Peter O. Phillips, better known by his stage name Pete Rock, is an American music producer, DJ and rapper. He is widely recognized as one of the greatest hip hop producers of all time, and is often mentioned alongside DJ Premier, RZA, and Q-Tip 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.
Hip hop production is the creation of hip hop music in a recording studio. While the term encompasses all aspects of hip hop music creation, including recording the rapping of an MC, a turntablist or DJ providing a beat, playing samples and "scratching" using record players and the creation of a rhythmic backing track, using a drum machine or sequencer, it is most commonly used to refer to recording the instrumental, non-lyrical and non-vocal aspects of hip hop.
Soundbombing II is the second installment in Rawkus Records' Soundbombing compilation series, released by the label on May 18, 1999. Mixed by DJ Babu and J Rocc of Beat Junkies, the album included tracks from a variety of artists, both Rawkus' signees and popular artists from other labels.
Champion Sound is a collaborative album by the duo Jaylib, consisting of producers J Dilla and Madlib. The album was released in 2003 and is considered a classic in the underground hip-hop scene. The title track, "Champion Sound", features a sample from the 1978 film The Deer Hunter and showcases the duo's signature blend of soulful beats and intricate rhymes. The album also features guest appearances from Talib Kweli and Percee P.
Beat Konducta is an 8-album series released by hip hop musician Madlib. "Beat Konducta" is also an alias which Madlib uses. The series began officially in 2006 with the release of Beat Konducta Vol 1-2: Movie Scenes. The album was stylistically a companion to J Dilla's Donuts, which was released the month before, 3 days prior to Yancey's death. He has since followed with Beat Konducta Vol 3-4: Beat Konducta in India in 2007 and Beat Konducta Vol. 5-6: A Tribute to...(Dil Cosby and Dil Withers Suite) in 2008, which is a tribute to Yancey. Although the 2010 release Beat Konducta in Africa is an installment of the Madlib Medicine Show series, it is also considered a part of the Beat Konducta series.
PeteStrumentals is the second studio album from hip hop producer/rapper Pete Rock. The album is an Instrumental hip hop album and the second installment of BBE Records Beat Generation series, following Jay Dee's Welcome to Detroit album. The instrumental songs were originally recorded between 1990 and 1995, but were remixed and continued when putting together the album. All songs featuring vocals were recorded exclusively for this project between 2000 and 2001.
The E-mu SP-1200 is a sampling drum machine designed by Dave Rossum and released in August 1987 by E-mu Systems. Like its predecessor, the SP-12, it was designed as a drum machine featuring user sampling. The distinctive character of its sound, often described as "warm," "dirty," and "gritty," and attributed to SP-1200's low 26.04 kHz sampling rate, 12-bit sampling resolution, drop-sample pitch-shifting, and analog SSM2044 filter chips (ICs), has sustained demand for the SP-1200 more than thirty-five years after its debut, despite the availability of digital audio workstations and samplers/sequencers with superior technical specifications.
"Let's Get Back to Bed – Boy!" is a song by German recording artist Sarah Connor. Written and produced by frequent collaborative duo Rob Tyger and Kay Denar, the song features American R&B singer TQ. Conceived for Connor's debut album, Green Eyed Soul (2001), the track is built around a mandolin sample and scratching hip hop beats, over which Connor, as the female protagonist, adopts sensual vocals and expresses her desire to have intercourse with her partner, inviting him to her bed.
"Love No Limit" is a song by American recording artist Mary J. Blige. It was co-written by Kenny Greene and Dave "Jam" Hall for her debut album, What's the 411? (1992), while production was overseen by Hall. Released in May 1993 by Uptown and MCA as the album's fourth and final single, the song became a top-5 hit, reaching number five on the US Billboard R&B singles chart. It also peaked at numbers 44 and 43 on the Billboard Hot 100 and Cash Box Top 100. Hall has stated in interviews, that he wanted to give the song an urban, hip-hop feel to a much more jazzy sound, when it was created.
All in the Mind is the only studio album by American house music act the Bucketheads, released in August 1995 by Big Beat Records in the United States and shortly after by Positiva Records in the United Kingdom. Unimpressed with what he perceived to be fellow producers copying his characteristic style, producer Kenny "Dope" Gonzales launched the Bucketheads as a stylistic detour to explore influences such as disco, hip hop and Latin music, hoping to throw his audience a 'curveball'. He recorded All in the Mind over a period of three days in his Brooklyn home studio, using an E-mu SP-1200 and Akai S950 for the production of beats and samples.
"Reminisce" is a song by American singer and songwriter Mary J. Blige from her debut album, What's the 411? (1992). It was co-written by Kenny Greene and Dave "Jam" Hall, who also produced it. Described as a new jack swing song inspired by 1970s soul music, it contains a sample of "Stop, Look, Listen" (1989) by American rapper MC Lyte. The single was released in October 1992 by Uptown and MCA, peaking at number fifty-seven on the US Billboard Hot 100 and number six on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. A more uptempo and hip hop-inspired remix of the song, featuring duo Pete Rock & CL Smooth, later appeared on Blige's 1993 remix album of the same name. The accompanying music video for "Reminisce" was directed by Marcus Raboy.
In Search of Stoney Jackson is the second studio album by California based hip hop group Strong Arm Steady, released on January 26, 2010 under Stones Throw Records. The album's title is a reference to actor Stoney Jackson. The album, entirely produced by Madlib, features guest appearances from Talib Kweli, Phonte, Fashawn, Evidence, Oh No, Roscoe, Guilty Simpson and a host of underground Los Angeles rappers, as well as former Strong Arm Steady members Planet Asia and Chace Infinite. The rap vocals are mainly performed by Phil Da Agony and Krondon, as Mitchy Slick appears on only two tracks. The album is considered a collaborative album, between Madlib and the L.A. hip hop collective, who chose the beats from 200 potential compositions.
Boom bap is a subgenre and music production style that was prominent in East Coast hip hop during the golden age of hip hop from the late 1980s to the early 1990s.
"Ain't Nobody" is a song by American singer Faith Evans. It was written by Evans, Sean Combs and Chucky Thompson and produced by the latter two for her debut studio album Faith (1995). Released as the album's third single along with "Kissing You" from the soundtrack of the romance film Waiting to Exhale (1995), "Ain't Nobody" peaked at number 67 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart and number 14 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. On Christmas Day 2015, Evans released a re-recorded version of the song on Faith 20, a six-track album composed of remakes from Faith.
Sunset Blvd. is the debut LP by Detroit-based hip hop duo Yancey Boys, released on October 29, 2013 by Yancey Media Group in conjunction with Delicious Vinyl and distributed through Traffic Entertainment Group. The record is built around a recently unearthed batch of music created by Illa J's late elder brother, James "J Dilla" Yancey. The album features the latter's past collaborators like De La Soul's Posdnuos, Slum Village's T3, Common, The Pharcyde's Slimkid3 and Talib Kweli. Additional guests on Sunset Blvd. include DJs Rhettmatic, C-Minus, and J. Rocc as well as rapper Guilty Simpson and R&B singer Eric Roberson.
Double Barrel is an album made in collaboration between American rapper Torae and Canadian hip hop producer Marco Polo. The album was released on June 2, 2009 by Duck Down Music Inc. It was preceded by Marco Polo's critically well-received debut album Port Authority (2007), and Torae's inaugural release Daily Conversation (2008) on which Polo has produced three tracks.
Mello Music Group (MMG) is an American independent record label based in Tucson, Arizona. Founded in 2007, Mello Music has released hip hop compilations and albums by producers and rappers such as Oddisee, Apollo Brown, Mr. Lif, Ghostface Killah, Open Mike Eagle, L'Orange, Quelle Chris, Jean Grae, Kool Keith, Nottz, Georgia Anne Muldrow, Pete Rock, and Rapper Big Pooh. In 2012, MTV Hive described MMG as having a "dedication to intelligent, street-wise boom bap", although the label has released a number of purely instrumental albums as well. In 2016, Forbes magazine called Mello Music Group the most successful indie rap label of the decade.
PeteStrumentals 2 is the third instrumental hip hop and fifth overall solo album by hip hop producer Pete Rock. The album was released on June 23, 2015, under Mello Music Group. The album was released a day after Pete's 45th birthday and it serves as a sequel to 2001's PeteStrumentals. The track listing on the album features 20 instrumental tracks that was either unreleased or made by Pete himself. This would be Rock's first instrumental album since 2005's The Surviving Elements: From Soul Survivor II Sessions in nearly over 10 years. A music video for "Cosmic Slop" was also released on YouTube by Mello Music Group. During the release of PeteStrumentals 2, a mixtape called PeteStrumentals 2 The Official J. Rocc Mix was also released as a digital downloadable mp3 format, which it was mixed by J. Rocc paying homage to Pete's latest album. According to Rock, the project PeteStrumentals 3 which features no rapping and no samples, was released on December 11, 2020, on Tru Soul records. It includes Rock's band called "The Soul Brothers", which will provide live band playing as instrumental beats.
Joshua Paul Davis, better known by his stage name DJ Shadow, is an American DJ and record producer. His debut studio album, Endtroducing....., was released in 1996. He is known for layered production that uses numerous samples, often from obscure sources, to create new compositions and whose music was described in Allmusic as having "revolutionized hip-hop".
Retropolitan is a collaborative studio album by rapper Skyzoo and producer Pete Rock. The album was released on September 20, 2019 on Mello Music Group. The album was entirely produced by Pete Rock. The album features guest appearances, including Westside Gunn, Conway the Machine, Benny the Butcher, Styles P, Elzhi, Raheem DeVaughn and Pete Rock. The song "It's All Good" become the first single off the album and it features a music video released by Mello Music Group.
