Marley Marl

The Ascension Years

Marley Marl

The producer's producer of his day, Marley was the go-to hitmaker. He would set the tone for future beatmakers by creating sound beds for Eric B. & Rakim, Big Daddy Kane, LL Cool J, Monie Love, TLC, Busta Rhymes and Roxanne Shante. Marley would take a young DJ Pete Rock under his wing, with Pete in turn going on to inspire and mentor the late J Dilla. That direct lineage is why I feel extremely fortunate to have captured such an important game-changing figure of the culture. Marley Marl is an American DJ and producer whose work helped define golden-era hip hop production. Taken 2001