Pete Rock is, without question, one of the unsung legends of Hip Hop. The Bronx-born and Mt. Vernon-raised New York native earned his spot in the pantheon of Hip Hop’s greats by using elements of Jazz and Funk, to create classic Hip Hop music.
After rising to fame as one half of the critically acclaimed rap duo, Pete Rock & CL Smooth, Pete Rock built and maintained a worldwide following, both as an artist, and a producer. With almost 20 years in the game, and a lengthy resume full of Hip Hop’s biggest names you would think he’d have no reason to keep pushing. But when you live what you love, there’s always more work to be done. Pete Rock is back once again with his new album, NY’s Finest. Not because he needs it, but because he loves it.
HipHopDX: What made you want to release another solo album?
Pete Rock: I feel like there’s a balance missing in Hip Hop today, on radio and videos. I wanted to come back and teach the young kids about who I am and what I’ve done in the rap game. Try to steer them, or anyone who’s looking to get into Hip Hop music, in the right direction.
DX: In one of his rhymes Kanye called himself the new version of Pete Rock. Are you ever bothered when people mention you they talk about you like you’re not still active in Hip Hop?
PR: Hell no. I never left and I’ll always be in the game. It just shows me that my work wasn’t done in vain and I inspired a lot of cats. I can’t take it no other way. The only thing is I don’t like to be talked about like I’m not here. I been here, making beats. I got stuff on Keyshia Coles’ new album, Styles P’s new album, I’m working with LL Cool J right now, did work for 50 Cent. Right now I’m just concentrating on putting good music back out there. I took my time getting back out, but I never left.
DX: Technology is making it easier everyday for almost anybody to be a rapper or a producer. How do you feel that affects the quality of the music?
PR: I think it’s a good thing. It’s not what you got it’s how you use it. I’m a vinyl guy myself. But you don’t want to carry records through airports because they’ll fuck up your shit, so I carry the laptop and I’m all good. There’s a certain sound that comes from vinyl. They can’t make that vinyl sound or the feel when you’re deejaying a party. Just the feeling of rubbing vinyl is one of the best things in the world. But all the new age stuff is cool. It all comes down to how you use it, what sound you’re going for, and, most importantly, your reasons for doing it.
DX: What is your process like when creating music?
PR: I go in my music room, probably got a little something burning, and just listen to shit and let my imagination go. Sometimes I go in there with an idea in my head and sometimes something will just come to me real quick but either way once I get started it just flows. I been doing this for so long that it just happens for me. I mastered it. Whether I’m sampling, playing the keyboard or whatever, it’s a real easy time for me.
DX: Do the rhymes come as easy as the beat or is that something different?
PR: The rhyming part is different. And to be honest, I think I love that a little more than the music but they’re both part of Hip Hop. I love to rhyme. I’m not a Biggie, who was immaculate with the rhymes, but I’m good enough to get the point across and entertain people while they’re listening to what I’m saying. For instance, a dude like Swizz Beatz, the type of music he makes, when you’re in the club and to see what happens, peoples reactions when one of his beats comes on is crazy. You get a whole new respect for him.
DX: When working on the new album, did you consciously choose who you were going to use or did you just try different things with different people?
PR: I just wanted to work with people who had the same love for the type of music I make. I look for those artists who feel the type of music I make. My whole thing in ’08 is to work with people that want to work with me and vice versa. Being that the game has changed and artists don’t work the same ways that they used to. So it’s kind of strange when I find myself e-mailing cats beats now instead of sitting with the artists and really going through the music. But I only dealt with people who have the same love for this that I do.
DX: Lately you hear a lot of people talking about the differences between a beat-maker and producer. How do you feel about the uses of each title?
PR: It’s all the same thing. People always try to devise a new meaning to an old word. It may be appropriate in some situations, but not always. Like I’m a beat-maker and a producer, so what am I? There’s no new word, you’re a producer. But I think what cats are trying to say is, being versatile in your music counts. Don’t pigeonhole yourself into one genre. Don’t be afraid to step out of the box and try new things. If you can make different types of beats, Hip Hop, R&B, Pop, Jazz, then you’re a top notch producer.
DX: What are some songs on the album that you feel people will be drawn to?
PR: I think people will like the joint I got with Jim Jones and Max B. The Jim Jones song is aight. I did a club joint with Rell. It’s a nice, feel good song. On the street side I got joints with Papoose, Royal Flush, Redman. I got a Reggae joint with Chip-Fu from the Fu-Schnickens and Rene from Zhane’… that’s the dark skinned one for all those who don’t know.
DX: With radio and video stations being so particular about artists having a certain type of song to get airplay, are you worried about your project going unnoticed?
PR: That’s how the game is. It’s to a point where cats want that commercial, Pop record that’s going to make them some money. And that’s all they want anyway. They want to enslave the artists, in a sense, to make a bunch of those types of songs that make them a bunch of money. I only believe in what comes out of you. I don’t believe in people telling you what to think and what to say and how to make your music. You should do it on your own and do whatever you feel. Make whatever your soul is feeling; that’s what I been doing for years.
DX: You’re part of one of the most influential groups in Hip Hop and responsible for the creation of some classic Hip Hop records. Do you feel you get the respect you deserve?
PR: I feel like there’s someone behind the scenes or in some office somewhere that doesn’t know their history and doesn’t know Hip Hop. If they did, they would include guys like me more. I was on the Hip Hop Honors show once, as a deejay. I wasn’t on stage or anything like that. You only seen me up in the corner. And it’s funny to me. But I was glad to be there and I’m always glad to take part in things like that. But there is somebody in the back that really doesn’t know their history. They don’t really know Hip Hop and don’t really love Hip Hop. And it’s always that person that ends up getting a job in Hip Hop. There’s a bunch of people making a living in this that don’t know their history, and it makes me laugh.
DX: Your career spans almost two decades and still going what were some of the moments that meant the most to you?
PR: My best moment as a producer is always when I get to work with people I never worked with before. Guys like Run-DMC, LL, Biggie, Big L, 'Pac, people like that. I was excited to work with these artists because, at the time, I was just a consumer of Hip Hop. I was snatching money out my mom's pocketbook to go to the record store. I loved it and was that determined to do music. It was embedded in me at an early age because my father was into it. As an emcee, my favorite times were when cats would come to the crib. Everybody from Biz Markie to Redman, Mos Def, Talib Kweli, Common, Large Professor, just a lot of cats would come by the crib and we’d be jamming in the crib. We’d listen to samples and rhyme over beats we made that day or whenever. That’s one of the most glorious feelings. Tours were cool too. Just seeing the audience rock with you, singing the words and shit is a crazy feeling.
DX: In a previous interview, Chubb Rock mentioned he’d want to do a Jam session album similar to what the Jazz artists used to do. Who would you like to recruit if you could do such a project?
PR: There are so many people out there that I’d love to work with on a project like that. LL Cool J, I’d want to bring my cousin Heavy D back, Dr. Dre, Snoop, Jay-Z, OutKast…the list goes on.
DX: It’s common knowledge that there’s no 401K in Hip Hop. With that being said, do you ever see yourself stepping away from the music industry to pursue a more stable way to make a living?
PR: I will always do something in music. Anything that I am able to do professionally in music I will pursue it. One of the things I really want to get into scoring movies. I dibbled and dabbled in it but I really would like to get into it in a serious way especially since I seen how RZA capitalized on the scoring thing with Kill Bill and Blade and all that. I would like to deal with action movies, superhero movies, and gangster movies. Gangster shit and superhero shit in particular. I’m real into the superhero thing big time. I been into them since I was a kid, so I would love to be part of one of them. I like a lot of the movies they’ve been making and they’ve been coming out with a lot of them lately so I’m really gung ho about getting into it now.
After rising to fame as one half of the critically acclaimed rap duo, Pete Rock & CL Smooth, Pete Rock built and maintained a worldwide following, both as an artist, and a producer. With almost 20 years in the game, and a lengthy resume full of Hip Hop’s biggest names you would think he’d have no reason to keep pushing. But when you live what you love, there’s always more work to be done. Pete Rock is back once again with his new album, NY’s Finest. Not because he needs it, but because he loves it.
HipHopDX: What made you want to release another solo album?
Pete Rock: I feel like there’s a balance missing in Hip Hop today, on radio and videos. I wanted to come back and teach the young kids about who I am and what I’ve done in the rap game. Try to steer them, or anyone who’s looking to get into Hip Hop music, in the right direction.
DX: In one of his rhymes Kanye called himself the new version of Pete Rock. Are you ever bothered when people mention you they talk about you like you’re not still active in Hip Hop?
PR: Hell no. I never left and I’ll always be in the game. It just shows me that my work wasn’t done in vain and I inspired a lot of cats. I can’t take it no other way. The only thing is I don’t like to be talked about like I’m not here. I been here, making beats. I got stuff on Keyshia Coles’ new album, Styles P’s new album, I’m working with LL Cool J right now, did work for 50 Cent. Right now I’m just concentrating on putting good music back out there. I took my time getting back out, but I never left.
DX: Technology is making it easier everyday for almost anybody to be a rapper or a producer. How do you feel that affects the quality of the music?
PR: I think it’s a good thing. It’s not what you got it’s how you use it. I’m a vinyl guy myself. But you don’t want to carry records through airports because they’ll fuck up your shit, so I carry the laptop and I’m all good. There’s a certain sound that comes from vinyl. They can’t make that vinyl sound or the feel when you’re deejaying a party. Just the feeling of rubbing vinyl is one of the best things in the world. But all the new age stuff is cool. It all comes down to how you use it, what sound you’re going for, and, most importantly, your reasons for doing it.
DX: What is your process like when creating music?
PR: I go in my music room, probably got a little something burning, and just listen to shit and let my imagination go. Sometimes I go in there with an idea in my head and sometimes something will just come to me real quick but either way once I get started it just flows. I been doing this for so long that it just happens for me. I mastered it. Whether I’m sampling, playing the keyboard or whatever, it’s a real easy time for me.
DX: Do the rhymes come as easy as the beat or is that something different?
PR: The rhyming part is different. And to be honest, I think I love that a little more than the music but they’re both part of Hip Hop. I love to rhyme. I’m not a Biggie, who was immaculate with the rhymes, but I’m good enough to get the point across and entertain people while they’re listening to what I’m saying. For instance, a dude like Swizz Beatz, the type of music he makes, when you’re in the club and to see what happens, peoples reactions when one of his beats comes on is crazy. You get a whole new respect for him.
DX: When working on the new album, did you consciously choose who you were going to use or did you just try different things with different people?
PR: I just wanted to work with people who had the same love for the type of music I make. I look for those artists who feel the type of music I make. My whole thing in ’08 is to work with people that want to work with me and vice versa. Being that the game has changed and artists don’t work the same ways that they used to. So it’s kind of strange when I find myself e-mailing cats beats now instead of sitting with the artists and really going through the music. But I only dealt with people who have the same love for this that I do.
DX: Lately you hear a lot of people talking about the differences between a beat-maker and producer. How do you feel about the uses of each title?
PR: It’s all the same thing. People always try to devise a new meaning to an old word. It may be appropriate in some situations, but not always. Like I’m a beat-maker and a producer, so what am I? There’s no new word, you’re a producer. But I think what cats are trying to say is, being versatile in your music counts. Don’t pigeonhole yourself into one genre. Don’t be afraid to step out of the box and try new things. If you can make different types of beats, Hip Hop, R&B, Pop, Jazz, then you’re a top notch producer.
DX: What are some songs on the album that you feel people will be drawn to?
PR: I think people will like the joint I got with Jim Jones and Max B. The Jim Jones song is aight. I did a club joint with Rell. It’s a nice, feel good song. On the street side I got joints with Papoose, Royal Flush, Redman. I got a Reggae joint with Chip-Fu from the Fu-Schnickens and Rene from Zhane’… that’s the dark skinned one for all those who don’t know.
DX: With radio and video stations being so particular about artists having a certain type of song to get airplay, are you worried about your project going unnoticed?
PR: That’s how the game is. It’s to a point where cats want that commercial, Pop record that’s going to make them some money. And that’s all they want anyway. They want to enslave the artists, in a sense, to make a bunch of those types of songs that make them a bunch of money. I only believe in what comes out of you. I don’t believe in people telling you what to think and what to say and how to make your music. You should do it on your own and do whatever you feel. Make whatever your soul is feeling; that’s what I been doing for years.
DX: You’re part of one of the most influential groups in Hip Hop and responsible for the creation of some classic Hip Hop records. Do you feel you get the respect you deserve?
PR: I feel like there’s someone behind the scenes or in some office somewhere that doesn’t know their history and doesn’t know Hip Hop. If they did, they would include guys like me more. I was on the Hip Hop Honors show once, as a deejay. I wasn’t on stage or anything like that. You only seen me up in the corner. And it’s funny to me. But I was glad to be there and I’m always glad to take part in things like that. But there is somebody in the back that really doesn’t know their history. They don’t really know Hip Hop and don’t really love Hip Hop. And it’s always that person that ends up getting a job in Hip Hop. There’s a bunch of people making a living in this that don’t know their history, and it makes me laugh.
DX: Your career spans almost two decades and still going what were some of the moments that meant the most to you?
PR: My best moment as a producer is always when I get to work with people I never worked with before. Guys like Run-DMC, LL, Biggie, Big L, 'Pac, people like that. I was excited to work with these artists because, at the time, I was just a consumer of Hip Hop. I was snatching money out my mom's pocketbook to go to the record store. I loved it and was that determined to do music. It was embedded in me at an early age because my father was into it. As an emcee, my favorite times were when cats would come to the crib. Everybody from Biz Markie to Redman, Mos Def, Talib Kweli, Common, Large Professor, just a lot of cats would come by the crib and we’d be jamming in the crib. We’d listen to samples and rhyme over beats we made that day or whenever. That’s one of the most glorious feelings. Tours were cool too. Just seeing the audience rock with you, singing the words and shit is a crazy feeling.
DX: In a previous interview, Chubb Rock mentioned he’d want to do a Jam session album similar to what the Jazz artists used to do. Who would you like to recruit if you could do such a project?
PR: There are so many people out there that I’d love to work with on a project like that. LL Cool J, I’d want to bring my cousin Heavy D back, Dr. Dre, Snoop, Jay-Z, OutKast…the list goes on.
DX: It’s common knowledge that there’s no 401K in Hip Hop. With that being said, do you ever see yourself stepping away from the music industry to pursue a more stable way to make a living?
PR: I will always do something in music. Anything that I am able to do professionally in music I will pursue it. One of the things I really want to get into scoring movies. I dibbled and dabbled in it but I really would like to get into it in a serious way especially since I seen how RZA capitalized on the scoring thing with Kill Bill and Blade and all that. I would like to deal with action movies, superhero movies, and gangster movies. Gangster shit and superhero shit in particular. I’m real into the superhero thing big time. I been into them since I was a kid, so I would love to be part of one of them. I like a lot of the movies they’ve been making and they’ve been coming out with a lot of them lately so I’m really gung ho about getting into it now.
