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MARCO POLO
Port Authority
Rawkus, 2007
7.0/10, Solid [scale]

Port Authority

Marco Polo isn’t Timbaland. And in this case that’s definitely a good thing. Polo, a hip-hop producer originally from Toronto, isn’t a rapper, so he doesn’t try to be. Instead, on his debut album, Port Authority, he lets his highly talented guest emcees shine.

“You’re only as good as the people you surround yourself with,” Polo notes on the album’s intro. Modest, certainly, but it’s important he realizes his beats are best complemented by capable rappers. Obvious stuff, right?

Still, even if one had the vision to put together a compilation with some of rap’s legends, getting Masta Ace, Large Professor, Sadat X, and Kool G Rap to sign on is a difficult task. Especially when you consider Polo started his career a seemingly long way from the epicenter of rap before moving to Brooklyn, where he interned at a recording studio. But listening to some of Polo’s beats, it’s not that hard to see why these rappers would be excited to collaborate.

Polo is a master of incorporating the piano into his beats. The track “Get Busy” is a testament to his skill, where a piano blends exceptionally well with the screechingly high-pitched strings. Copywrite has the honor of rapping over the beat, spitting lines like, “Man in ‘95 I thought music was losing it’s touch/ Compared to now, that was a golden era, who woulda thunk?”

That line, and the song as a whole, definitely take shots at the current state of hip hop. However, with some underground releases, the fear is that there will be an overwhelming anti-mainstream backlash, as lesser-known artists preach about the “glory days” where lyrics had meaning beyond bling.

But that concern is unwarranted on Authority. Instead of dwelling on what’s wrong with hip hop, or even suggesting what artists should be doing, Marco Polo decided to go ahead and release a very consistent and respectable album. In other words, he allows the music to speak for itself. Listeners are not explicitly told the difference between “good” and “bad” hip hop, but rather presented with Polo’s (and his guests’) take on the genre. There’s no preaching. The album is what it is and doesn’t apologize for it.

From start to finish, Authority just reeks of classic hip hop culture: The guests, the samples, the cuts, and the at times grimy/at times soulful vibe. Kool G. Rap sounds gruff over the sleek strings and sputtering drums on “Hood Tales,” and Sadat X (good to hear him again) and others ride the smooth ode to marijuana, “Rollin.’”Perhaps Polo’s best quality is his matchmaking ability. He gets some interesting mixes of rappers to collaborate for a track, as well as picking the right guests for each beat. Some work better than others, of course. The overly simple production on “Low Budget,” intended to be bouncy, results in a flat, monotonous song.

With 18 tracks (all produced by Polo, by the way), it’s hard not to have some redundancy. Perhaps some newer, younger rappers could have injected some extra energy into the project. Nevertheless, the veteran emcees do a more than adequate job. It’s safe to say more current stars will be hitting up Marco Polo for some beats in the near future.

by Andrew Kahn