Roc Marciano has built his own world. The Long Island legend loosely operates in the underground, but he doesn’t actively rep affiliation with any East Coast staples that rule the independent landscape. Rather, he shaped the scene they now operate in from the shadows, joining Griselda and Mach-Hommy in pricing vinyl based on what they thought it cost, not what the consumer was used to. This was back in the mid-2010s. Since then, Roc has created a consistently stellar body of work. The rollouts eschew flash because the music is dazzling.
His instrumentals are diamond-sharp and neo-noir bleak, while his rhymes are as tight as a rubber band ball. The last project he put out was 2023’s Nothing Bigger Than the Program, the superlative shit-talking super cruise with Jay Worthy. The title rings true. If you’re gonna rock with Roc, you’re gonna play by his rules. If ever there was a Heat Culture in rap music, it would be the Marci Method.
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On his new LP, Marciology, he outlines his operating philosophy, updated for 2024. The rules have changed, and Marci has adapted accordingly. If you aim at the king, you better not miss. Marci dodged the bullet, and now he’s making shooters everywhere pay the price.
Roc handles the majority of production on Marciology himself, which allows the album to work on two levels. Bar for bar, no one blends extravagance with economy like he does, parceling out morsels of brags that suggest generational wealth, feeding just enough at a time to keep ’em hooked and wanting more. The cohesiveness that occurs across the album favors it as a body of work rather than a collection of individual songs. Standout moments abound, but individual highlights are generally deemphasized in favor of presenting something that moves as a single organism from beginning to end. With that said, though, there are still plenty of songs that are absolutely stellar.
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On the self-titled opener, Roc cooks up a beat that creeps along with horror-movie synths and drums that disobey the tenets of traditional rhythm. This sense of unease allows Marci to create a sense of foreboding on the track, a foreshadowing for the album to come. He raps: “Ay, everything on me brand name/ But you rarely see any brand names on me anyway.” When Marci is the program, anything outside of himself is secondary. Amidst namedropping Nate Dogg and Warren G, Ricki Lake, Dr. Hook‘s Dennis and Ray, Lil Wayne, Caine and Abel, and a few others, Roc drops a subtle bar that offers insight into his mindset on the album.
“Breakin’ these hoes, makin’ plays, n-ggas gon’ hate to the grave/ N-ggas gon’ hate to the, uh, n-ggas gon’ hate to the,” he spits, dismayed so much by those unable to look past petty jealousy and envy that he can’t even get himself to mutter ‘grave’ after the first mention. Eternal comfort is too much for these cowards. Throughout Marciology, the MC is confused as to how anyone on Earth can’t fuck with him with unwavering devotion — and he kind of has a point.
The vendetta-driven tracks still offer plenty of quotable bars that reflect Marci’s unwavering devotion to shit talking. He’s got more money, better taste, flyer women. Some dudes just have it made. On “Bad JuJu” with Larry June, he raps: “My face alone demands that you pay me handsome,” before detailing that his mink coats touch his ankles when he stands up. He makes living in a one-bedroom apartment in Manhattan sound like the most shameful purgatory imaginable. He concludes: “I don’t sleep on cotton, bitch.”
Roc saves the funkiest beat for the grand finale, cuing up skittering hi-hats and delirious synth runs on “Floxxx.” The MC showcases one of his most fiery flows on the project, dancing around the playful run of melodies produced in the beat. It’s mostly an excuse for Marci to vibe out, tossing out one-liners until the beat runs out, but as far as palette cleansers go, it does the job. It’s not the most efficient use of space in Marciland, but then again, Roc has never been about getting things done in any particular way.
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His bodies of work are as much experiences as they are albums, a day in the life look at one of New York’s best artists. He’s got the soul of an OG, but would never let his experience date him — evolve or die. On Marciology, he dazzles for 45 straight minutes, whether he’s talking about the Bible or someone’s aunt he went to bed with. Highbrow and lowbrow are one. The philosophy is denser than Hegel but can be summed up as such: Marci just has it.
RELEASE DATE: March 29, 2024
RECORD LABEL: Pimpire Records/Marci Enterprises
Listen to Marciology below:
