NEWS

BUMPHIPHOP

Pete Rock

January 29 – by Bumphiphop – Filed in: BUMPHIPHOP, The Main Ingredient

Pete Rock

Much like James Madison to the Constitution, producer Pete Rock laid the foundation for an era. His sound, unmatched. His talent, unparalleled. Rock’s sample-laden soul cuts fused heavy bass lines, resonant horn samples, gritty snare drums and unforgettable jazz favorites to cultivate what would become the standard for producers. As part of the legendary hip hop duo, Pete Rock & CL Smooth, Rock introduced clarity to the game. After his split with Smooth in 1994, Rock continued to work alongside industry heavyweights. His catalogue is impressive, having worked with Dead Prez, Nas, Run-DMC, the Wu-Tang Clan, Heavy D & The Boyz, and Public Enemy (among others); he’s become a force in hip hop.

Having previously released numerous solo efforts, most notably 1998’s Soul Survivor and 2004’s Soul Survivor II, Rock is set to release NY’s Finest this February. With the New Year in full swing, the famed producer is once again on the verge of injecting vigor into hip hop’s soul. Take note, the architect’s up next.

“A lot of these guys; Pharrell, Kanye, people like that that look up to me, my music and my talent, I definitely think I set the bar for these guys.”

BHH: What has Pete Rock been up to lately?
Pete Rock: Just what I’m always up too; working, making beats, coming out with some new material, working with other people. The same old stuff.

BHH: Your production style is unique, merging jazz and soul with hip hop. Do you think you set the bar for a lot of producers, like 9th Wonder and the late J. Dilla, whose production sound is similar to yours?
Pete Rock: Definitely. I think I set the bar tremendously for those cats. 9th Wonder is a good good friend of mine and I think he’s a talented producer. Dilla was the same way. A lot of these guys; Pharrell, Kanye, people like that that look up to me, my music and my talent, I definitely think I set the bar for these guys.

BHH: Inspiration for any artist, especially a producer, is key. Where do you draw your inspiration from for your tracks?
Pete Rock: Just from listening to music all the time, or from being outside; being in my hood; being in New York City. It’s an inspirational town, so you can’t help but to catch the feeling and do what you gotta do.

BHH: Explain what it was like working with CL Smooth and being part of such an influential hip hop duo?
Pete Rock: It was great. He had a very distinctive voice, like nothing you ever heard before; it didn’t sound like anyone. And I felt like with my beats that that was a match made in heaven and, you know, it was. We did an EP first, which was All Souled Out, then we did Mecca and the Soul Brother, then we did The Main Ingredient and then we kinda went our separate ways.

BHH: What is your relationship with him today?
Pete Rock: There is no relationship. It’s me doing my music and him doing him.

“He had a very distinctive voice, like nothing you ever heard before; it didn’t sound like anyone. And I felt like with my beats that that was a match made in heaven”

BHH: To what extent do you think hip hop groups have become a thing of the past?
Pete Rock: Really, there’s no extent; there’s no past. To me, [it’s] only like that when you have artists that came in and had one hit record and you don’t see them anymore, but as far as being a thing of the past, I can’t really say that. We [Pete Rock and CL Smooth] were definitely icons that ruled the nineties era all the way up to God knows how long.

BHH: Regarding your upcoming album, NY’s Finest; what sets this album apart from your other solo efforts?
Pete Rock: The way I mixed it in with today’s music. Keeping myself abrupt with what’s going on with today’s music. Keeping in tune with the streets and to the radio.

BHH: Are you trying to get any specific message across?
Pete Rock: Just trying to reintroduce myself to the younger generation who may not know who I am. It’s important that they know what hip hop is, and what real hip hop is and if you’re going to get into this game how to conduct yourself and what to have to be successful in this business.

BHH: On this album you’re working with a diverse group of artists, such as Papoose, Redman, Jim Jones and Raekwon, among others. How did these collaborations come about?
Pete Rock: In my head. Just people that I wanted to work with.

BHH: Who else is on the album?
Pete Rock: Pretty much who you said, plus Little Brother, Doo Wap, Max B, Styles P, Sheek Louch, Chip Fu, Rene, from Zhane, you know.

“when Kanye says my name a lot in his records he kinda teaches people about me.”

BHH: Who does Pete Rock listen to?
Pete Rock: I listen to older, like regular music. You know, old school hip hop, soft rock, eighties type of soft rock music, the type of stuff I grew up on. Then there’s other stuff I listen to like Kanye West, his stuff, 50 Cent, a lot of today’s artists, Swizz Beatz; the list goes on and on.

BHH: Speaking today’s artists, what do you think of the producers of today, in terms of sound?
Pete Rock: I think the producers are dope today. What they’re doing is not much different from what I was doing, but I feel like with them being new artists bringing back old tactics and old tricks that we used to do is something great. Especially when Kanye says my name a lot in his records he kinda teaches people about me. By mentioning my name he kinda says this person was important to hip hop.

BHH: With hip hop being what it is today, where does New York fit into the equation?
Pete Rock: It fits right in there. I feel like I’m representing New York with this album because we been through a lot, we lost a lot of rappers, from Biggie to Big L to Freaky Tah to Soulja Slim, guys that were once valuable to hip hop. J Dilla, he’s not from New York, but the whole east coast aspect, just people that we lost that represented hard.

BHH: Do you think you can bring the once-famed swag back to New York with this album?
Pete Rock: I can definitely bring it back, but I need help; I can’t do it alone. Everyone else has to be inspired to do it. We have to unify as a whole in order to be successful again.

BHH: You’ve been in the hip hop game for 20 years; in your opinion what was your most defining moment?
Pete Rock: Working with certain people, big acts like Run-DMC and Public Enemy. I think that was one of the highlights of my career. You know, bringing Run-DMC back when they didn’t have a No. 1 album. That was a big highlight for me working with those guys and with Jam Master Jay. Rest in peace.

BHH: What do you want listeners and readers to know about this upcoming album?
Pete Rock: Just basically to take a good listen. They’re dope beats on there, it’s not dated, it’s very much rockin’ with today’s sound. It’s important that the kids today know who Pete Rock is. Just to get what you can get, which is nothing but good inspiration and good feelin’ from this album.

Pete Rock

3 Comments


Leave a Comment


del_sidebar.jpg
bhh-bestofbootcamp-300.jpg