Pete Rock

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Not to be confused with PnB Rock.

Pete Rock
BBE
  • Nature Sounds
  • Mello
  • Tru Soul

    • Peter O. Phillips

    DJ and rapper. He is widely recognized as one of the greatest hip hop producers of all time,[5] and is often mentioned alongside DJ Premier, and RZA as one of the mainstays of 1990s East Coast hip hop production. He rose to prominence in the early 1990s as one half of the critically acclaimed group Pete Rock & CL Smooth
    . Early on in his career, he was also famed for his remix work.

    After the duo went their separate ways, Rock continued with a solo career that has garnered him worldwide respect, though little in the way of mainstream success.

    Grap Luva and Heavy D.[7][8]

    Biography

    Early life

    Peter Phillips was born in

    paperboy, in his neighborhood.[9]

    Solo career

    Pete Rock performing at Marvel/Stüssy launch party in Los Angeles, 2011

    Rock oversaw the production of

    C.L. Smooth will be on his half of the VS album and he planned on releasing five albums in 2011, including reuniting with C.L. Smooth for a third album, and dropping his fourth album on Nature Sounds.[14] His next few collaborative albums are both due for a summer release with Monumental first then with Camp Lo's "80 Blocks From Tiffanys" LP.[15] In an April 2011 interview on Conspiracy Worldwide Radio, Pete Rock discussed his new solo work including his album with DJ Premier, as well as exploring the fact that he has had numerous beats rejected by Eminem over the years [16] Pete Rock Uncensored Radio Interview. In an August 2011 interview, he has confirmed the completion of the Camp Lo album "80 Blocks from Tiffany's" and that he is currently working on production for Torae's album, Elzhi & his own solo album PeteStrumentals 2. Pete Rock announced on Twitter that PeteStrumentals 2 is indeed confirmed finished and scheduled for a 2015 release.[17] The project was released on June 23, 2015, on the indie label Mello Music Group. On January 2, 2019, Rock posted a trailer video on his Instagram page announcing that new works will be coming soon, including Return of the SP1200 (which was released on April 13, 2019, exclusively on vinyl (Record Store Day)[18] and released digitally on April 26, 2019), PeteStrumentals 3 (a continuation to 2001's PeteStrumentals and 2015's 2), Don't Smoke Rock 2 (also a continuation to Don't Smoke Rock) featuring Smoke DZA, and an album with rapper Skyzoo.[19] Rock confirms to Okayplayer that he is working on his sixth instrumental album called PeteStrumentals 4, another continuation to Rock's previous PeteStrumentals series releases.[20] The project was finished on June 30 and it's scheduled for a 2022 release on Tru Soul records.[21] The project was released on March 31, 2022.[22]

    Affiliates

    Proteges

    Through the years, Rock has helped to jump-start the careers of several artists. His first project outside of Pete Rock & CL Smooth was the hardcore duo

    Rob-O. They released a single, "Fakin' Jax", through Elektra Records in 1995, before their debut album, Center of Attention
    , was shelved by the label. The other two members continue to record solo material, albeit only sporadically. In an interview Rock elaborated on the situation:

    We finished the album, turned it into Elektra and they never put it out, they only put out a single. Sylvia [Rhone] really didn't cooperate, she didn't break bread with me when it came down to resolving that. It was all about her changing everything around. She wanted to change my whole sound. When she said, "You gotta make a beat like Puffy", I just knew it wasn't going to work out.[9]

    Relationship with CL Smooth

    Since their split in 1995, Pete Rock's relationship with CL Smooth has been highly unpredictable. Although the pair briefly united for the reflective "Da Two" from Rock's Soul Survivor album in 1998, they avoided entertaining requests for a reunion album until 2001, when they once again teamed up for "Back on Da Block" from Rock's PeteStrumentals. In their interviews during this period, it appeared as though a new album was underway. As Rock would explain:

    We've been on tour, we know every rhymer and producer in this business. We've influenced people, even people we've never met have said that we changed the face of hip-hop. So we're going to try to do some more.[9]

    The pair went on a short international tour culminating in their well-received show at London's Jazz Cafe; however, soon after this they declined to comment any further on the new album, which never materialized (although Smooth did make three separate appearances on Soul Survivor II). Eventually, Smooth would confirm rumors of a rift in an interview with AllHipHop.com,[23] in which he appeared angry and frustrated with his former partner, saying "I didn't ask him to be a superhero" and "I'm not the problem". In an interview taken in December 2006, Rock ruled out any further collaborations with Smooth but stated that he holds no grudges against his former partner.[24]

    Musical style

    Production

    An E-mu SP-1200 that Pete Rock used to create music and beats on one of his many early recordings

    Pete Rock creates beats from samples, the majority of which are taken from obscure

    vinyl record; he samples many of his sounds straight off these records.[25] He frequently recorded at Greene St. Recording in Manhattan, having liked the equalizer that was used there, which gave many of his productions a wah-wah effect.[26]

    Another trait of his, more so in the earlier part of his career, is the way he uses horn samples to supplement his grooves. On "

    Public Enemy's "Shut 'Em Down", Rah Digga
    's "What They Call Me", and A.D.O.R.'s "Let It All Hang Out".

    Along with Gang Starr, The Roots and A Tribe Called Quest, Pete Rock played a large role in the fusing of jazz and funk music into hip hop. The aforementioned "Reminisce..." withstanding, Rock used many jazz samples on his album Mecca and The Soul Brother, such as Cannonball Adderley's "Country Preacher", for the song "Return of the Mecca", or "Capricorn" for the song "In the House" from The Main Ingredient. Pete Rock's heavy use of intro and outro beats has also been widely influential. To introduce feature songs, he often plays a short instrumental excerpt, completely different from the rest of the song. Aside from their role as transitions, these are widely regarded as a way of displaying his large collection and as a challenge to other hip-hop producers to identify the records that the breaks come from.[27] Mecca & the Soul Brother and The Main Ingredient use intro/outro beats on nearly every track to great effect, and the tradition continues to the present on Rock's recent releases.

    Remixes

    "Another Pete Rock Remix" is Pete Rock's trademark catchphrase, heard on countless singles that he has

    Public Enemy's "Shut 'em Down" and "Nighttrain" in the same day, starting at 12pm and finishing at 12am.[9]

    Up until 2003, he created all of his productions on the

    thetruth.com
    's Remix Project, where he remixed the Sunny Side song "Magical Amount".

    Influence

    Pete Rock himself being overwhelmingly influenced by Black American musical traditions of Soul, Jazz, and R&B music, was able to pay it forward. Pete Rock has had a considerable impact on a number of record producers who have emerged in the hip hop scene since the late 1990s. Critics have favorably compared Detroit producer J Dilla and North Carolina's 9th Wonder to Rock; both of them worked with Rock during their recording careers. Several of the comparisons stem from the fact that these producers have created the bulk of their productions out of samples, as well as the warm, mellow, and exuberant undertones apparent in their work. Pete Rock himself has added validation to the comparisons with J Dilla by stating "he's the only producer in this game that was just as serious [as me]."[29]

    Discography

    Pete Rock in 2007
    Main article: Pete Rock production discography

    Studio albums

    Collaboration albums

    Collaboration EPs

    Instrumental albums

    Compilation albums

    References

    1. ^ a b "Pete Rock Albums on CD & Vinyl - Amoeba Music". Amoeba.com. Retrieved June 26, 2021.
    2. ^ "Ab-Soul Says Pete Rock Co-Signed His "Soul Brother No. 2" Nickname". hiphopdx.com. Cheri Media Group. August 5, 2012. Retrieved February 19, 2015.
    3. ^ Isenberg, Daniel. "In The Lab With Pete Rock". nahright.com. Complex Music. Archived from the original on September 10, 2015. Retrieved February 19, 2015.
    4. ^ "Pete Rock And Cl Smooth Biography". Sing365.com. Archived from the original on March 26, 2012. Retrieved May 7, 2012.
    5. ^ "Top 50 Greatest Producers In Hip Hop and Rap". Cratekings.com. January 25, 2007. Archived from the original on March 14, 2007. Retrieved May 7, 2012.
    6. ^ Pete Rock Enlisted As "NY's Finest", Web.archive.org, Retrieved January 31, 2008
    7. About.com. p. 8. Archived from the original
      on May 10, 2015. Retrieved March 28, 2007.
    8. ^ "Top 5 best hip-hop producers and WHY [supertalk archive] – superfuture :: supertalk". Archived from the original on June 7, 2008. Retrieved June 26, 2021.
    9. ^ a b c d e f g h i "Wax Poetic interview – Pete Rock – tribe.net". Peterock.tribe.net. February 12, 2004. Archived from the original on February 20, 2012. Retrieved May 7, 2012.
    10. ^ Pete Rock. Archived March 8, 2011, at the Wayback Machine Nature-sounds.net. Accessed on November 24, 2010.
    11. ^ Daniel Isenberg (June 9, 2011). "Pete Rock Tells All: The Stories Behind His Classic Records". Complex.com. Retrieved May 24, 2021.
    12. ^ "'Good Ass Job' Marks Kanye West's Return to 'Real' Hip-Hop". Prefix. Retrieved May 7, 2012.
    13. ^ "Pete Rock, DJ Premier Working on an Album". BallerStatus.com. July 2, 2010. Retrieved May 7, 2012.
    14. ^ "Exclusive: Pete Rock Interview (Video) | the Hip Hop Chronicle UK". www.thehiphopchronicle.com. Archived from the original on December 17, 2010. Retrieved January 17, 2022.
    15. ^ "Camp Lo x Pete Rock release 80 Blocks From Tiffany's mixtape ahead of new LP | Free Download". SoulCulture. March 29, 2011. Retrieved May 7, 2012.
    16. ^ "PodOmatic | Podcast - Conspiracy Worldwide Hip Hop Radio - [Part 2] *THE APRIL'S FOOLS GOLD SPECIAL* w/ live guests PETE ROCK - ZION I - THE GROUCH - LADY OF RAGE - MAYHEM LAUREN - ACTION BRONSON - CAMP LO - KEITH MURRAY - KOOL KEITH - METABEATS - THE CONTROVERSIAL KOOL KEITH "BETRAYAL" SONG and more!". Conspiracyworldwide.podomatic.com. April 2, 2011. Retrieved May 7, 2012.
    17. ^ @PeteRock (December 16, 2014). "Petestrumentals 2 top of 2015! Finished it last week. Now back to SS3 and maybe preemo pete rock lp can get finished too.Good food coming up" (Tweet). Retrieved January 2, 2017 – via Twitter.
    18. ^ @PeteRock (March 13, 2019). "Im a 90's cat. To me its important that we hold on to this music with our lives and teach what needs to be taught.…" (Tweet). Retrieved March 14, 2019 – via Twitter.
    19. ^ a b @PeteRock (January 2, 2019). "And it starts 😃👍🏾💯 This will be my 1st release of 2019. The Return Of The SP1200 instrumental lp with beats from li…" (Tweet). Retrieved January 2, 2019 – via Twitter.
    20. ^ a b "Pete Rock on Why He Abandoned Samples for 'Petestrumentals 3'". Okayplayer.com. December 11, 2020. Retrieved June 26, 2021.
    21. ^ "Tru Soul NYC on Instagram: "#Repost realpeterock --- P4 DONE 🙌🏾🔥 #TruSoul #TruSoulNYC #TruSoulRecords"".
    22. ^ a b @PeteRock (January 21, 2022). "NEW PETESTRUMENTALS 4 DROPS MARCH 31st Mark your calenders. LETS GO HIP HOP 💪🏾✔️🎶🎶🎶🎶🎶🎶❤️" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
    23. ^ "AllHipHop.com Exclusive Hip-Hop Features". Archived from the original on April 22, 2006. Retrieved June 26, 2021.
    24. ^ Pete Rock – 'Interview Pt. 1 (Live At UGHH.com – 12/5/06)'. YouTube, LLC. Retrieved on December 25, 2008.
    25. ^ YouTube – Pete Rock interview. YouTube, LLC. Retrieved on December 25, 2008.
    26. ^ Pete Rock: 'Real Could Be Another Word For Original' NPR. Accessed on December 12, 2017.
    27. ISBN 0-8195-6696-9
      )
    28. ^ "Wax Poetic interview—Pete Rock—tribe.net". Peterock.tribe.net. February 12, 2004. Archived from the original on February 20, 2012. Retrieved May 7, 2012.
    29. ^ "Interview with Pete Rock". Artofrhyme.com. Archived from the original on August 11, 2011. Retrieved May 7, 2012.
    30. ^ Burgess, Omar (April 2, 2014). "Pete Rock Reveals EP Work With De La Soul & "Soul Survivor 3"". HipHopDX.com. Retrieved April 2, 2014.
    31. ^ "Pete Rock & CL Smooth - The Basement Demos - EP". Apple Music. Retrieved April 26, 2022.
    32. ^ "Canibus & Pete Rock - C". Apple Music. Retrieved April 29, 2022.
    33. ^ Kreps, Daniel (October 15, 2020). "Pete Rock Readies Long-Awaited 'PeteStrumentals 3' LP". Rolling Stone. Retrieved October 29, 2020.

    External links

    Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Pete_Rock&oldid=1219221020"