Main Source was an East Coast hip hop group based in
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the U ...
/
Toronto
Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most pop ...
, composed of Toronto-born DJs and producers, K-Cut and Sir Scratch, and
Queens
Queens is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York. Located on Long Island, it is the largest New York City borough by area. It is bordered by the borough of Brooklyn at the western tip of Long ...
MC and producer
Large Professor
William Paul Mitchell (born March 21, 1972), better known by the stage name of Large Professor (also Extra P. and Large Pro), is an American rapper and record producer. Based in New York City, he is known as a founding member of the underground ...
. Later, another Queens MC, Mikey D (Michael Deering), replaced Large Professor.
History
Main Source was founded in 1989. The group's first album, '' Breaking Atoms'', released in July 1991, featured tracks such as " Looking at the Front Door", "Just a Friendly Game of Baseball", and "Watch Roger Do His Thing", as well as the first on-record appearance of Nas on "Live at the Barbeque," which also featured Joe Fatal and Akinyele. Because of business differences, the group broke up before its second album, tentatively titled ''The Science'' could be released. However, Sir Scratch and K-Cut released a second album under the Main Source name titled '' Fuck What You Think'', with new recruit Michael Deering aka Mikey D on vocals & featured another first on-record appearance for The Dog Pack which would later become the Yonkers rap group
The LOX
The Lox (stylized The LOX or The L.O.X.) is an American hip hop group from Yonkers, New York, formed in 1994. The group is composed of East Coast rappers Sheek Louch, Styles P and Jadakiss. They had originally signed to Puff Daddy's Bad B ...
on "Set It Off"; however, the album was shelved due to inner conflicts between Wild Pitch Records and group management., The singer Madonna sampled the bassline from "What You Need" on ''Fuck What You Think'' in her song "
Human Nature
Human nature is a concept that denotes the fundamental dispositions and characteristics—including ways of thinking, feeling, and acting—that humans are said to have naturally. The term is often used to denote the essence of humankind, or ...
," which appeared on her 1994 album, ''
Bedtime Stories
A bedtime story is a traditional form of storytelling, where a story is told to a child at bedtime to prepare the child for sleep. The bedtime story has long been considered "a definite institution in many families".Dickson, Marguerite Stockma ...
''.
Prior to Main Source, Mikey D was also one third of the
Laurelton, Queens
Laurelton is a largely middle-class neighborhood in the New York City borough of Queens and part of the former town of Jamaica. Merrick Boulevard, which bisects the community in a generally east–west direction, forms its commercial spine. It is ...
-based hip hop group Mikey D & The L.A. Posse. The group also consisted of DJ Johnnie Quest and legendary engineer/producer
Paul C
Paul may refer to:
*Paul (given name), a given name (includes a list of people with that name)
* Paul (surname), a list of people
People
Christianity
* Paul the Apostle (AD c.5–c.64/65), also known as Saul of Tarsus or Saint Paul, early Chr ...
(who was also the mentor of Large Professor). In 1988, Mikey D was also the winner of the
New Music Seminar
The New Music Seminar (NMS) is a Music Conference and Festival held annually each June in New York City. The New Music Seminar originally ran from 1980 to 1995 and was relaunched in 2009. NMS features over 150 CEOs and other executives, presiden ...
battle for world supremacy.
Large Professor went on to be an instrumental producer for hip hop stars such as Eric B. & Rakim,
Pete Rock & CL Smooth
Pete Rock & CL Smooth were a hip hop duo from Mount Vernon, New York. They made their debut with their 1991 EP, '' All Souled Out'' and followed that with their 1992 LP ''Mecca and the Soul Brother''.
Career
1991–1994: The Golden Age
As a pro ...
, Nas, and
Diamond D
Joseph Kirkland (born April 5, 1968), better known by his stage name Diamond D, is an American hip hop MC and record producer from The Bronx, New York City, and one of the founding members of the Diggin' in the Crates Crew, abbreviated as D.I.T ...
. He references his falling-out with Sir Scratch and K-Cut on
A Tribe Called Quest
A Tribe Called Quest was an American hip hop group formed in Queens, New York City, in 1985,Q-Tip 's third album '' Midnight Marauders''. On the track "Keep It Rollin'" he says, "I'm Uptown chillin', takin in this Grandmaster Vic blend/from the projects, the PJ's, fuck them two DJ's; Self mission."
K-Cut also produced for a wide range of hip hop artists including
Big Pun
Christopher Lee Rios (November 10, 1971 – February 7, 2000), better known by his stage name Big Pun (short for Big Punisher), was an American rapper. Emerging from the underground hip hop scene in the Bronx borough of New York City in the ea ...
Fu-Schnickens
Fu-Schnickens were an American hip-hop trio from 1988 to 1995, based in Brooklyn, New York.
History
Fu-Schnickens was composed of Chip Fu (Roderick Roachford), Moc Fu (Joe Jones), and Poc Fu (Lennox Maturine). ''Fu'' stood for unity and '' ...
,
Queen Latifah
Dana Elaine Owens (born March 18, 1970), known professionally as Queen Latifah, is an American rapper, actress, and singer. Born in Newark, New Jersey, she signed with Tommy Boy Records in 1989 and released her debut album '' All Hail the Qu ...
, and even NBA star
Shaquille O'Neal
Shaquille Rashaun O'Neal ( ; born March 6, 1972), known commonly as "Shaq" ( ), is an American former professional basketball player who is a sports analyst on the television program '' Inside the NBA''. O'Neal is regarded as one of the great ...
. He also mentored another Toronto-based producer named Watts.
On December 22, 2002, at a concert in Toronto, the original members of Main Source performed together for the first time in nearly 10 years.
''Breaking Atoms'' was named as one of two jury vote winners, alongside
Buffy Sainte-Marie
Buffy Sainte-Marie, (born Beverly Sainte-Marie, February 20, 1941) is an Indigenous Canadian-American ( Piapot Cree Nation) singer-songwriter, musician, composer, visual artist, educator, pacifist, and social activist. While working in these ...
's '' It's My Way!'', of the Polaris Heritage Prize at the
2020 Polaris Music Prize
The 2020 edition of the Canadian Polaris Music Prize was presented on October 19, 2020. The longlist was announced on June 15, 2020, with the shortlist following on July 15, 2020 and the winner announced on October 19, 2020. Due to the COVID-19 p ...
*"Think" (1989)
*" Looking at the Front Door" (1990)
*"Watch Roger Do His Thing" (1990)
*"Just Hangin' Out" (1991)
*"Peace Is Not the Word to Play" (1991)
*" Fakin' the Funk" (1992)
*"What You Need" (1993)
Guest appearances
*
The Brand New Heavies
The Brand New Heavies is an acid jazz and funk group formed in 1985 in Ealing in west London. Centered around songwriters/multi-instrumentalists Simon Bartholomew and Andrew Levy, the core members of the group since its founding, Brand New He ...