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Pete Rock, 'NY's Finest'

Legendary New York rapper-producer serves up some old-school sounds

By Tim Brodhagen

Special to Metromix
February 25, 2008

Critic's Rating:

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Backstory: Since breaking into the game in 1991 as one half of the duo Pete Rock and CL Smooth, rapper and producer Pete Rock has been a credible mainstay of the New York hip hop scene. In addition to releasing two classic albums with Smooth, “Mecca and the Soul Brother” and “Main Ingredient,” his work with artists like Nas and Jeru the Damaja helped define what has come to be known as the Golden Age of hip-hop’s sound.

Why you should care: Pete Rock is a bridge to the past. With a production sensibility that thankfully never evolved out of the early ‘90s, Pete makes beats that only he, DJ Premier and the late J. Dilla could muster. And young groups like Chicago’s Cool Kids have recently started to gravitate towards this throwback sound.

Verdict: Although not an instant classic, “NY’s Finest” does bring a classic sound thanks to Pete’s production on 14 of the 15 tracks. As was the case with his earlier solo albums, Pete’s rhyming is again the weakest link on “NY’s Finest.” However, this time around he lets the production act as the sole collaborator with artists like Styles P and Sheek Louch (“914”), Little Brother (“Bring Y’all Back”) and Papoose (“Comprehend”) and doesn’t resort to forcing a verse onto every track.  

X-Factor: Evidently the rapper Royal Flush is still alive and rapping (see track five, “Questions”). Who knew?