“I cradled it.” That’s what Pete Rock told the room in downtown NY last week, speaking on his album NY’s Finest, due out Feb 26th on Nature Sounds. Working on the beats and rhymes for the last year and a half, it was clear that the Chocolate Boy Wonders still loves and enjoys the hell out of what he does. The new album features a diverse array of emcees from Jim Jones to Chip Fu of the Fu-Shnickens (yes, really-Lords of the Underground are on there too) and the disc banged solidly throughout. Here’s what Pete had to tell URB.
The Lab: “Basically I make sure I have all the right music first and then I conjure up in my head who I want to work with even if its people I’ve never worked with before.”
His Mental: “When I say inspiration, it’s hearing their [other producers’] beats and hearing what they’re doing and actually turning my light bulb back on saying you know what, I’m ready to rock and roll one more time.”
Longevity: “I listen to everyone in Hip Hop, from EPMD, KRS One, Gang Starr, Slum Village, A Tribe Called Quest, and I think back on those beats and I think how can I change and be with today’s times, and I mix the two [the past and the future] in.”
A Stamp: “I’m such a professional at this and I’ve been doing this hustle so long and I know what elements belong together and I know what will make an audience interested in something different. That’s who I think about when I do this, the fans. As long as I don’t stray too far away from who I am but still do something different, as long as people remember it’s me, Pete Rock, I’ve done it right.”
Living Legend Status: “All the accolades and props are good. But I really do it for the love of making a beat and turning the world onto it. To me, I do it cuz that’s what I love doing.”
Humble but confident, Pete is equal parts musician and fan and carries an impeccable resume. From “Shut ‘Em Down” to “T.R.O.Y.” to “The World is Yours,” “Down with the King,” and “How to Roll a Blunt,” it’s clear that his love and skill brings classics. Cop the album and support an elder statesman who won’t ever be finished and who lives and loves this Hip-Hop sh*t as much as you do.
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