Pete Rock never had a hit single. Sure, he had plenty of hip-hop hits, from Heavy D’s “Don’t Curse” to his and CL Smooth’s “T.R.O.Y. (They Reminisce Over You),” the latter which is widely considered one of the greatest rap songs ever made. But when compared to today’s super-producers that regularly land hits on the Billboard pop charts, he was strictly an underground phenomenon. Despite — or pehaps partly because of that — Pete Rock is still considered one of hip-hop’s greatest beatmakers. Nearly two decades from his heyday (yes, aging B-boys, it’s been that long), he’s still active, and is about to release his first album in four years.
NY’s Finest drops via Pete Rock’s Soul Survivor Records and Nature Sounds on February 26. Two of its cuts, “The PJs” with Masta Killa and Raekwon and “914” with Sheek Louch and Styles P from D-Block, drew considerable acclaim when it was released as a single in 2006 and on the compilation Nature Sounds presents Natural Selection. Other guests include Jim Jones, Papoose, Redman and Phonte Coleman from Little Brother.
The track listing for Pete Rock’s NY’s Finest is below.
- 1. “Pete Intro”
- 2. “We Roll” (feat. Jim Jones & Max B)
- 3. “Till I Retire”
- 4. “914” (feat. Styles P & Sheek Louch)
- 5. “Questions” (feat. Royal Flush)
- 6. “Best Believe” (feat. Redman)
- 7. “Ready Fe War” (feat. Chip Fu & Renée of Zhane)
- 8. “Don’t Be Mad”
- 9. “Bring Y’all Back” (feat. Masta Ace, Wordsworth, Phonte & Joe Scudda)
- 10. “The Best Secret” (feat. Lords of the Underground)
- 11. “That’s What” (feat. Rell)
- 12. “The PJ’s” (feat. Raekwon & Masta Killa)
- 13. “Made Man”
- 14. “Let’s Go” (feat. Doo Wop)
- 15. “Comprehend” (feat. Papoose)
www.myspace.com/officialpeterockpage
