Main Source

The seminal producer Large Professor has one of the most impressive resumes in hip-hop, including production credits for Kool G Rap, Nas, A Tribe Called Quest and one full-length masterpiece, 1991’s seminal Breaking Atoms, a release that influenced the way hip-hop would be produced for years to come. Large Professor’s intricate productions featured scores of obscure funk, soul, and jazz samples arranged into intricate sonic collages. Where producers like Marley Marl and Rick Rubin had favored blunt, aggressive minimalism, Large Professor’s productions were possessed of a formal, almost delicate elegance. His 2008 solo effort, Main Source, strives to recapture the magic of Large Pro’s earliest productions and largely succeeds, in part thanks to the presence of a number of veteran rappers such as AZ, Jeru the Damaja and Styles P, all of whom sound reinvigorated by the presence of an old master. Large Professor himself graces the mic at various points, displaying his blocky but charismatic delivery and fondness for comically bizarre similes, and it’s a pleasure to hear one of hip-hop’s most recognizable voices championing the undeniable greatness of his own productions.