Large Professor

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Lore & Background

Large Professor's connection to Nas runs deep in the lore of Queensbridge. He is credited with having discovered and mentored Nas. 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', making him tied with DJ Premier for the most songs produced on the album. Nas wanted to give him an executive producer credit, but Large Professor refused. According to an interview with Busta Rhymes, the 'Halftime' beat was originally intended for Busta Rhymes, who later regretted not using it. Large Pro described the making of the song: '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.' 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 saved it for a later project.

In Their Own Story

In 1991, Main Source's *Breaking Atoms* featured Nas's first public appearance on a track called 'Live at the Barbeque', alongside Akinyele and Joe Fatal. That track introduced Nas to the hip-hop world. Later, in the studio for *Illmatic*, Large Professor built the beat for 'Halftime' from gritty, muffled drums inspired by park jam tapes. Nas freestyled verses while Large Pro worked the E-mu SP-1200, a machine his mentor Paul C had taught him to use. The result was a track that became a cornerstone of Nas's debut. In 2001, Large Pro reunited with Nas for *Stillmatic*, producing 'You're da Man' and 'Rewind', rekindling a partnership that began with that first demo session.

Reader's Guide

Large Professor's most famous contributions to Nas's catalog are the three tracks he produced on *Illmatic*: 'Halftime', 'One Time 4 Your Mind', and 'It Ain't Hard to Tell'. The latter samples Michael Jackson's 'Human Nature' and became a signature track. He also produced 'You're da Man' and 'Rewind' for Nas's *Stillmatic* (2001). For 'You're da Man', Large Pro used the same vocal sample from the chorus that later appeared on his own song 'The Man' from his *1st Class* album. In 2012, Large Professor appeared on Nas's *Life Is Good* on the track 'Loco-Motive'. Fans seeking his production style should listen for his jazz-infused, sample-heavy beats built on the E-mu SP-1200, a technique he learned from his mentor Paul C.

Did You Know?

• Large Professor is credited with having discovered and mentored Nas.
• He produced three of the ten songs on Nas's *Illmatic*, tying with DJ Premier for the most on the album.
• Nas wanted to give Large Professor an executive producer credit on *Illmatic*, but he refused.
• The 'Halftime' beat was originally intended for Busta Rhymes, who later regretted not using it.
• Large Professor used the same vocal sample from the chorus of 'You're da Man' on his own song 'The Man' from his *1st Class* album.