Main Source was a Canadian-American
East Coast hip hop group based in
New York City
New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
/
Toronto
Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...
,
composed of Toronto-born DJs and producers,
K-Cut and Sir Scratch, as well as the New York City natives, DJ J.O.D and record producer
Large Professor. Later, another Queens MC,
Mikey D (Michael Deering), replaced Large Professor.
History
Main Source was founded in 1989. The group's first album, ''
Breaking Atoms'', released in July 1991, featured tracks such as "
Looking at the Front Door", "Just a Friendly Game of Baseball", and "Watch Roger Do His Thing", as well as the first on-record appearance of
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 (S ...
on "Live at the Barbeque," which also featured Joe Fatal and
Akinyele. Because of business differences, the group broke up before its second album, tentatively titled ''The Science'' could be released. However, Sir Scratch and K-Cut released a second album under the Main Source name titled ''
Fuck What You Think'',
with new recruit Michael Deering aka
Mikey D on vocals & featured another first on-record appearance for The Dog Pack which would later become the Yonkers rap group
The LOX on "Set It Off"; however, the album was shelved due to inner conflicts between
Wild Pitch Records and group management.,
The singer
Madonna
Madonna Louise Ciccone ( ; born August 16, 1958) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress. Referred to as the "Queen of Pop", she has been recognized for her continual reinvention and versatility in music production, ...
sampled the bassline from "What You Need" on ''Fuck What You Think'' in her song "
Human Nature
Human nature comprises the fundamental dispositions and characteristics—including ways of Thought, thinking, feeling, and agency (philosophy), acting—that humans are said to have nature (philosophy), naturally. The term is often used to denote ...
," which appeared on her 1994 album, ''
Bedtime Stories''.
Prior to Main Source,
Mikey D was also one third of the
Laurelton, Queens-based hip hop group Mikey D & The L.A. Posse. The group also consisted of DJ Johnnie Quest and engineer/producer
Paul C (who was also the mentor of Large Professor). In 1988, Mikey D was also the winner of the
New Music Seminar battle for world supremacy.
Large Professor went on to be an instrumental producer for hip hop stars such as
Eric B. & Rakim,
Pete Rock & CL Smooth, Nas, and
Diamond D. He references his falling-out with Sir Scratch and K-Cut on
A Tribe Called Quest
A Tribe Called Quest was an American Hip hop music, hip hop group formed in Queens, New York City, in 1985,[Q-Tip< ...](_blank)
's third album ''
Midnight Marauders''. On the track "Keep It Rollin'" he says, "I'm Uptown chillin', takin in this Grandmaster Vic blend/from the projects, the PJ's, fuck them two DJ's; Self mission."
K-Cut also produced for a wide range of hip hop artists including
Big Pun,
Maestro Fresh-Wes,
Fu-Schnickens,
Queen Latifah, and even NBA star
Shaquille O'Neal
Shaquille Rashaun O'Neal ( ; born March 6, 1972), commonly known as Shaq ( ), is an American former professional basketball player who is a sports analyst on the television program ''Inside the NBA''. He is a and Center (basketball), center ...
. He also mentored another Toronto-based producer named
Watts
Watts is plural for ''watt'', the unit of power.
Watts may also refer to:
People
*Watts (surname), a list of people with the surname Watts
Fictional characters
*Albie Watts, a fictional character in the British soap opera ''EastEnders''
*Angie ...
.
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.
''Breaking Atoms'' was named as one of two jury vote winners, alongside
Buffy Sainte-Marie's ''
It's My Way!'', of the Polaris Heritage Prize at the
2020 Polaris Music Prize
The 2020 edition of the Canada, Canadian Polaris Music Prize was presented on October 19, 2020. The longlist was announced on June 15, 2020, with the shortlist following on July 15, 2020 and the winner announced on October 19, 2020. Due to the CO ...
.
"2020 Slaight Family Polaris Heritage Prize Winners Named"
''FYI Music News'', November 16, 2020.
Discography
Studio albums
* '' Breaking Atoms'' (1991)
* '' Fuck What You Think'' (1994)
* ''The Science'' (2023) (Album recorded between 1991 and 1994)
Singles
*"Think" (1989)
*" Looking at the Front Door" (1990)
*"Watch Roger Do His Thing" (1990)
*"Just Hangin' Out" (1991)
*"Peace Is Not the Word to Play" (1991)
*" Fakin' the Funk" (1992)
*"What You Need" (1993)
Guest appearances
* The Brand New Heavies - "Bonafide Funk" from '' Heavy Rhyme Experience, Vol. 1'' (1992)
Charts
References
External links
Main Source
at MySpace
Myspace (formerly stylized as MySpace, currently myspace; and sometimes my␣, with an elongated Whitespace character#Substitute images, open box symbol) is a social networking service based in the United States. Launched on August 1, 2003, it w ...
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Main Source
African-American musical groups
Musical groups established in 1989
Musical groups disestablished in 1994
Musical groups from Toronto
Hip-hop groups from New York City
Canadian hip-hop groups
East Coast hip-hop groups
Wild Pitch Records artists
EMI Records artists
1989 establishments in Ontario
1994 disestablishments in Ontario