Rakeem Calief Myer, better known by his stage name Roc Marciano, is an American rapper, songwriter and producer from Hempstead, Long Island, New York. He is currently signed to Decon Records.Originally a member of Busta Rhymes' crew, Flipmode Squad becoming the sixth member after the departure of Lord Have Mercy, (aside from other flipmode acts Serious and Show Money) Roc Marciano left in 2001 to form the U.
N., a hardcore underground hip hop group consisting of three other MCs (Dino Brave, Laku & Mic Raw) with whom he released an album on Carson Daly's 456 Entertainment in 2004. Notably, Roc Marciano appeared in the 2005 Wu-Tang Clan compilation album, Wu-Tang Meets the Indie Culture, and in Pete Rock's 2008 album, NY's Finest, drawing acclaim for such performances.
Since 2008, Roc Marciano has been working on his solo career, and to widespread internet acclaim, released his entirely self-produced debut album, Marcberg in 2010.In 2011, Roc Marciano collaborated with Gangrene, the duo of rapper/producers Oh No and The Alchemist, to release the collaborative EP Greneberg.
His second solo album, Reloaded, was released in November 2012, which Allmusic described as "Grim and exultant at once, this is low-profile hustling on wax at its finest."Even a cursory glance at the history of Strong Island reveals that its produced more than its fair share of innovative verbal technicians over the years.
One of the most original MCs to hail from its shores in recent times has been Roc Marciano from The UN crew. Initially put on by fellow L.I. resident Busta Rhymes, it wasn’t until Marcy and his crew lent their vocals to three tracks for Pete Rock’s Petestrumentals project that the world really took notice.
Utilizing a stream-of-consciousness technique that sounds effortless but is actually very precise in terms of timing and cadence, Marciano is in a class of his own right now.
