Roc Marciano is one of this century's most influential rap producers. On albums like Marcberg, the Long Island rapper made his own beats, and he did it by taking the beat out of it. Roc Marci's beats would crackle and float, and the drums, if they were there at all, would only be whispered ghosts. Years later, there are entire post-boom-bap rap scenes made up of Roc Marci's stylistic disciples. But now, Roc Marciano is making music with the guy whose name is synonymous with boom-bap.
DJ Premier is one of the greatest rap producers in history, and his style is pretty much the platonic ideal of '90s New York head-nod music. If Roc's own productions are post-boom-bap, then he's iterating on Premier's model. Marciano has never been afraid to team up with other producers; he and the Alchemist just released the collaborative album The Skeleton Key in December. Now, he and Premier are getting ready to release a new EP called Armani Section, and they've shared its title track.
On "Armani Section," DJ Premier supplies a complex, hypnotic sample-chop beat, and he does one of his great scratch routines on the hook. Roc Marciano locks right in with the track, hitting the pocket and talking his shit: "Bummy rappers with bunny rabbit ears, you mad I'm a money magnet/ Carats do the money dance in my sunglasses." It's only his second time rapping over a Premier beat; the first was when he guested on "Respect My Gun," a 2018 track from the Royce Da 5'9"/Premier duo PRhyme. Here's what Premier says about working with Roc Marci:
Several years ago, I was shopping at Macy's in Herald Square, and I was passing the Armani Section when I see Roc Marci there and he asks me when are we gonna do a record together. I told him we would eventually get to it. Fast forward a few years later, right before Christmas 2024, I gave him a call and told him it was time to get to it. I reminded him of that day, and he said that should be the title of the record. The tone was officially set.
Check it out below.
The Armani Section EP doesn't have a release date yet. For that matter, neither does the long-awaited Nas/Premier collab that was finally announced last year.
