Roc Marciano makes the same album over and over again, and this is a good thing. Marci was already a veteran who’d been through the music-business wringer when he released his 2010 solo debut Marcberg, the album that basically invented a whole new strain of underground rap. On that record, Marci muttered free-associate fly shit over his own production, an evocative sampled swirl of mystical jazz bass, psychedelic guitar ripples, and precious few drums. He’s been iterating on that blueprint for the past 15 years, as huge swaths of the rap world rushed to catch up. But nobody does that style like its originator, and sometimes he’s especially locked-in. This is one of those times.
Today, Roc Marciano releases his new album 656, and it’s his best in a long while. Marci’s last two albums were full-length team-ups with legendary producers the Alchemist (on 2024’s The Skeleton Key) and DJ Premier (on last year’s The Coldest Profession). That was cool, but the man always sounds best over his own production, and he’s really in his spaced-out zone on 656. He also has a whole lot of funny, intricate, unbelievably cool lines. The way he stacks syllables on album closer “Melo” is a thing of beauty. There’s also a song called “Tracey Morgan Vomit” where he samples the 30 Rock bit about “have you ever broke a Puerto Rican dude’s arm for sweatpants money?” This is all obviously amazing stuff.
Roc Marciano just announced 656 earlier this week, and there were no advance singles. He’s no longer doing the thing where he sells the downloads for $20 for a few weeks before putting the album on streaming; you can hear it for free right now. The only guest is fast-talking Harlem rapper Errol Holden, who’s on two tracks. I’m really looking forward to memorizing all the most outlandish lines on this one. Listen for yourself below.
656 is out now on Pimpire/Marci Enterprises.
