most prominently Kendrick Lamar (namely "FEAR."), Westside Gunn, and Anderson .Paak. He continued collaborating, joining Freddie Gibbs and Curren$y on 2018's Fetti and the Cool Kids on 2019's Layups. In 2020 alone, he joined Boldy James (The Price of Tea in China), Conway the Machine (LULU), and Gibbs (Alfredo). Another highly collaborative EP, This Thing of Ours, followed in 2021, featuring guests like Earl Sweatshirt and Navy Blue. February of 2022 saw the release of Continuance, another joint venture between the Alchemist and Curren$y. The album saw both entities in top form and included guest appearances from Styles P, Boldy James, Larry June, and others. The Elephant Man's Bones, the Alchemist's first full album with Roc Marciano, followed later in the year.

The Great Escape, a 2023 full-length with Larry June, reached the Top 40 of the Billboard 200. The same year brought full-lengths with two members of the Odd Future family, Domo Genesis (No Idols) and Earl Sweatshirt (VOIR DIRE). His other major collaborative release during the year was Faith Is a Rock, with MIKE and Wiki. Additionally, he released two Flying High EPs, featuring guests like billy woods, Boldy James, and Action Bronson, as well as instrumental versions. ~ Andy Kellman & Marisa Brown