NY's Finest Proves His Worth
Brandon Burton
Issue date: 3/12/08 Section: Music
With a career 20 years in development in a variety of capacities, producer/DJ Pete Rock is synonymous with one of Hip Hop's greatest periods of productivity in the early 90s. Along with former partner C.L. Smooth, Pete Rock has created arguable classics and some of the finest remixes known to the industry. However, when he and C.L. Smooth split as a unit, it found the producer on his own trying to capture the lost magic - sometimes with sketchy results as seen with Soul Survivor II. Now in 2008, Pete Rock has struck gold with the surprisingly solid NY's Finest - a return to form as one of Hip Hop's best producers.
After a brief intro setup, the track "We Roll" is a jazzy and bouncy affair featuring Dipset's Jim Jones and his cohort Max B. The drum programming is not the usual straightforward fare one would expect from the PR, but Jim Jones sells us, yet again, his lifestyle with amicable results. Max B and even Pete Rock himself lend just the right verses that help move things along. Next is "Till I Retire", with the producer going for solo. PR's rhyme is full of boasts and bragging but not only is he impressive in this, Pete sounds as if he is spitting with a chip on his shoulder. The incredible "914" is a majestic horn-laced banger that will remind many of Pete's earlier projects. Styles P and Sheek Louch of The Lox deliver some incredible performances on this track. "Questions" features Queens native Royal Flush and is one of the stronger tracks on the album. PR provides Flush with a sinister backdrop perfect for Royal Flush's gutter rhyme tales.
Things hit a bit of a snag with "Best Believe" featuring Redman and LD. Redman kills the track as usual, but LD offers some rather middling bars to this aggressive track. Still, as filler songs go you could do worse. "Ready Fe War" harkens the listeners to witness the Jamaican roots of Pete Rock. The reggae-tinged track features the incredible vocals of Chip-Fu of Fu-Shnicken fame. Both Chip and Pete lend main vocals backed up by Renee Neufville. There are some very impressive Jamaican "deejay" raps from PR delivered here as well. Another Pete Rock solo, "Don't Be Mad", does not burn itself to the memory, as the track is pedestrian in every respect. Pete Rock does deliver some history in the verse, recalling his early work with Heavy D and such.
The album moves along briskly with features from Joe Scudda and Little Brother on the banging "Bring Ya'll Back", 90s group Lord of The Underground on the surprisingly fresh track "The Best Secret", and closing out with Papoose on the just decent "Comprehend" which is held back slightly by some old verses from the Brooklyn mixtape master. In all, this is a fantastic reintroduction to the classic boom-bap sound from this Mount Vernon NY Hip Hop veteran.
After a brief intro setup, the track "We Roll" is a jazzy and bouncy affair featuring Dipset's Jim Jones and his cohort Max B. The drum programming is not the usual straightforward fare one would expect from the PR, but Jim Jones sells us, yet again, his lifestyle with amicable results. Max B and even Pete Rock himself lend just the right verses that help move things along. Next is "Till I Retire", with the producer going for solo. PR's rhyme is full of boasts and bragging but not only is he impressive in this, Pete sounds as if he is spitting with a chip on his shoulder. The incredible "914" is a majestic horn-laced banger that will remind many of Pete's earlier projects. Styles P and Sheek Louch of The Lox deliver some incredible performances on this track. "Questions" features Queens native Royal Flush and is one of the stronger tracks on the album. PR provides Flush with a sinister backdrop perfect for Royal Flush's gutter rhyme tales.
Things hit a bit of a snag with "Best Believe" featuring Redman and LD. Redman kills the track as usual, but LD offers some rather middling bars to this aggressive track. Still, as filler songs go you could do worse. "Ready Fe War" harkens the listeners to witness the Jamaican roots of Pete Rock. The reggae-tinged track features the incredible vocals of Chip-Fu of Fu-Shnicken fame. Both Chip and Pete lend main vocals backed up by Renee Neufville. There are some very impressive Jamaican "deejay" raps from PR delivered here as well. Another Pete Rock solo, "Don't Be Mad", does not burn itself to the memory, as the track is pedestrian in every respect. Pete Rock does deliver some history in the verse, recalling his early work with Heavy D and such.
The album moves along briskly with features from Joe Scudda and Little Brother on the banging "Bring Ya'll Back", 90s group Lord of The Underground on the surprisingly fresh track "The Best Secret", and closing out with Papoose on the just decent "Comprehend" which is held back slightly by some old verses from the Brooklyn mixtape master. In all, this is a fantastic reintroduction to the classic boom-bap sound from this Mount Vernon NY Hip Hop veteran.
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