Large Professor
Still standing and always at it, Extra P breaks down his deep-rooted love for Toronto, industrialization, the real pure form of hip hop, and staying chisel.
Photography by Che Kothari
If you ever want to stump a knowledgeable hip hop head, just ask them to name one single producer in the last 18 years that hasn't been directly influenced by Large Professor's contributions to the genre.
Whether pioneering fundamental production techniques or immortalizing himself through legendary musical contributions on Nasty Nas' earliest recorded works, Extra P left more than a mark in his early years. Since then, The Mad Scientist continues to hustle with a humble enthusiasm seldomly found in someone intrinsically-connected to the music industry for almost 20 years, and still brings the heat as a producer, MC, and DJ.
Earwaks connected with the so-called Live Guy With Glasses on his latest stop in Toronto, a place central to his involvements from 1989 -1992 during the Main Source era, a collaborative group spanning TO to NYC.
What up, this is Marmalade representing Earwaks.com and right now I'm chillin with Large Pro.
Large Pro, Large Professor, The Mad Scientist, Extra P. I’m out in the T-Dot, this is my second home with Main Source. I’ve produced for Nas, Tribe Called Quest, the list goes on. Word up.
You must have a deep relationship with Toronto through Main Source then.
Indeed, I’ve been rolling out to T-Dot for a minute, for a good couple of years with the Main Source: K-Cut and Sir Scratch. I always felt like this was like a second home to me because we were coming from Canada and New York.
For the younger generation, what was hiphop like in Toronto from your perspective when Main Source was doing their thing?
That’s crazy because I was just building with a younger guy, and naming some names like Ron Nelson and some of the people that were on the scene earlier, and it’s still good, it’s still good out here. People go by the spirit of the music, it’s just a spiritual town, so that’s what I really loved about out here. The people really let the music get into their spirit.
I know people in Toronto really appreciate it when you come by and do your thing in town.
Yes sir.
So, going back to your early days, you’ve been in the game since the late 80s as a teenager. How was the game different coming up than how it is now for you?
Well, we’re still in its beginning stages of hip hop and everything, but now it’s more developed and you got a lot more industrialization. When I was really coming up, it was just the start, especially with computers and downloading not existing. Now it’s booming and big now, so it’s good! We keep moving with it, definitely.
I think that’s important because a lot of people who come from that era don’t embrace the move from analog to digital. How do you feel about that coming from the perspective of a crate digger?
Whoo, it’s beautiful! It’s beautiful for me, I can take a vinyl record and put it in a computer and burn it to a CD, and have 3 or 4 copies now. There are a lot of advantages to digital. I love it.
As a producer, as an MC and DJ on tour, what does your live stage show represent?
Well, it’s basically just that hip hop energy coming from the root of hip hop. I like to give to the people. Some people weren’t down back in the days, so they don’t really know what the real pure form of hiphop is or was. I try to bring that to them, so they say “yo, that’s real hiphop right there, that’s really what it is”. I put it down for the underdogs, for hip hop, for us.
I know you’ve been through quite a few trials and tribulations in the business over the years. Who are you working with these days, who is backing you?
I’m working, still producing, done production for Styles P recently, always Nas, Busta Rhymes, just keeping it moving. There’s just a lot of industrialization going on right now, but rest assured that I’m still at it, I’m always at it.
When you say things are happening with respect to industralization, what exactly does that mean to you?
You know, with all the downloading and everything like that. A lot of record companies are cutting back on certain things, so they’re not as free about releasing artists. They’re more critical when an artist comes in, he’s banging and got some ill joints but they’re worried and concerned about downloading, so a lot of the good music that could be out there is held back.
Now, one of your albums was leaked on the Internet so that directly affected your career, so it’s a beautiful thing that you can be stronger at the end of the day.
Of course. Definitely, at the end of the day, one of my initial wishes was just to get a song out there when it wasn’t about money or anything. It was about, I wish I could rap and get people to hear my songs, so when something like that happens, I’m not mad at all.
What’s the Beatz Vol 1 & 2 series all about?
That’s just tracks, just beats. As hip hop has grown, you have more rappers nowadays, and you have the average person saying, “Yo I could try my hand at that / lickety-lap / rappity-rap” So I just wanted to put some beats out there for people to know what it really is and sharpen they skills over some Large Pro tracks. Word up.
A lot of your tracks have meant a lot to me as a DJ and Producer. One of the tracks that I found personally very inspirational was Stay Chisel as a philosophy and mentality. What does that concept mean to you?
Indeed, that’s what’s up. Well, Nas came up with that idea, and it was basically talking about us as a young hiphop nation, lets not get old, sloppy, and fat and going crazy, lets stay sharp and stay chisel. Stay young with it. The standpoint that I came with it was keep your mind sharp, keep your mind chisel. That’s one of my favourite joints too. Stay chisel.
Anything else you’d like to add?
Large Pro, Beatz Vol 1 & 2. Any Large Professor product, check for that. Google Large Professor. I’m still standing, I’m always at it. Peace.
Check out more about LP at http://www.myspace.com/thelargeprofessor. Listen back to The LP and 1st Class, and memorize your Main Source lyrics. Stay chisel.
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