Don’t sleep on Toronto. Marco Polo has already had a busy year with Newport Authority 2 and Seize The Day, his joint project with Hannibal Stax. The Canadian producer is back again for the second installment of Port Authority.
The Director’s Cut reveals hits from the past five years with the likes of Inspectah Deck, Styles P, Talib Kweli, Rah Digga, and more. Polo chopped it up about the album, his collaboration with The Alchemist and bringing Organized Konfusion aka Pharoahe Monch & Prince Po together on a track for the first time in years.
What got you into producing?
Marco Polo: What initially got me into producing was a mix between the musical influences playing in my house from my parents. My dad listens to everything like jazz, rock, Italian music. He brought the first hip-hop album into my home by buying A Tribe Called Quest’s first record, “Bonita Applebaum.” Then it goes off from there to hearing producers like DJ Premier, The RZA, Large Professor, Beatnutz and Beat Minors.
Who helped you out when you first got into the game?
When I first started one of the people who helped me out was my boy, Shylow of First Division. When I got my MPC, he showed me how to use it and gave me a bunch of drum sounds. Basically, he was my beat yoda. He’s definitely someone who’s important to my early career.
When you’re in the studio, what necessities do you require?
When I’m in the studio, what I need are the basics coffee, cigarettes, good records, good music, my equipment, my MPC, turntables, laptops.
From Canada, what influences have affected your music?
Being from Canada, I was influenced by a lot of local stuff growing up man like Maestro Fresh West, Socretes, Cardinal, The Rascals, John Blair, a lot of dope stuff. Producers that inspired me from Toronto like Mr. Attic, DJ Serious, MoSS.
You’ve worked with the likes of Big Daddy Kane to Rah Digga. Have you ever turned down an artist? Why?
I’ve turned down a lot of artists, I mean not necessarily known or unknown. I just turn down artists if I’m not feeling the music. I have to like the music if im going to work with it. Earlier on in my career, I probably worked with people that I wouldn’t worked with just because I was eager to get on but as I got deeper into my career and I was more confident in my abilities, I was more choosey about who I was working with. At the end of the day, when I leave planet Earth, I want to leave the shit possible.
Over the past six years, from your first album Canned Goods to now with your next release Port Authority 2: The Director’s Cut, how do you feel you’ve matured?
From the first album to now, how I feel I’ve matured as a producer is I’ve just learned so many new techniques and so much about sound, about mixing, about mastering, how to make my drums sound and how to incorporate it into technology and use sounds, a combination of records and instruments. Everyday it’s like going to school so every day is like going to a new class and taking a new test and sometimes I pass, sometimes I fail but it’s all moving forward and learning.
Port Authority 2: The Director’s Cut has a great line-up like Talib Kweli, First Division, and Styles P Explain how Michael Rappaport became the narrator.
The narration of Michael Rappaport came about because I met him years ago through Masta Ace and I’d see him around and we’d say ‘what up’. Then he started following me on Twitter of all places and I sent him a message saying ‘What up? You want to do some skits for my record?” I didn’t even think he would hit me back but he hit me back right away and was like “Yo I’ll do whatever you need.” So then me and my boy Shylow wrote up the script kind of like guidelines of what we wanted him to do. He literally came to my crib and knocked it out in like one session he did all these ill interludes. He was just down to narrate and do an intermission, an intro, and all these interludes. They really tied the album together. It was a beautiful thing.
During the time it took to record the album, what was your most memorable experience?
When Prince Po came through. Because Pharoah Monch laid his verse for “3- O-Clock” but when Prince Po came through to record his vocals that was memorable to me because it meant that I had an Organized Konfusion song. It was just Pharoahe on the track by himself at first. But when Po came through to record his vocals, I was like ‘This hasn’t happened in a long time”.They haven’t done joints together in a minute so it was definitely a special moment for me as a fan with both of them on the track.
You also worked with The Alchemist on the album. How was that?
Shout out to the ALC. Yea that dude’s a legend man. His beats are crazy and I’m a fan of his raps. I loved Gangrene man all the albums they put out have a unique energy, it’s different it’s wild. That’s why when I made that beat, I sent it to him and it felt like a Gangrene joint. Shout to ALC for showing love and getting on the album.
This year is our 25th anniversary. What was your most memorable issue?
It was Gangstarr. That’s the issue that had Illmatic in it but Gangstarr was on the cover. The cover was dope and it’s special to me because I just dropped a video with Talib and Primo for the G.U.R.U joint to celebrate Guru.
Port Authority 2: The Director’s Cut is available on iTunes Tuesday.
