Roc Marciano is an MC from New York City's tradition-rich Long Island. His work, first with the U.N. Crew and later as a solo artist, is quintessential New York underground. His moody, claustrophobic production and stream-of-consciousness, heavily stylized lyrics made him one of his era's most underappreciated auteurs.

Large Professor is so involved with the history of hip-hop, it's almost impossible to separate the two. His first beat work was for Eric B. and Rakim. As a founder of the golden age crew Main Source, he gave Nasty Nas his debut. He rapped and produced on Tribe's Midnight Marauders (1993), and he co-crafted the sound of Illmatic. The list goes on: Kool G, Kane, Slick, Busta, Common. Whatever LP touches seems destined to become classic, and through it all, like rap itself, this Queens auteur continues to push the movement forward whether lacing others or blazing his own path. Lyrically speaking, LP is timeless. "When I started out, it was just about talking slick on the mic in the vein of the old DJs," he reminisces. "Now when I write, it's in defense of real hip-hop. Of the street and the slang. Once I get busy, it all comes pouring out." The rhymes certainly do come pouring out on Large Proefssor's latest solo release Professor @ Large, which dropped this past June. The album takes the Prof's beloved boom-bap and reinvents it for a new school of students and practitioners alike.  "The tree's still growing, still branching out," says LP. "But it's been so long since we've heard these sounds. This is what we love and there's a lack of it right now." The full length of Professor @ Large finds LP rhyming with a clarity and cadence that never goes out of style. Tracks like "Kick Da Habit" get to the heart of what Large Pro is all about. This particular track pays tribute to its author's addiction – making beats – while contrasting the coulda-been life of a kid who struggles with a different kind of dependence. That's rap at its essence right there. You might hear a subtle warmth to these songs inspired by a recent trip to Los Angeles. You might notice the cameo from LP's daughter Jillian, or get lost chasing a far-out instrumental, or geek over the opening line of "LP Surprise," but Professor @ Large is ultimately hip-hop as the big picture. For Large Professor, it's a way of life.

With an unblemished resume that includes Eminem, Nas, Action Bronson and Joey Bada$$, Selektah is quickly becoming hip-hop's secret weapon." - BILLBOARD Establishing his own spot amongst the ranks of East Coast hip-hop's seminal figures, DJ/producer Statik Selektah utilized his turntabling skills and ingenuity in PR and promotions to break some of the region's most promising artists, bearing his own influence on the national mixtape circuit. Born January 23, 1982 in Lawrence, MA, Patrick Baril was exposed to production equipment at a very early age, tinkering with his parents' eight-track machine, cassette recorders, and turntable. By middle school, he was already DJing school functions, but he was inspired to be a true wheels-of-steel artiste after hearing DJ Premier scratch and mix records on Funkmaster Flex's Hot 97 radio show. Soon after, at 14 years old, he purchased his first turntables and mixer. Calling himself DJ Statik (the "Selektah" surname came later), he started to work clubs and private parties up and down the New England coast. In 2000, after living in New Hampshire, he moved back down to Massachusetts to enroll in the audio production program at Boston's New England Institute of the Arts. That same year, Selektah started putting out mixtapes, namely his Spell My Name Right series. With his mixtapes and DJ gigs, Selektah never passed up the opportunity to champion local hip-hop from Boston and the surrounding New England area. In particular, Selektah was responsible for introducing fellow Lawrence, MA, native Termanology to the world, helming his Hood Politics mixtapes in the mid- to late 2000s. Managing all of these tasks became much easier when he established in 2003 his own PR/marketing firm ShowOff. In 2006, he turned ShowOff into an official record label, with Termanology & Producer DC's Out the Gate LP as its first release. By this time, though, Selektah's prestige had grown considerably. His radio shows were playing in several places, from London to Mobile, AL; he produced beats for many artists, including Foxy Brown, AZ, and Joell Ortiz; and most importantly, the DJ dished out tons of mixtapes with big name and up-and-coming artists, such as Nas, Q-Tip, John Legend, Royce Da 5'9 (The Bar Exam, co-hosted with DJ Premier), and Saigon. Statik dropped his first LP, Spell My Name Right in 2007, and his follow up Stick 2 the Script album in 2008. Other artists he has produced for following that include Talib Kweli, Bun B, Styles P, Consequence, Freeway, M.O.P. and Jadakiss. Rockstar games reached out for Statik in late 2008 to enlist him as DJ and producer of the Grand Theft Auto IV update "the Lost and Damned", as well as 2 songs for Midnight Club: Los Angeles. In March 2008, Selektah and Saigon recorded All In A Day's Work in a 24 hour period, and was acclaimed by critics. He also DJed for Q-tip on his 2009 Renassaince World Tour. Statik just dropped his 3rd studio album, 100 Proof: The Hangover on Showoff/Brick Records. In 2010 Statik Selektah released his 4th album, Population Control, on Duck Down Music to critical acclaim boasting features from a mix of up and coming MC's and well established veterans. Statik's fifth album `Extended Play' was released on June 18th and features Joey Bada$$, Action Bronson, Raekwon, Sean Price, Mac Miller, Black Thought, Noreaga, Lecrae, Lil Fame, Styles P, Mike Posner, Termanology, Freddie Gibbs, Bun B, Joell Ortiz, Pos of De La Soul, Talib Kweli, Troy Ave, Hit-Boy, Smif N Wessun, Flatbush Zombies & many many more. Catch DJ Statik Selektah every Thursday Night on Eminem's Shade 45 Sirius/XM Satellite Radio Station as well as FM stations across the globe.