The Large Professor, Part 1

The Large Professor is certainly one of the most enigmatic figures in the history of hip-hop. A prolific producer throughout the early- to mid-90s, his production credits practically guaranteed heavy rotation on underground radio everywhere, and a Large Professor remix was a prerequisite for the lyrical cream of the crop. His work with his Queens brethren Nas, Akinyele, Organized Konfusion, and of course, his own Main Source, stands as some of the finest work of the era.

When he announced in 1993 that he was working on his solo jawn with the infamous line "cop the album when I drop it..." the hip-hop underground drooled at the prospect of a complete album of Large Professor production. Only two prior releases could claim such a rare credential: Akinyele's "Vagina Diner", and Main Source's "Breaking Atoms."

We waited...and we waited...eagerly consuming any small crumb he would throw our way over the course of 9 long years: Hypnotix (Inspectah Deck), gems on Stillmatic, but mostly radio silence.

[to be continued]