Large Professor (born William Paul Mitchell on March 21, 1972, in
the Harlem section of New York, New York. USA), also known as
Large Pro and Xtra P, is a New York City-based hip hop record producer
and emcee. He is also best known as a founding member of the influential
underground hip hop group Main Source, and as a frequent collaborator
with Nas. About.com ranked Large Professor #5 on its Top 50
Hip-Hop Producers list.
Mitchell moved in his early childhood to Flushing, Queens, where
he was raised.[1] His production career started early in his adolescence.
As a young teenager, he would make pause tapes, in which he would
pause a beat and blend it in with other sequences. Eventually, he
managed to own a Casio SK-1 sampling keyboard that allowed him to
make his beats in the comfort of his own home. He became a protégé of
the late Paul C, a record producer and musician with whom he credits
for teaching him virtually everything he knows about record production
as well as the associated technology used for making hip-hop music.
Paul C was doing production work with Eric B. & Rakim and Super
Lover Cee & Casanova Rud, and then, at age 17, Large was given
the opportunity to program beats for Eric B. & Rakim's album
Let the Rhythm Hit 'Em (1990) while still attending high school.
While working with them, he discovered Nas, who got a management
deal with Serchlite Publishing (headed by MC Serch from former group
3rd Bass) and produced three tracks on Nas's debut album, Illmatic
(1994), after he was signed by Columbia Records. His work with Eric
B. & Rakim eventually led him to work on Kool G Rap & DJ
Polo's Wanted: Dead or Alive (1990), producing (officially credited
as a co-producer) the album's lead single and iconic hip-hop classic, “Streets
of New York.”
[edit] Career with Main Source
In 1989, he joined the group Main Source, which also included K-Cut
and Sir Scratch from Toronto. Main Source recorded one album with
Large called Breaking Atoms, which was released in 1991. It included
hits such as "Just Hangin' Out", "Looking at the Front
Door," and featured Nas' first public appearance on a track
called "Live at the Barbeque", along with Akinyele and
Joe Fatal.[1] In 1992, their success allowed them to record "Fakin'
the Funk", a track on the White Men Can't Jump motion-picture
soundtrack. Because of business differences, Large and Main Source
quietly parted ways and Large went on to sign with Geffen/MCA Records.
During and after his tenure with Main Source, he worked with Pete
Rock & CL Smooth, and he produced a number of tracks for Nas,
Busta Rhymes, Masta Ace, The X-Ecutioners, Tragedy Khadafi, Big Daddy
Kane, Mobb Deep, and others during the 1990s.
[edit] Solo career
In 1996, he released two singles for Geffen/MCA Records, "Ijuswannachill" and "The
Mad Scientist", for which videos were produced for both tracks.
He was to have his highly anticipated solo album The LP released
around the same time, but it was never released because of label
politics.[1] Geffen and Large Professor eventually parted ways, and
he signed with Matador Records, which generally specialized in marketing
and promoting contemporary rock and alternative tracks as well as
electronic music. Although his album for Matador, 1st Class did not
receive mainstream acceptance, it gained favorable reviews by fans
and critics. The album included guest appearances by Nas, Busta Rhymes,
and Q-Tip. The album also included the moderate street hit "Radioactive."
Large's publishing company is named Paul Sea Productions as an homage
to his late mentor.
For many years, people thought that Large Professor directly taught
DJ Premier how to use the Emu SP-1200 sampling drum machine, which
Large used to help program many of his beats during the 1990s. However,
according to Large Professor, he just showed DJ Premier to enhance
what he already had. This is an excerpt from the November/December
issue of Scratch Magazine:
“
Since people see Professor, they say, 'He taught Preemo'. Nah, what
happened was that we traded off. Preem showed me an ill beat and
at the time I was filtering records like taking the bassline out
of a record and filtering. I showed him how to do that on the Akai
S-950. Premier doesn't even use the 1200; he's never used the 1200.
Just people throughout the years to take shit and run with it. We
just traded off. He shown me the "Brethren" (break) beat
and I showed him how to muffle out the bassline. That's all it was ”
Large Professor DJs at clubs, parties, and events worldwide and
still engages in music production. He released an instrumental LP
in 2006 called Beatz Vol. 1. Its sequel, Beats Vol. 2, was released
in 2007.
His latest album, Main Source, was released in 2008 and features
production by him and others including Marco Polo and verses from
Big Noyd, Styles P, Jeru the Damaja, AZ and Lil Dap.[1]
[edit] Discography
[edit] Albums
* 2002: 1st Class
* 2006: Beatz Volume 1 (instrumentals)
* 2007: Beatz Volume 2 (instrumentals)
* 2008: Main Source
* 2009: The LP
[edit] Production
* 1990: "Let the Rhythm Hit 'Em" (Various songs on album
by Eric B. & Rakim)
* 1990: "Wanted: Dead or Alive" (Various songs on album by Kool G
Rap & DJ Polo)
* 1991: "Breaking Atoms" (Main Source)
* 1992: "Peer Pressure" with DJ Premier for Mobb Deep
* 1992: "Halftime (from the Nas song from the soundtrack Zebrahead"
* 1993: Vagina Diner (Album by Akinyele)
* 1993: "Hey Girl" (from the Apache album Apache Ain't Shit)
* 1993: "Keep It Rollin" (from the A Tribe Called Quest album Midnight
Marauders)
* 1993: "Niggaz Never Learn" (from the Big Daddy Kane album Looks
Like a Job For…)
* 1994: "Stress (Remix)" (from the Organized Konfusion 12" Stress)
* 1994: "One Time 4 Your Mind", "It Ain't Hard To Tell" (from
the Nas album Illmatic)
* 1995: "Resurrection '95" Extra P Remix (from the Common 12" Resurrection)
* 1995: "Resurrection '95" Large Professor Remix (from the Common
12" Resurrection)
* 1996: "Extra Abstract Skillz" (from the Mad Skillz album From Where???)
* 1999: "I Sparkle" (Slick Rick from the Wild Wild West Soundtrack)
* 2000: "The Heist" (from the Busta Rhymes album Anarchy)
* 2001: "You're Da Man", "Rewind" (from the Nas album Stillmatic)
* 2002: "The Come Up" (from the Cormega album The True Meaning)
* 2002: "We Are the Future," "It's Us," and "Drug
Music" (from the Non Phixion album The Future Is Now)
* 2004: "What They Want" (from The UN album UN Or U Out)
* 2006: "World Wide" (from the Boot Camp Clik album The Last Stand)
* 2006: "Right 2 Know" (From the Prince Po album Prettyblack)
* 2006: "I Be Thuggin'" b/w "Mack of the Year" (Grand Daddy
IU Single)
* 2007: "I'm Up Now" (from the Mic Geronimo album Alive)
* 2008: "L.E.O (Love Equals Omnipotence) - Spiritual Intelligence / All
tracks produced by Large Professor.
* 2008: "Conquer Mentally" Large Professor Remix (Presto album State
of the Art)
* 2008: "The Hardest" (AZ album Undeniable)
* 2008: "Stages" (Reks album Grey Hairs)
* 2009: "No Problems" (Earatik Statik album Good, Bad & Ugly)
* 2009: "New Classic" (U-God album Dopium)
* 2009: "Same Old Drama" (Grand Puba album Retroactive)
* 2009: "Journey" (Cormega album Born & Raised)
* 2010: "Ohh" (Joell Ortiz album Free Agent")
[edit] Vocal appearances
* 1990: "Money In The Bank" (Kool G Rap & DJ Polo
album Wanted: Dead or Alive)
* 1993: "Keep It Rollin'" (A Tribe Called Quest album Midnight Marauders)
* 1994: "Stress (Remix)" (Organized Konfusion "Stress" 12")
* 1995: "Extra Abtract Skillz" (Mad Skillz album From Where???)
* 2000: "The Last Shall Be First" (Cella Dwellas album The True Meaning)
* 2002: "XL" (The X-Ecutioners album Built from Scratch)
* 2002: "Hip Hop On Wax" (Rob Swift album Sound Event)
* 2002: "The Come Up" (Cormega album The True Meaning)
* 2004: "Sugar Ray and Hearns" (Cormega album Legal Hustle)
* 2004: "Out Da Box" (Tony Touch album The Piece Maker 2)
* 2006: "United" (MF Grimm album American Hunger)
* 2007: "The Radar" (Marco Polo album Port Authority)
* 2007: "The Purist" (Polyrhythm Addicts album Break Glass)
* 2008: "Conquer Mentally" (Presto album State of the Art)
* 2009: "Fans" (Masta Ace & Edo G album Arts & Entertainment)
* 2009: "New Classic" (U-God album Dopium)
* 2009: "Sweet 16s" (feat. Neek The Exotic, Mikey D, Sadat X, Large
Professor and Father D) ([Satchel Page]] album Young Patriarch)