Marley Marl

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Marley Marl
Marlon Williams aka Dj Marley Marl.jpg
Marley Marl in 1999
Background information
Birth nameMarlon Lu'Ree Williams [1]
Born (1962-09-30) September 30, 1962 (age 62)
Queens, New York City, U.S. [2]
Genres East Coast hip hop
Occupations
  • DJ
  • producer
  • rapper
  • music executive [3]
Discography Marley Marl production discography
Years active1983–present
Labels
Formerly of Juice Crew

Marlon Lu'Ree Williams (born September 30, 1962), better known by his stage name Marley Marl, is an American DJ, record producer, rapper and record label founder, primarily operating in hip hop music. [4] Marlon grew up in Queensbridge housing projects [5] located in Queens, New York. He performed in local talent shows during the early days of rap music, further fueling his interest.

Contents

He was also featured on Eric B. & Rakim's "Paid in Full" from their debut album, which was also recorded in his studio. [6] He is credited with influencing a number of hip hop icons such as Biggie Smalls, RZA, DJ Premier, Madlib, and Pete Rock. [7] Producer Madlib stated in an interview that Marley was the first producer who inspired him to make beats. [8] Vibe magazine wrote that he, "forever changed the sound of hip-hop with his unique beat barrages." [9]

Early career

Marley's career started with an interest in electronica. [10] As a young intern at Unique Recording Studios in the early 1980s, he had an opportunity to experiment with very expensive samplers like the Fairlight CMI. [10] One day during a studio session with an artist named Captain Rock he discovered sampling by accident.

"I was actually trying to get a riff off of a record. I made a mistake and got the snare in there before the sound came. I was truncating the vocal part but the snare was playing with the beat — we was truncating while the beat was playing. Thank God the beat was playing, because it probably wouldn't have happened if the beat wasn't playing. So I was playing it and the snare sounded better than the snare that I had from the drum machine when I was popping it." [10]

A short time later pioneering hip-hop radio DJ Mr. Magic heard Marley Marl's remix of Malcolm McLaren's Buffalo Gals, leading to Marley becoming his DJ. [10] They eventually started the hip-hop collective the Juice Crew together in 1983. 1986 saw the foundation of Cold Chillin' Records, where Marley served as in-house producer for many projects. He earned $250,000 per year for his production work. [11] The label was also home to many Juice Crew artists.

Marley caught his big break in 1984, with artist Roxanne Shante's hit "Roxanne's Revenge". In a 2008 interview Shante noted how seriously he took recording despite his limited setup. "We'd be recording in his living room on a reel-to-reel and four-tracks. I really just wanted to go to the mall after one take, but Marley always made me do it again." [12]

Another significant early record was 1985's "Marley Marl Scratch" featuring MC Shan. The song was recorded on a four-track cassette recorder and Shan used a mic with a missing ball to record his lyrics. [13]

Several of his early records featured inventive use of the Roland TR-808 drum machine. On MC Shan's 1986 Pop Art single "The Bridge', which later appeared on his 1987 album Down By Law , Marley used the 808 pulse to trigger different samplers. [10] According to Biz Markie, the button on Marley's 808 stuck during the recording of his hit "Make the Music with Your Mouth, Biz", leading to sound heard on the record today. [14] Juice Crew member Big Daddy Kane praised his ability to pair 808 drum sounds with sampled drums. "Regardless of how clean or brand-new the record was that he was sampling, or light the production may have been, he always gave it a really gritty feel when he sampled it. He always put the 808 to it and gave it a heavy bottom and warm feel." [15]

In the late 1980s, the Juice Crew gained increased attention from mainstream publications. Spin magazine wrote, "they've produced some of the genre's toughest, most uncompromising music." [16] At the time Marley began a streak of producing entire albums for several Juice Crew members. He produced all of the tracks on Craig G's The Kingpin (1989), Big Daddy Kane's Long Live The Kane (1988), Biz Markie's Goin' Off (1988), Kool G Rap & DJ Polo's Road to the Riches (1989), MC Shan's Down By Law (1987) and Born to Be Wild (1988), and Roxanne Shante's Bad Sister (1989).

In 1988, he produced the Juice Crew posse cut "The Symphony" by using a Hal Jackson record from the WBLS record library as a sample source. [10]

Post-Juice Crew and Cold Chillin'

In 1996, Marley filed a suit against Cold Chillin' for unpaid royalties. [17]

In 2007 he produced the entire Hip Hop Lives album for former rival KRS-One.

Discography

Studio albums

Collaboration albums

Compilations

Marl was referenced on Biggie Smalls' track "Juicy" as being one of Smalls' early influences. [18]

Related Research Articles

The new school of hip hop was a movement in hip hop music, beginning in 1983–84 with the early records of Run–D.M.C., Whodini, and LL Cool J. Predominantly from Queens and Brooklyn, it was characterized by Drum Machine-led minimalism, often tinged with elements of Rock; rapped taunts, boasts, and socio-political commentary; and aggressive, self-assertive delivery. In song and image, its artists projected a tough, cool, street B-boy attitude. These elements contrasted sharply with Funk and Disco, Novelty hits, live bands, synthesizers, and party rhymes of artists prevalent in the early 1980s. Compared to their older hip hop counterparts, new school artists crafted more cohesive LPs and shorter songs more amenable to airplay. By 1986, their releases began to establish hip hop in the mainstream.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roxanne Shante</span> American rapper (born 1969)

Lolita Shante Gooden, better known by her stage name Roxanne Shante, is an American rapper. She first gained attention through the Roxanne Wars and was part of the Juice Crew. The 2017 film Roxanne Roxanne is a dramatization of Shante's life.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">MC Shan</span> American rapper

Shawn Moltke, better known by his stage name MC Shan, is an American rapper, singer and record producer from New York City. He is best known for his guest appearance and production on Canadian singer Snow's 1992 single "Informer", which peaked atop the Billboard Hot 100. Shan is also known for his 1986 single "The Bridge," which was produced by Marley Marl and entered the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.

<i>Long Live the Kane</i> 1988 studio album by Big Daddy Kane

Long Live the Kane is the debut album by American rapper Big Daddy Kane, released by Cold Chillin' Records on June 21, 1988. It was produced by Marley Marl and established both as premier artists during hip hop's golden age. Kane displayed his unique rapping technique while covering topics including love, Afrocentricity and his rapping prowess. Marley Marl and Big Daddy Kane display a sparse production style - creating beats with fast-paced drums and lightly utilized James Brown samples.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Prism Records</span> American record label

Prism Records was an American record label formed in 1978 by Len Fichtelberg. It was originally an independent label, focusing on the New York City R&B and disco scene of the day with groups like Erotic Drum Band and disco dance legends Lime. When Cold Chillin' Records was formed in 1986, it was initially distributed by Prism, but label head Tyrone Williams and Fichtelberg decided to merge their companies. As a result, in 1989, the Prism name was phased out in favor of the new name. In 1987, Cold Chillin' signed a 5-year distribution deal with Warner Bros. Records. The first two Cold Chillin' releases through Warner Bros. had the legend A Prism Records Production written on them.

The Bridge Wars was a hip-hop music rivalry during the mid-to-late 1980s and early 1990s, that arose from a dispute over the true birthplace of hip-hop music and retaliation over the rejecting of a record for airplay. The Bridge Wars originally involved the South Bronx's Boogie Down Productions, led by KRS-One, and Marley Marl's Juice Crew, hailing from Queensbridge. KRS-One and Marley Marl have since officially retired the feud, with the release of their collaborative 2007 album hip-hop Lives.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roxanne Wars</span> Series of hip-hop rivalries in the 1980s

The Roxanne Wars were a series of hip hop rivalries during the mid-1980s, yielding rap music's first diss record and perhaps the most answer records in history. It is one of hip-hop's earliest feuds and perhaps the first ever "rap beef". The dispute arose over a failed appearance at a radio promotional show. There were two Roxannes in question: Roxanne Shanté and The Real Roxanne.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Juice Crew</span> American hip hop collective

The Juice Crew was an American hip hop collective made up largely of Queensbridge, New York–based artists in the mid-to-late 1980s. Founded by radio DJ Mr. Magic, and housed by Tyrone Williams' record label Cold Chillin' Records, the Juice Crew helped introduce New School artists MC Shan, Big Daddy Kane, Biz Markie, Roxanne Shante, Masta Ace, Tragedy, Craig G and Kool G Rap. The crew produced many answer records and engaged with numerous "beefs" – primarily with rival radio jock Kool DJ Red Alert and the South Bronx's Boogie Down Productions, as well as the "posse cut", "The Symphony".

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cold Chillin' Records</span> Defunct American record label

Cold Chillin' Records was a record label that released music during the golden age of hip hop from the late 1980s to the early 1990s. A producer-and-crew label founded by manager Tyrone Williams and run by Len Fichtelberg, most of the label's releases were by members of the Juice Crew, a loosely knit group of artists centered on producer Marley Marl. In 1998, the label shut down, and the majority of its expansive catalog was bought by Massachusetts-based LandSpeed Records.

<i>Road to the Riches</i> 1989 studio album by Kool G Rap & DJ Polo

Road to the Riches is the debut album by hip hop duo Kool G Rap & DJ Polo, which was released in 1989 on then-prominent hip hop label Cold Chillin' Records. The album is notable for being one of the blueprints for the mafioso rap trend with the title track "Road to the Riches," which received strong rotation on the TV show Yo! MTV Raps, and was later featured on the old-school hip hop radio station Playback FM from the game Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. Most of the songs, however, are not crime-related. Other popular songs included "It's a Demo" and "Poison." In 1998, Road to the Riches was selected as one of The Source's "100 Best Albums".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Craig G</span> American rapper

Craig Curry, better known by his stage name Craig G, is an American rapper. He is perhaps best known as one of the members of hip hop producer Marley Marl's Cold Chillin' Records group Juice Crew.

<i>Down by Law</i> (MC Shan album) 1987 studio album by MC Shan

Down by Law is the debut album by East Coast hip hop artist MC Shan. Released at the height of the Bridge Wars, a feud that erupted between Boogie Down Productions and the Juice Crew, responding to the Queensbridge anthem "The Bridge", this album created a blueprint within Hip-Hop music that was never seen before. The album contains the diss track, "Kill That Noise" in response to South Bronx. The album is produced by Marley Marl, and was distributed by Cold Chillin' Records independently, until a distribution deal was struck with Warner Bros. Records (1988), then the album was reissued with slight sample edits. It was the only Cold Chillin'/Warner Bros. album that was never initially released on CD by its distributor. The album was not released on that format until 1995, long after the 5-year distribution deal with Warner Bros. Records ended. By this time, Cold Chillin' distributed its material independently, mostly from its back catalog. This CD pressing would only be available for a limited time and went out of print for a few years. It was then re-released in 2001 as MC Shan: the Best of Cold Chillin', which featured all the tracks from Down by Law with a few additional non-album tracks. This version is now out of print as well. In 2007, it was re-released again by its new owner, Traffic Entertainment, in expanded form as a double-disc set with extended tracks, as well as bonus tracks.

<i>Born to Be Wild</i> (MC Shan album) 1988 studio album by MC Shan

Born to Be Wild is the second album released by Juice Crew member and East Coast rapper MC Shan. With the production work of Marley Marl, MC Shan directly attacked Boogie Down Productions with "Juice Crew Law" and ended the silence around their feud.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kool DJ Red Alert</span> American DJ

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"The Bridge Is Over" is a 1987 song by Boogie Down Productions from their debut album Criminal Minded, performed by rapper KRS-One and produced by DJ Scott LaRock and KRS-One. The song's intro samples "The Bridge" by MC Shan.

<i>In Control, Volume 1</i> 1988 studio album by Marley Marl

In Control, Volume 1 is the debut studio album by American hip hop record producer Marley Marl, of the Juice Crew. It was released on September 20, 1988, through Cold Chillin' Records with distribution via Warner Bros. Records.

<i>Bad Sister</i> (album) 1989 studio album by Roxanne Shanté

Bad Sister is the debut album by Roxanne Shanté, released in 1989 on Cold Chillin' Records. The album peaked at No. 52 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Symphony (song)</span> 1988 single by Marley Marl featuring Masta Ace, Craig G, Kool G Rap and Big Daddy Kane

"The Symphony" is a rap song produced by Marley Marl featuring Juice Crew members Masta Ace, Kool G Rap, Craig G and Big Daddy Kane. The track appears on Marley Marl's 1988 Cold Chillin' Records release In Control, Volume 1. Rolling Stone ranked "The Symphony" the 48th greatest hip-hop song of all time, calling it "the first truly great posse cut".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roxanne Shante discography</span>

The following is the discography of Roxanne Shante, an American rapper.

References

  1. ↑ "AMERICA EATS THE YOUNG". ASCAP. American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers. Archived from the original on November 6, 2020. Retrieved April 29, 2023.
  2. ↑ Steve Huey. "Marley Marl". AllMusic. Archived from the original on April 13, 2019. Retrieved November 12, 2019.
  3. ↑ Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: "F.D.S #39 – THE ERIC B EPISODE – FULL EPISODE". YouTube. August 8, 2017. Retrieved November 12, 2019.
  4. ↑ Colin Larkin, ed. (1998). The Virgin Encyclopedia of Dance Music (First ed.). Virgin Books. p. 211. ISBN   0-7535-0252-6.
  5. ↑ Mao, Jeff "Chairman" (2014). "Marley Marl Lecture". Red Bull Music Academy. Archived from the original on August 3, 2020. Retrieved August 10, 2020.
  6. ↑ Mao, Jeff "Chairman" (December 1997). "The Microphone God". Vibe. p. 134. Archived from the original on April 15, 2022 – via Google Books.
  7. ↑ Biography, AllMusic
  8. ↑ Torres, Andre (November 19, 2013). "Madlib revived the crate-digging tradition before flipping the script and embracing live playing". Wax Poetics. Archived from the original on August 5, 2020. Retrieved August 11, 2020.
  9. ↑ Mao, Jeff "Chairman" (September 1998). "Props: The Juice Crew". Vibe. p. 312 – via Google Books.[ dead link ]
  10. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Muhammad, Ali Shaheed; Kelley, Frannie (September 12, 2013). "Microphone Check: Marley Marl On The Bridge Wars, LL Cool J And Discovering Sampling". NPR. Archived from the original on August 13, 2020. Retrieved August 10, 2020.
  11. ↑ Kondo, Toshitaka (May 2005). "Karma: Marley Marl's Juice Crew ran rap in the '80s, but nothing lasts forever". Vibe. p. 56. Archived from the original on April 26, 2021 – via Google Books.
  12. ↑ Gonzales, Michael A. (2008). "Crew Deep: Marley Marl Forms the Indomitable Juice Crew". Vibe. p. 88 – via Google Books.[ dead link ]
  13. ↑ Merlis, Ben (2019). Goin' Off: The Story of the Juice Crew & Cold Chillin' Records (RPM Series Book 3). BMG Books. ISBN   978-1-947026-32-2.
  14. ↑ Coleman, Brian (2007). Check the Technique: Liner Notes for Hip-Hop Junkies. New York: Villard. p. 50. ISBN   978-0-8129-7775-2.
  15. ↑ Coleman, Brian (2007). Check the Technique: Liner Notes for Hip-Hop Junkies. New York: Villard. p. 38. ISBN   978-0-8129-7775-2.
  16. ↑ Leland, John (December 1988). "Singles". Spin. p. 112 – via Google Books.
  17. ↑ Coleman, Monyca D. (November 9, 1996). "Gossip". Indianapolis Recorder. Retrieved August 11, 2020.
  18. ↑ "Hip Hop Awards 2023: Marley Marl Honored For His Contributions to Hip Hop". BET . October 10, 2023. Archived from the original on May 12, 2024. Retrieved May 12, 2024.
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