New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

Main Source Main Source was an East Coast hip hop group based in New York City/ Toronto, composed of Toronto-born DJs and producers, K-Cut and Sir Scratch, and Queens MC and producer Large Professor. Later, another Queens MC, Mikey D (Michael Deering), re ...

Nas Nas (born 1973) is the stage name of American rapper Nasir Jones. Nas, NaS, or NAS may also refer to: Aviation * Nasair, a low-cost airline carrier and subsidiary based in Eritrea * National Air Services, an airline in Saudi Arabia ** Nas Air ...

Harlem Harlem is a neighborhood in Upper Manhattan, New York City. It is bounded roughly by the Hudson River on the west; the Harlem River and 155th Street on the north; Fifth Avenue on the east; and Central Park North on the south. The greater Ha ...

Flushing, Queens Flushing is a neighborhood in the north-central portion of the New York City borough of Queens. The neighborhood is the fourth-largest central business district in New York City. Downtown Flushing is a major commercial and retail area, and the i ...

John Bowne High School John Bowne High School is a public high school located in Flushing, New York City and has an enrollment of nearly four thousand students.Large Professor Biographyat Allmusic.com

Career

Large Professor started making his earliest beats with two turntables, a Casio SK-1 sampler, and pause-tape cassettes before his mentor Paul C taught him how to use an E-mu SP-1200. During his pause tape phase he noted that some of his techniques were different than those of other producers. "I was trying to catch it from a different part of the record. I would catch it from the hi-hat when dudes were just catching it from the one kick. I would catch it from the third hi-hat and be flipping it." In 1989 he joined the group

Main Source Main Source was an East Coast hip hop group based in New York City/ Toronto, composed of Toronto-born DJs and producers, K-Cut and Sir Scratch, and Queens MC and producer Large Professor. Later, another Queens MC, Mikey D (Michael Deering), re ...

, which also included

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anch ...

natives K-Cut and Sir Scratch. In 1990 Large produced three tracks for Eric B. & Rakim's '' Let the Rhythm Hit 'Em'', including "In the Ghetto". To make "In the Ghetto", he sampled directly off of a cassette tape of sample ideas Paul C had made for Rakim. Main Source recorded one album with Large called ''

Breaking Atoms ''Breaking Atoms'' is the debut album of American/Canadian hip hop group Main Source, released July 23, 1991, on Wild Pitch Records. Production was handled by the group, primarily by member Large Professor, and took place during 1989 to 1991 at ...

'', which was released in 1991. It included hits such as "Just Hangin' Out", " Looking at the Front Door", and featured

Nas Nas (born 1973) is the stage name of American rapper Nasir Jones. Nas, NaS, or NAS may also refer to: Aviation * Nasair, a low-cost airline carrier and subsidiary based in Eritrea * National Air Services, an airline in Saudi Arabia ** Nas Air ...

' first public appearance on a track called "Live at the Barbeque", along with Akinyele and Joe Fatal. Large Professor now considers "Looking at the Front Door" one of the most emotional records of his career, later saying "That's a deep record. At that time in life, I was eighteen years old. It was a kid with a pure heart, just writing, and putting his soul out there for the world." In 1992, their success allowed them to record " Fakin' the Funk", a track on the '' White Men Can't Jump'' motion-picture soundtrack. Because of business differences, Large and Main Source quietly parted ways and Large went on to sign with Geffen Records. During and after his tenure with Main Source, he worked with

Pete Rock & CL Smooth Pete Rock & CL Smooth were a hip hop duo from Mount Vernon, New York. They made their debut with their 1991 EP, '' All Souled Out'' and followed that with their 1992 LP ''Mecca and the Soul Brother''. Career 1991–1994: The Golden Age As a pr ...

, and he produced a number of tracks for Nas,

Busta Rhymes Trevor George Smith Jr. (born May 20, 1972), known professionally as Busta Rhymes, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer and actor. Chuck D of Public Enemy gave him the moniker Busta Rhymes, after NFL and CFL wide receiver ...

,

Masta Ace Duval Clear (born December 4, 1966), known better by his stage name Masta Ace, is an American rapper and record producer from New York City. He appeared on the classic 1988 Juice Crew posse cut " The Symphony". He is noted for his distinct voice ...

, The X-Ecutioners, Tragedy Khadafi,

Big Daddy Kane Antonio Hardy (born September 10, 1968), better known by his stage name Big Daddy Kane, is an American rapper who began his career in 1986 as a member of the Juice Crew. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential and skilled MCs in ...

,

Mobb Deep Mobb Deep was an American hip hop duo from New York City. The duo consisted of rappers Prodigy and Havoc. They are considered to be among the principal progenitors of hardcore East Coast hip hopEdwards, Paul, 2009, '' How to Rap: The Art & Sc ...

,

A Tribe Called Quest A Tribe Called Quest was an American hip hop group formed in Queens, New York City, in 1985,Q-Tip

, and others during the 1990s. During this time he handled a significant amount of production on several projects for other artists. In 1993 he produced Akinyele's entire ''

Vagina Diner ''Vagina Diner'' is the debut studio album by the American rapper Akinyele, released on Interscope Records in 1993. The album's single was "Ak Ha Ha! Ak Hoo Hoo?" The album did not receive much promotional backing from Interscope, but did manage ...

'' album, which experienced some modest commercial success at the time of its release. Though the album did well at first, '' The Source'' later wrote an article criticizing the song "I Luh Huh", in which Akinyele considers pushing his pregnant girlfriend down the stairs as a form of abortion. The ensuing backlash for the controversial lyrics hurt the album's performance. Akinyele wrote a response in the next issue defending the song and pointing out that the violent ideas in the songs are just thoughts, and he ends the song by saying "Just cause I talk this shit don't get me wrong, Yo, I still luh hur." Large Professor also produced "Keep It Rollin'" on A Tribe Called Quest's ''

Midnight Marauders ''Midnight Marauders'' is the third studio album by American hip hop group A Tribe Called Quest, released on November 9, 1993, by Jive Records. Recording sessions for the album occurred at Battery Studios, Platinum Island Studios and Scorcerer Sou ...

'' not long after he left Main Source. This was a major moment in his career that helped him reach a new level of credibility and exposure as a solo artist. In 1994, Large Professor produced three of the ten songs on Nas's '' Illmatic'' (" Halftime", " One Time 4 Your Mind", and " It Ain't Hard to Tell"), the most of any producer involved with the album. According to an interview with Busta Rhymes, the "Halftime" beat was originally intended for him. Though he liked the beat, he didn't end up using it and later regretted it after hearing "Halftime". While describing the making of the song in an interview Large Pro said, "I mean, we just wanted to put something gritty out there to the world, and those drums—that's what it was at that time. It was that gritty, muffled out, because the Hip Hop that we grew up with… We grew up with park jam tapes and things like the fidelity of these tapes." He was so instrumental in the making of ''Illmatic'' that Nas wanted to give him an executive producer credit, but he refused. In 1996, Large Professor completed his debut solo album '' The LP'' for Geffen Records. It was promoted by the singles " The Mad Scientist" and " I Juswannachill". After several delays, the album was shelved and later released as a bootleg version in 2002. An official release of the album finally came out in 2009, thirteen years after its original intended release date. In 2001, Large Pro produced "You're da Man" and "Rewind" for Nas's '' Stillmatic'' album. He first played Nas the beat for "You're da Man" while Nas was working on '' Nastradamus'' a few years prior. Nas chose the beat but decided to save it for a later project. Large Professor also used the same vocal sample from the chorus on the song "The Man" for his '' 1st Class'' album. On December 22, 2002, at a concert in Toronto, the original members of Main Source performed together for the first time in nearly 10 years.

Discography

Albums

;with

Main Source Main Source was an East Coast hip hop group based in New York City/ Toronto, composed of Toronto-born DJs and producers, K-Cut and Sir Scratch, and Queens MC and producer Large Professor. Later, another Queens MC, Mikey D (Michael Deering), re ...

* 1991: ''

Breaking Atoms ''Breaking Atoms'' is the debut album of American/Canadian hip hop group Main Source, released July 23, 1991, on Wild Pitch Records. Production was handled by the group, primarily by member Large Professor, and took place during 1989 to 1991 at ...

'' ;Solo albums * 1996: '' The LP'' (officially released in 2009) * 2002: '' 1st Class'' * 2008: ''

Main Source Main Source was an East Coast hip hop group based in New York City/ Toronto, composed of Toronto-born DJs and producers, K-Cut and Sir Scratch, and Queens MC and producer Large Professor. Later, another Queens MC, Mikey D (Michael Deering), re ...

'' * 2012: '' Professor @ Large'' * 2015: '' Re:Living'' ;Collaboration albums *1993: ''

Vagina Diner ''Vagina Diner'' is the debut studio album by the American rapper Akinyele, released on Interscope Records in 1993. The album's single was "Ak Ha Ha! Ak Hoo Hoo?" The album did not receive much promotional backing from Interscope, but did manage ...

'' (with Akinyele) *2014: ''

Mega Philosophy ''Mega Philosophy'' is the fifth studio album by American rapper Cormega. The album was released on July 22, 2014 by Slimstyle Records. The entire album was produced by Large Professor. The album features guest appearances from Styles P, Black R ...

'' (with Cormega) ;Instrumental albums * 2006: ''Beatz Volume 1'' * 2007: ''Beatz Volume 2'' * 2022: ''Beatz Volume 3''

Guest appearances

*1990: "Money In The Bank" ( Kool G Rap & DJ Polo album '' Wanted: Dead or Alive'') *1993: "Keep It Rollin'" (

A Tribe Called Quest A Tribe Called Quest was an American hip hop group formed in Queens, New York City, in 1985,Q-Tip

album ''

Midnight Marauders ''Midnight Marauders'' is the third studio album by American hip hop group A Tribe Called Quest, released on November 9, 1993, by Jive Records. Recording sessions for the album occurred at Battery Studios, Platinum Island Studios and Scorcerer Sou ...

'') *1994: "Stress (Remix)" ( Organized Konfusion " Stress" 12") *1995: "Extra Abtract Skillz" ( Mad Skillz album ''

From Where??? ''From Where???'' is the debut studio album by American hip hop artist Mad Skillz. It was released on February 13, 1996, via Big Beat/Atlantic Records. Production was handled by Buckwild, Shawn J. Period, J Dilla, DJ Clark Kent, EZ Elpee, Large P ...

'') *1996: "To Each His Own (Feat. Pete Rock Grap Luva, Q-Tip, Rob-O)" album '' Lost & Found: Hip Hop Underground Soul Classics'' *1996: "Actual Facts" (

Lord Finesse Lord Finesse (born Robert Hall Jr., February 19, 1970) is an American rapper and hip-hop record producer from The Bronx, New York best known as the leader of the D.I.T.C. crew. About.com ranked him number 29 on its list of the Top-50 Hip-Hop ...

album ''The Awakening'') *1998: "Truly Yours '98" (

Pete Rock Peter O. Phillips (born June 21, 1970), better known by his stage name Pete Rock, is an American record producer, DJ and rapper. He is widely recognized as one of the greatest hip hop producers of all time, and is often mentioned alongside DJ ...

album ''Soul Survivor'') *2000: "The Last Shall Be First" (

Cella Dwellas Cella Dwellas are an underground hip hop duo from Flatbush, Brooklyn, consisting of emcees UG and Phantasm. The group is largely known for their dark beats and lyricism. In 1997, the duo shortened their name simply to The Dwellas. Recording h ...

album '' The Last Shall Be First'') *2002: "XL" ( The X-Ecutioners album ''

Built from Scratch ''Built from Scratch'' is the second studio album by New York City DJ group The X-Ecutioners. It was released on February 26, 2002, through Loud Records and Columbia Records. The album was produced by Beat Junkies, Chris Frantz, CJ Moore, Dan the ...

'') *2002: "Hip Hop On Wax" ( Rob Swift album ''

Sound Event ''Sound Event'' is a 2002 studio album by American turntablist Rob Swift. It was released on Tableturns. Critical reception Tom Semioli of AllMusic gave the album 3.5 out of 5 stars, calling it "an explosive and intelligent collection of wicked ...

'') *2002: "The Come Up" ( Cormega album ''

The True Meaning ''The True Meaning'' is the second studio album by Queensbridge rapper Cormega. It was critically acclaimed and won the prestigious "Independent Album of the Year" at the Source Awards 2003. He also received "Impact Artist of the Year" honors at ...

'') *2004: "Sugar Ray and Hearns" ( Cormega album ''

Legal Hustle ''Legal Hustle'' is the debut compilation album by American rapper Cormega. It was released on May 25, 2004, through Koch Records. It was supported by two singles: "Let It Go", which features M.O.P. and "Dangerous", which features Unda P. and Vy ...

'') *2004: "Out Da Box" ( Tony Touch album ''The Piece Maker 2'') *2006: "United" ( MF Grimm album ''

American Hunger ''American Hunger'' is a triple album released on CD. It was released in 2006 by Manhattan, New York rap artist MF Grimm. It is also the first triple album in hip-hop history. It was originally planned for release on July 4, 2004, however multip ...

'') *2007: "The Radar" (

Marco Polo Marco Polo (, , ; 8 January 1324) was a Venetian merchant, explorer and writer who travelled through Asia along the Silk Road between 1271 and 1295. His travels are recorded in '' The Travels of Marco Polo'' (also known as ''Book of the Marv ...

album '' Port Authority'') *2007: "The Purist" ( Polyrhythm Addicts album ''Break Glass'') *2008: "Conquer Mentally" (Presto album ''

State of the Art The state of the art (sometimes cutting edge or leading edge) refers to the highest level of general development, as of a device, technique, or scientific field achieved at a particular time. However, in some contexts it can also refer to a level ...

'') *2008: "Chill" (Changes of Atmosphere Album) *2009: "Fans" (Masta Ace & Edo G album ''Arts & Entertainment'') *2009: "Sweet 16s" (Satchel Page album ''Young Patriarch'') *2009: "Like This" (''No Sellout: Ground Original 2''(album)) *2011: "Beats By The Pound" (Soulbrotha ''The Connexion EP'') *2011: "The Quickening" ( Funkoars) *2011: "Through Good & Bad" (The Funk League album ''Funky As Usual'') *2012: "Forever" (Gensu Dean album ''Lo-Fi Fingahz'') *2012: "Loco-Motive" (

Nas Nas (born 1973) is the stage name of American rapper Nasir Jones. Nas, NaS, or NAS may also refer to: Aviation * Nasair, a low-cost airline carrier and subsidiary based in Eritrea * National Air Services, an airline in Saudi Arabia ** Nas Air ...

album '' Life Is Good'') *2012: "Catch the Thrown" ( Public Enemy album '' Most of My Heroes Still Don't Appear on No Stamp'') *2012: "Back & 4th Scrambler" (Yu Mamiya) *2013: "Built Pyramids" ( N.O.R.E. album '' Student of the Game'') *2013: "Astonishing" (

Marco Polo Marco Polo (, , ; 8 January 1324) was a Venetian merchant, explorer and writer who travelled through Asia along the Silk Road between 1271 and 1295. His travels are recorded in '' The Travels of Marco Polo'' (also known as ''Book of the Marv ...

album '' PA2: The Director's Cut'') *2014: "Naturally Born" (with

Big Noyd TaJuan Akeem Perry (born May 7, 1975), better known by his stage name Big Noyd, is an American rapper from Queensbridge, Queens, New York. He is closely affiliated with Mobb Deep and is featured on all of their albums except '' Blood Money''. C ...

& Kool G Rap) *2015: "World Premier" (

Czarface Czarface () is an American hip hop supergroup formed in 2013 by underground hip hop duo 7L & Esoteric and Wu-Tang Clan member Inspectah Deck. They released their acclaimed debut studio album, '' Czarface'', February 19, 2013. The album was follo ...

album ''

Every Hero Needs a Villain ''Every Hero Needs a Villain'' is the second studio album by American hip hop trio Czarface, which consists of rapper and Wu-Tang Clan member Inspectah Deck and underground hip hop duo 7L & Esoteric. The album was released on June 16, 2015, by B ...

'') *2016: "Glorify N Praise" (Powerule) *2016: "Everybody Everywhere" (Mighty Mi) *2016: "Here We Go" (Southpaw Chop) *2017: "Come a Long Way featuring Large Professor and Masta Ace" (Son of Sam album Cinder Hill) *2017: "Come a Long Way – Extra P Remix featuring Large Professor and Masta Ace" (Son of Sam single from the album Cinder Hill, Produced by Large Professor)

References

External links

*
Biography Sketch
at Matador Records website
Large Professor's at Beatbuggy
{{DEFAULTSORT:Professor, Large 1972 births Living people People from Queens, New York American hip hop record producers African-American record producers African-American male rappers American hip hop DJs Five percenters Rappers from Manhattan Musicians from New York (state) People from Harlem Geffen Records artists Matador Records artists East Coast hip hop musicians 21st-century American rappers Record producers from New York (state) 21st-century American male musicians 21st-century African-American musicians 20th-century African-American people

Early life and education

Career

Discography

Albums

Guest appearances

References

External links