Pete Rock

Pete Rock is synonymous with the hard-hitting hip-hop style known as boom bap, though as with fellow top-tier producer DJ Premier, the term does not reflect the rich musicality of his tracks. The beatmaker, DJ, and occasional rapper got his start by co-producing several tracks on Heavy D & the Boyz’ Big Tyme (1989) and truly emerged in the early ’90s beside C.L. Smooth, with whom he minted the classic album Mecca and the Soul Brother (1992). Before the end of the decade, Rock released Soul Survivor (1998), the first of many solo projects made with a revolving door of guest rappers and singers, and established himself as a producer of original material and remixes for other artists. He has juggled his commissioned work with solo and duo albums such as the PeteStrumentals series (2001-2022), his and Smoke DZA’s Don't Smoke Rock (2016), and his and Common’s The Auditorium, Vol. 1 (2024). The latter earned Rock his first Grammy nominations. Born Peter O. Philips in the Bronx, Pete Rock was raised primarily in Mount Vernon and was influenced by his father, who was a DJ. Following in his father’s footsteps, he also became a DJ, and then a producer, starting with four credits on Big Tyme, the second album by cousin Heavy D’s group, Heavy D & the Boyz. Rock formed a duo with childhood friend C.L. Smooth, and the pair made their debut in 1991 with the All Souled Out EP. A hit LP, Mecca and the Soul Brother, followed the next year before the two went their separate ways in the wake of 1994′s The Main Ingredient. Rock remained a prolific studio presence before the release of his 1998 solo debut, Soul Survivor, on Loud/RCA. Dropped from the label, he continued his career as an independent producer, and later signed to Rapster/BBE in 2001 for PeteStrumentals. Two years later, the label released a two-part compilation of mid-’90s LPs with Lost and Found. In 2004, Rock produced the sequel to his debut, Soul Survivor II, with featured guests Pharoahe Monch, Dead Prez, Talib Kweli, and former partner C.L. Smooth. During the next few years, Rock focused on producing for other artists, including Ed O.G. and Ghostface Killah, and released his next solo album, NY's Finest, in early 2008. Over the next several years, he continued to focus on his production skills, toured with C.L. Smooth, and released additional works of his own, including the full-length Smif-N-Wessun collaboration Monumental (2011) and PeteStrumentals 2 (2015). In 2016, Rock issued Don't Smoke Rock, a collaborative effort with Smoke DZA. The album included the single “Milestone,” which featured BJ the Chicago Kid, Jadakiss, and Styles P. He followed with another collaboration, this time with Skyzoo, on 2019′s Retropolitan. He also crafted additional instrumental collections, Lost Sessions and Return of the SP1200, to close out the decade. Rock continued to alternate between assisting and headlining projects in the 2020s. At the top of the decade, he put together PeteStrumentals 3 with support from the Soul Brothers, an all-star band consisting of keyboardist BIGYUKI, vocalist Jermaine Holmes, drummer Daru Jones, guitarist Marcus Machado, and bassist MonoNeon. PeteStrumentals 4, Return of the SP1200, Vol. 2, and Canibus collaboration C arrived in 2022. In 2024, he teamed up with Common for The Auditorium, Vol. 1, a concise set of feel-good hip-hop. The album was nominated for a Grammy in the category of Best Rap Album, and the track “When the Sun Shines Again” was up for Best Rap Performance. ~ Jason Ankeny