Marco "Polo" Bruno is a Canadian hip hop producer. Born in Toronto, he moved to New York City in the early 2000s to pursue a career in hip hop production, and has since gone on to become one of the most sought-after underground producers on the US East Coast.[1]
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When he came to New York City, Bruno used to work as a sound engineer in several recording studios. That is how he met up with legendary Brooklyn MC Masta Ace, who was looking for beats for his 2004 LP A Long Hot Summer at this time. Even if he could not pay him at first time, Ace used one of the beats Polo gave him, for the "Do It Man" (featuring Big Noyd ). Sadat X's Black October, and various Boot Camp Clik projects. His debut album, Port Authority, was released through Rawkus Records and featured guest raps from Masta Ace, Kool G Rap, Buckshot, Wordsworth, O.C., Kardinal Offishall, Large Professor and Sadat X. On June 2, 2009, a collaboration album with Torae was released, titled Double Barrel.
On June 29, 2010, Marco Polo released The Stupendous Adventures of Marco Polo on Duck Down Records. The album featured guest raps from an assortment of acts including the Large Professor, Torae, Royce Da 5'9" and others.[2]
Marco Polo's production revolves around his use of samples, and his style is somewhat comparable to that of Pete Rock and DJ Premier, the latter of which he names as his greatest influence. To give a more authentic effect to his production, he will individually sample drum sounds (such as a hihat) and arrange them to create his own "breaks". He often uses bass to enhance melodies he has sampled. He has been known to use outro beats to segue into the next song.