Roughly 15 years ago producer-extraordinaire Pete Rock (alongside fellow beatsmiths Large Professor and Diamond D) helped usher in hip-hop’s soul movement. Almost a decade before Kanye West and Just Blaze drew up the modern blueprint of that sound, Heavy D’s little cousin was sampling vintage soul and jazz records and transforming them into the songs that would comprise his own classic albums. Alongside fellow Mt. Vernon, New York native C.L. Smooth, the self-proclaimed Chocolate Boy Wonder released 1 EP (1991’s All Souled Out) and 2 LP’s (1992’s Mecca And The Soul Brother and 1994’s The Main Ingredient) of some of the finest hip-hop music to ever be committed to wax.

Unfortunately, shortly after The Main Ingredient was released internal squabbles between the duo led to the demise of their once holy union. And while the two did attempt to reconcile their differences at various points over the past dozen years, even recording together for both installments of Pete’s compilation-style Soul Survivor solo albums, "Da Two” never became one again.

Thankfully, over the past decade Pete Rock has continued to bless us with his often imitated but never duplicated brand of soul-hop, and in January will kick 2008 off right with his latest effort, NY’s Finest. Pete recently spoke exclusively to HipHopDX.com to give us some details on his new project, as well as some rare insight into his split with C.L. and the end of his working relationship with another MC who alongside Pete once created a classic collaboration.

HHDX: I understand that the title of your forthcoming fourth solo effort, NY’s Finest, isn’t in reference to the artists appearing on the album?
Pete Rock: Nah, not really. It’s talking about me basically being one of New York’s top hip-hop producers ever.

HHDX: And who are the MC’s blessing the beats from New York’s finest producer on this go-round?
Pete Rock: I got DoItAll and Mr. Funke from Lords of the Underground. I got Jim Jones and Max B. I got Little Brother on there. I got my man Royal Flush. I got Red Café. Slum Village is on there [“Gangsta Boogie”]. I did a joint with Redman [“Best Believe”]. I got Styles P and Sheek Louch from The Lox [“914”]. There’s a joint with Raekwon and Masta Killa on there [“The PJs”]. I got Papoose. I got Chip-Fu from the Fu-Schnickens. I got my man DJ Doo Wop on there – big shout out to him. Renee from Zhane is on there singing. And my man Rock Marcy from The U.N. is on there. And that’s pretty much it… Oh, and my man Rell from Roc-A-Fella is on there.

HHDX: I noticed you took it back in the day there with Lords of the Underground and Chip-Fu.
Pete Rock: Definitely, ‘cause these guys are still talented. It’s like, to me if all our talent is still here why not just keep putting something together?

HHDX: Is the sound of those joints ’92, or is it futuristic stuff?
Pete Rock: It’s definitely futuristic. But it gives you the ’92 feel with just a little bit of a twist.

HHDX: I know some eyebrows might be raised by the Jim Jones and Max B features. So how did a Pete Rock and Dipset union come about?
Pete Rock: Basically through my man Andre Neal from Violator. He had called me up and basically told me that Dipset was looking for beats. And that’s how I ended up doing “G’s Up” for Jim Jones second album. And then from there on we just… I played ‘em a couple beats and asked ‘em to jump on something, and they did it.

HHDX: And I think you forgot to name one other MC spittin’ on the album – Pete Rock?
Pete Rock: Oh yeah, of course, Pete Rock… I mean, it’s my album so I figured I didn’t really have to [mention myself]. I don’t really count [laughs].

HHDX: I gotta ask this, just ‘cause I’m curious what you think, is Kanye West the greatest producer/rapper ever?
Pete Rock: Nah. I’m not gonna say he’s the greatest producer ever. He’s a great producer, but he’s not the greatest producer ever.

HHDX: Well I meant producer/rapper.
Pete Rock: I mean, I like when he spits. And I like his beats. But there’s other people that I loved before Kanye West. I got an appreciation for what he does, and what he’s brought back to the game. He basically opened the doors back up for cats like me. They weren’t playing Pete Rock-ish beats. Like, if you listen to the radio they play a bunch of radio-friendly records that’s wack. He’s bringing that soul back.

HHDX: Is the sound of NY’s Finest comparable to that of Soul Survivor II?
Pete Rock: Sort of, but not really. It’s new. It’s basically Pete Rock with a twist – different sounds in the music, trying to do different things.

HHDX: Are you a live instrument guy? I never knew if you get down.
Pete Rock: Yeah, I play the bass. On the Lords of the Underground song I used a live bass.

HHDX: I don’t know if you like hearing this, but a lot of fans – myself included – thought the best moments on Soul Survivor II were the 3 songs C.L. Smooth appeared on. So was C.L.’s claim on “Da Two” from the first Soul Survivor to be “the best that ever did it on a Pete Rock track” accurate?
Pete Rock: Well, I’m not gonna say that. But that basically was the last of Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth that you’re ever gonna hear again. I just did it for the fans because they wanted it. But [us recording together] still doesn’t work. We’re oil and water. We don’t mix. We’re two different people. I’m about my music, and about my business, and that’s it. I’m about putting this music out for my fans. I do it for them.

I’m still here. I’ve put out 3 solo albums since the split. I’m here giving people the thing they missed [after we broke up], which is Pete Rock’s music. Without the music you couldn’t sell a C.L. Smooth acapella album. So my thing is it’s the music that the people love. I don’t take anything away from him; he’s definitely dope and everything like that. But it was the music that the people loved, and I’m here to keep giving it to them.

HHDX: Right now 9th Wonder is refusing to answer any questions regarding his split from Little Brother. Do you think the fans are owed a detailed explanation of why their favorite group broke up?
Pete Rock: Oh yeah definitely, they have a right to know. And the explanation [for our breakup] is we don’t get along, period. We made a mark on the music world. And I’m sorry to the fans that we had to part, but things like that happen as you grow older. We grew apart from each other and that’s the bottom line. I’m not gonna speak bad about him, but it is what it is.

HHDX: Switching gears here, I mentioned 9th and I’m just curious to know what other disciples of Pete Rock, if you will, impress you? Who all gets the Pete Rock stamp of approval?
Pete Rock: All the new guys – Kanye, Swizz Beatz, 9th Wonder, Hi-Tek, Madlib, Nicolay, Just Blaze, all those cats. They all get my stamp of approval.

HHDX: Are you getting back in the producer-for-hire game? I know you did some tracks on the latest albums from Ghostface and Talib Kweli. So do you have any additional production credits forthcoming?
Pete Rock: Yeah, I did 2 joints on the new Kweli album, Ear Drum. And I did 5, 6 songs originally for Ghost’s first Fishscale but he only used 3. And on the second Fishscale he used 1. I’m working with those guys and a couple more people that I’d rather not mention yet. I wanna make sure that it happens.

HHDX: So what all is on Pete Rock’s plate for ‘07/’08? Besides NY’s Finest, what else you got cooking in the kitchen?
Pete Rock: I got a DVD coming with the album, just basically breaking down the new stuff. And I’m working on production with new acts for Soul Brother Records like my man E-Ville.

HHDX: That DVD, is that like a making of the album?
Pete Rock: Yeah basically. I got Kanye, Swizz Beatz, Just Blaze, Timbaland, a lot of people on there just talking about their Pete Rock moments.

HHDX: You gonna be involved in the new Heavy D album?
Pete Rock: I just talked to Hev yesterday, so hopefully. Yeah, I’m pretty sure I’ll be a part of it. I would wanna be a part of it.

HHDX: “Don’t Curse Pt. 2” would be apt right about now.
Pete Rock: Youknowhatimsayin!

HHDX: And not to keep rehashing the past, but is there any chance of you ever working with Nas again?
Pete Rock: I don’t think so. I don’t think I want to at this point. I just don’t think it’s gonna be the same. Like, we never developed a relationship with one another.

HHDX: That’s a testament to that one joint [“The World Is Yours”] that people are still asking about when y’all are gonna work together again.
Pete Rock: Yeah, that’s the one joint that everybody talks about. We’ll always have that.

HHDX: And do you want to say anything about the long-standing rumors regarding you and his ex, Carmen Bryan, having a relationship? You wanna touch any of that?
Pete Rock: Nah, I don’t wanna touch any of that. There’s nothing to touch. I don’t even know the person you’re talking about.

HHDX: Do you think the fans thirst for knowledge about an artist’s private life is starting to supersede their actual interest in the music itself?
Pete Rock: Yeah, because it’s not about people’s private lives. It’s about the talent that we have. When you talking to me about stuff like that, it disinterests me. I don’t even wanna talk anymore after you asking me stuff like that. It’s really none of your business what goes on in someone’s personal life. But to say something about that incident, I don’t even know her. I’ll say it again. I don’t know that woman. Obviously, he thinks I know her because he hasn’t spoken to me in 14 years. And if that’s the reason, I think that’s real stupid of him. And you can quote me saying that.

HHDX: And that’s the type of clarification I’d like to get out there. I mean, you don’t know me, but me personally I don’t give a shit about none of this.
Pete Rock: And he don’t know me either. And my thing is get to know me before you start accusing me, thinking the wrong thing. ‘Cause cats out here are haters. No one wants to see me and him get together. Me and him getting together defeats the purpose of anyone else trying to do beats for him, ‘cause I go hard with my music. And when cats try to compete, they can’t fuck with me! So that’s the only reason why I think somebody started that [rumor]. It was a diversionary tactic for me and him to not work together.

HHDX: I don’t want to end on a sour note, but I do wanna get an update on your mentor Marley Marl’s condition since his heart attack back in June, how’s he doing?
Pete Rock: He’s doing great. He’s doing much better. I picked him up from that ordeal. I was kinda shocked. When I heard the news I just dropped everything. I heard he was in the hospital and I ran up there and checked him out. But he’s good.

HHDX: Yeah, I think he was saying it was maybe just stressed induced.
Pete Rock: Yeah, a lot of stress…and bad eating. You gotta switch your diet as you get older. I mean, I’m only 36 and I’m trying to be a vegetarian. The red meat I don’t eat at all. That’s easy. But as far as the fish and chicken, I’m trying to get off of that. I’m trying to do the whole vegetarian thing, ‘cause as you get older you don’t want things like that to happen.