Marina on Mobb Deep, Lil’ Kim, Joey Bada$$ & more
From Mobb Deep and Nas to Slum Village and Fabri Fibra, Marina’s picks move through different eras and corners of hip-hop, reflecting a relationship with music built around curiosity and the stories behind each record.
Growing up in Italy, Marina was a kid on the bus, fascinated by graffiti, when her brother introduced her to Articolo 31's film "Senza filtro." That was when she started seeing hip-hop as more than music: a culture, a language, and a way of expressing yourself. From there she found Gang Starr, Nas, and The Fugees, then producers DJ Premier and J Dilla, who shaped her ear more than anyone.
"Illmatic" by Nas was the first record she ever bought, and The Fugees' "The Score" was the second. Building a vinyl collection changed how she listens. She plays full albums, reads the credits, and pays attention to the production, and those records are now tied to different moments in her life. Lately she listens to Nas almost every day, alongside Isaiah Rashad, Mick Jenkins, and J. Cole, and she has spent the past few years falling for R&B.
Marina joins us for the September 29-October 5 prompts to take us through some of the music that has shaped her music journey.
Which red album cover do you love?
The red cover of Hell on Earth has always stayed with me. It feels dark, raw, and almost cinematic, which perfectly matches the atmosphere of the album itself. There’s something about that deep red and the image of Mobb Deep standing in the street that immediately pulls you into their world.
Hell on Earth is one of those records where the cover feels like an extension of the music. Cold, gritty and uncompromising. It captures the sound of New York in the ’90s and the darker side of the city that Mobb Deep were so good at portraying.
It’s also an album I keep coming back to, because the production, the atmosphere, and Prodigy and Havoc’s chemistry still sound incredibly powerful today. The cover alone almost feels like a warning: you’re about to enter their world.
Which music video changed how you see a song?
Evidence’s “Throw It All Away” is one of those videos that made me experience a song differently. The video has this intimate, almost dreamlike quality that perfectly complements the mood of the track.
What I love is that it doesn’t try to overexplain the song. The visuals leave room for interpretation, and somehow make the lyrics and production feel even more personal. There’s a sense of nostalgia and distance running through it, like looking back at memories that you can’t quite hold onto anymore.
Evidence has always had a very distinctive way of creating atmosphere, both through his production and his visual aesthetic. With this video, the song became more than just something I listened to — it became something I could actually see.
Which artist would you like to dress up for Halloween?
If I could dress up as any artist for Halloween, it would have to be Lil’ Kim. Her style has always been fearless, provocative and completely her own. She understood very early that fashion could be another part of an artist’s identity and storytelling.
I’d probably go for one of her iconic ’90s looks — something bold, unapologetic, and instantly recognizable. Kim never seemed interested in blending in, and that attitude is a huge part of what makes her so influential.
She’s also one of my favorite female rappers, so this would be more than just a costume. It would be a little tribute to an artist who changed the way women could present themselves in hip-hop.
What's a track that makes you feel like the main character?
There’s something about “The World Is Yours” by Nas that instantly changes my mindset. The moment that piano comes in and Nas starts rapping, I feel like I’m walking through my own movie.
It’s not just the confidence of the song. It’s the way Nas talks about ambition, struggle, dreams, and the desire to create something bigger for yourself. The production by Pete Rock makes everything feel even more cinematic.
For me, being the “main character” isn’t about feeling superior to anyone else. It’s about feeling like your own story matters — and this song has always given me that feeling.
What's an album you'd love to hear again for the very first time?
I’d love to experience Fantastic, Vol. 2 by Slum Village for the first time again. There’s something almost magical about the way Dilla, Baatin, and T3 created that album.
The production is so warm, soulful, and unpredictable that every listen reveals something new. Dilla’s beats have this incredible ability to sound loose and effortless while being unbelievably detailed underneath.
What I love most is the feeling of discovering it — that moment when you realize you’re listening to something completely different from what you expected. It’s one of those albums that doesn’t just belong to a specific era. It feels timeless.
What’s a bonus song that deserves to be a part of the standard track list?
For me, it would be the bonus track from Mr. Simpatia by Fabri Fibra, titled “Bonus track.” That album is extremely important to my relationship with Italian hip-hop, and Mr. Simpatia is a record I associate with a very specific period of my life.
I think “Bonus track” deserves to be part of the standard track list because it fits the energy and attitude of the album so naturally. It doesn’t feel like something that was simply left outside the main story — it feels like a piece of the same world.
Mr. Simpatia was also the first Fabri Fibra record that really made an impact on me, so including that track here is also a little personal tribute to an album that marked my adolescence.
Which artist do you think has the best fashion sense?
I’ve always loved Joey Bada$$’s sense of style because it feels natural rather than forced. He has that ability to mix classic hip-hop influences with a more contemporary, polished look without losing his identity.
There’s a strong ’90s influence in the way he dresses — oversized silhouettes, sportswear, vintage pieces and sneakers — but he doesn’t simply recreate the past. He makes those references feel current.
That balance is what I like most about his style. It feels like an extension of his music: rooted in hip-hop culture, but still evolving. He can look effortlessly cool without looking like he’s trying too hard, which is probably the hardest thing to achieve.
Beyond the songs she picked for this week’s prompts, Marina also shared a little more about the experiences, artists, and sounds that shaped her relationship with music.
What did you grow up listening to?
I grew up surrounded by different kinds of music, but hip-hop became the sound that truly spoke to me. I remember being a kid on the bus, fascinated by graffiti, before my brother introduced me to film like Senza filtro by Articolo 31. That was one of the first moments when I started looking at hip-hop as something bigger than just music: a culture, a language, and a way of expressing yourself.
As I grew older, my taste expanded, but hip-hop always remained at the center of my world. I started exploring artists like Gang Starr, Nas, The Fugees, DJ Premier, and J Dilla, while also falling in love with soul, R&B, jazz, and everything connected to that sound. I think my taste has always been driven by curiosity and by the feeling that every great record has a story to tell.
Did you ever go through any specific music phases or periods where you were particularly obsessed with an artist, genre, or sound?
Absolutely. Music has always come in phases for me, and when I fall in love with an artist, I tend to dive all the way in. There have been periods when I listened almost exclusively to Gang Starr, revisited J Dilla’s entire catalogue, or spent days exploring classic albums from the ’90s and early 2000s.
Lately, I’ve been completely obsessed with Nas. I’ve been listening to his albums every day, going back through his discography and discovering new details in music I thought I already knew. I love that music can grow with you: an album can mean one thing at twenty and something completely different years later.
Was there a moment, experience, or discovery that changed the way you listened to or experienced music?
One of the biggest turning points in my relationship with music was when I started buying records and building my own collection. I remember buying Illmatic by Nas, which was the first record I ever purchased, and The Score by The Fugees, which was the second. Those albums became much more than music to me; they became part of my personal history, connected to memories, emotions, and different moments in my life.
Over time, I realized that listening to a full album, holding the physical record, reading the credits, and paying attention to the production created a much deeper connection. Music stopped being something I simply listened to and became something I lived with. That feeling is still at the heart of everything I do today.
Tell us about an artist who became especially important to you.
If I had to choose one group that has had a profound impact on me, it would be Gang Starr. Guru’s voice, DJ Premier’s production, the samples, the drums, and the honesty in their music represent so much of what I love about hip-hop. Their music has a rawness and a timeless quality that I keep coming back to, no matter how many years pass.
DJ Premier and J Dilla are also two of the producers who have shaped my ear the most. I’m fascinated by the way they build entire worlds through samples, rhythm, and atmosphere. To me, great hip-hop is about the chemistry between the MC and the beat, and Gang Starr represents that connection perfectly.
What are you listening to lately?
Lately, I’ve been listening to Nas almost every day. I’ve been revisiting his entire discography, and It Was Written has been on heavy rotation, especially “The Message” and “If I Ruled the World (Imagine That),” two tracks that have a special place in my heart.
Over the past few years, I’ve also developed a deep passion for R&B, and I love discovering new artists and exploring different sounds. Lately, I’ve been listening to artists like Isaiah Rashad and Mick Jenkins, and J. Cole is definitely one of my all-time favorites. I love the way these artists blend introspective lyrics, soulful production, and authentic storytelling.
I’ve also been going back to Gang Starr, The Fugees, and a lot of classic ’90s hip-hop. At the same time, I keep exploring soul, R&B, and jazz because those sounds are such an important part of the music I love. My listening habits change all the time, but I always find my way back to the records that feel like home.
Marina is a lifelong hip-hop fan and passionate record collector with a particular love for ’90s and early-2000s sounds. Her taste extends into soul, R&B, and jazz, while artists like Gang Starr, Nas, The Fugees, and J Dilla have played an important role in shaping her relationship with music.
