Here’s my interview with Pete from Hip-Hop Connection magazine for anybody who may have missed it. Even though he proved to be one of my more challenging interview subjects, I think you’ll enjoy this a little more than the million other Q&A’s he did to promote the NY’s Finest album.
Robbie: You worked with Marley Marl all those years on the radio. What were some of your best experiences from those days?
Pete Rock: Just having the opportunity to play good records, and even some of the demo’s that I’d been working on and stuff. Flip a few of those in there. It was a good opportunity to play good music remixes, demos and actual songs.
How come you guys never made any songs together in the studio?
In the beginning stages with CL, I came with an idea and he basically brought it to life for me, and he did a joint for me and CL. It was something called ‘Lethal Weapon’ that never came out.
Did you used to work with any neighborhood guys before you met Corey?
I was working with some guys in my neighborhood, but when I met CL in high school I felt like he had a distinctive voice and he didn’t sound like anybody.
I liked that line in “Till I Retire”: ‘You made Pete Rock? Go make another one!’
[laughs] I kinda borrowed that line from Jay-Z. I thought that was clever when he said that.
Thought I might balance out all the shittin’ on Nas last week. Both versions of “Ain’t Hard To Tell” are incredible, and the demo version ain’t too shabby either. Plus I brought back the Nas / De La Soul interview from 1996 with Tim Westwood that I posted a couple of years back…a lot of comedy on here. Little Homey big up’s an early Jay-Z song, comments on the Biggie cover artwork bite and demonstrates why interviews and blunts aren’t always a “good combination”.
Nas - “Nas Will Prevail” (“Ain’t Hard To Tell” demo)
Nas & De La Soul on Tim Westwood’s Capitol Rap Show, 1996.
Flushing has already produced some outstanding rappers, and Nut-Rageous continues that tradition with this entertaining collection of some of his vinyl releases and some new tracks. A lot of his tracks remind me of dope mid-90s indy stuff, but not on some throwback tip. Nut adds his own twist to all the usual topics – broads, parties and wack rappers – but doesn’t sound like everyone else out there right now. That’s probably because he was making records since back then anyway.
“Best In This Profession” and “They Wanna Know” are two of the standouts, combining dope beats with quality vocal work, but almost every track is worthy of inclusion here. “Rap Issues” is along the same lines of “Message From Poet” in that Nut offers commentary on the rap game, while “Play The Field” is a catchy declaration to the dames sporting a 1940’s style hook. Guest spots are also a step above the usual suspects, as Dana Dane, Craig G and the late, great K.L. providing superior assists.
Despite being labeled a mixtape, Mixed Nuts qualifies as a proper street album, and has managed to stay in rotation in the ride for a while thanks to it’s combination of winning beats and the fact that Nut-Rageous is good value whenever he goes in, in much the same way that early Beatnuts managed to be constantly entertaining regardless. Not only that, but dude is still releasing vinyl! Now that’s gully.
Looks like the Poet album isn’t called The Greatest Story Ever Told anymore. The good news is his Year Round project finally has a release set for this year. Hoo-ha!
New material from one-time Hydra Entertainment artist Gab Gacha, who was a member of The Triflicts as well as a soloist who worked with the mighty Beatnuts.
Gab Gacha feat. Joell Ortiz, Trujilla & DJ Camilo - “The Blackout Show”
If you caught NYOIL’s “What Up My Wigger Wigga” last year you might catch some major deja vu when you heard the hook of Nas’ new song yesterday. A case of straight chomping or great minds thinking alike? Unkut Dot Com asked NYOIL to speak his piece on the topic:
Nas is that nigga!
Yeah y’all Nas is that nigga with his title screen printed on a black tee repping for Niggas world wide!
I’ve always said that from time to time in the creative stream of things there comes an artist that breaks the mold. That steps to the status quo and smashes it’s protective walls as if they were building blocks. That artist like this create the atmosphere for change in whatever industry they occupy. Artist like these establish a foundation that inspires other artist to free themselves of the yoke that was the stat quo. They in their own way speak Truth to power and shine a searing light on the lies and mediocrity that blind us.
This arrived in the snail-mail box today. Lot of good stuff but I couldn’t go past this line-up. Both versions win in their own way. From the album State of the Art, which also features spots from Blu and CL Smooth.
Presto feat. Sadat X, OC and Large Pro - “Conquer Mentally (Large Pro Remix)”
Presto feat. Sadat X, OC and Large Pro - “Conquer Mentally (Original Mix)”
Here’s a bunch of old interviews I did for print that I never got around to posting, mainly because they weren’t really in-depth. So instead of having to hear about what ever album these guys were promoting at the time, I’ve picked out the most interesting two or three quotes and thrown ‘em all together. Look out for a series of Rap-A-Lot specials next week.
You mention Big Pun at the start of the single. Is that a Puerto Rican thing that everyone gets compared to him or was it more of a personal thing for you?
Termanology: It’s a little bit of both. Pun was one of the best rappers ever, and he definitely was the best Puero Rican rapper ever. I look at myself like I’m real lyrical and he’s real lyrical. I’m real political and he’s real political. I was tryin’ to make a comparison. I was never tryin’ to say I’m greater than him or better than him or ever will be, because in my eyes, he’s the greatest MC ever. I’m just sayin’ a lotta other cats is nasty but they ain’t gonna go platinum, and they ain’t as nasty as me and as political.
Listening to your flow and your patterns, you’re obviously a student of Kool G Rap?
Termanology:Kool G Rap really made-up the style that we all use now. We all bit it off him. G Rap made-up the rapid-fire, tongue-twister shit, and then Pun took it where he took it and then I took it where I took it, AZ took it where he took it. All of us, the guys that I just named, we are students of Kool G Rap. He started it and then we all took it and went somewhere else with it.
Do you feel New York is getting pushed out of the spotlight?
Tame One: No, because it’s the birthplace of hip-hop. Nothing’s gonna change, it’s a game. It’s the rap game, and in a game no one keeps the ball for the whole four quarters, you gotta pass the ball around. Everybody gets a turn.
Internet soldiers: Your boy is back. That’s right, it’s YN. Text a friend to text a friend. And thanks to the homie Robbie Ettelson, we got a special thing goin’ on. It’s called Hard Body Female Spit Vol. 1 – aka 16 tracks of feminine fire that my Australian mate and I cooked up through hip-hop anecdote–filled AIM exchanges. That’s right, we picked it and we can back it up later as we explain to you smart dumb cats why all these cuts made the cut. Now, I know the question you inquiring asses are asking yourselves: Why are we blessing you masses with these audio classics? Well as usual YN’s got some shit to hawk. (Aaron Pryor Forever!)
Yup, the former heavyweight champ of hip-hop journalism is back on your idiot box. The ego trip crew who brought you John Brown and Persia are back with ego trip’s Miss Rap Supreme. If you haven’t heard by now, it’s an all-female rap reality show that’ll really knock your socks off. Catfights? CK! Lesbo action? CK! Heart, passion, and flashes of true lyrical skills? Triple check.
Now I don’t know what continent you scuff your Timbs on, but it airs on VH1 tonight at 10pm EST (That’s Eastern Standard Time, not the Acknickulous One from the land of the cheese steaks). So in closing, that’s simply what the business is. Listen to some good music this afternoon and watch my show this evening. Shit, it don’t cost you nothing. Nada-nada-nada-not-a-damn-thing. Both things are Free like the big-booty lady who used to be on BET. Who says Monday’s suck?
