Pete Rock facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Pete Rock
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Rock performing at Rahzel and Friends,
Brooklyn Bowl, 2016 |
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Peter O. Phillips |
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| Born | June 21, 1970 The Bronx, New York City, U.S. |
| Origin | Mount Vernon, New York, U.S. |
| Died | Error: Need valid death date (first date): year, month, day |
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| Years active | 1987–present |
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Peter O. Phillips (born June 21, 1970), known as Pete Rock, is an American music producer, DJ, and rapper. Many people consider him one of the greatest hip hop producers ever. He is often mentioned with other famous producers like DJ Premier and RZA.
Pete Rock became well-known in the early 1990s as half of the group Pete Rock & CL Smooth. He was also famous for creating new versions of songs, called remixes. After his group split up, Pete Rock started a solo career. He gained a lot of respect around the world for his music.
Pete Rock helped mix jazz music with hip hop. He did this along with groups like Gang Starr and A Tribe Called Quest. He is also the older brother of rapper Grap Luva and a cousin of Heavy D.
Contents
About Pete Rock
Early Life and Music Start
Peter Phillips was born in The Bronx, New York City. He was the fourth of five children. His parents were immigrants from Jamaica. When he was seven, his family moved to Mount Vernon, New York. His parents took him and his younger brother to see James Brown perform. Pete Rock even met James Brown backstage!
Pete Rock started scratching records when he was seven. His parents bought him a toy record player. His cousin, Floyd Myers, taught him how to DJ. When Pete Rock was 17, he learned to make beats using a special machine called the E-mu SP-1200.
He met his future music partner, CL Smooth, in high school. Pete Rock briefly went to college but left to focus on his music. His father was also a part-time DJ with a large record collection. Pete Rock often watched his father play music at a club.
His first big chance in hip hop came in the late 1980s. He was a DJ on a New York radio show called "In Control With Marley Marl." He met Marley Marl through his cousin Heavy D. Pete Rock started producing music in the early 1990s as his popularity grew.
Solo Music Career
After his group with CL Smooth ended in 1995, Pete Rock kept working. He remixed and produced songs for many artists. He also had a radio show called "Future Flavas" with Marley Marl.
In 1996, he produced a song called "The Rap World" for the High School High movie soundtrack. He also appeared on other albums. Pete Rock released his first solo album, Soul Survivor, in 1998. This album included popular songs like "Tru Master" and "Take Your Time."
In the early 2000s, he released PeteStrumentals. This album was mostly instrumental, meaning it had no singing or rapping. He later released PeteStrumentals 2 in 2015.
Pete Rock also released a collection of songs called Lost & Found: Hip Hop Underground Soul Classics in 2003. He continued to release more albums, including Soul Survivor II in 2004. He also worked with rapper Ed O.G. on the album My Own Worst Enemy in 2004.
In 2008, Pete Rock released his fourth album, NY's Finest. He also helped produce Jay Stay Paid, an album by the late producer J Dilla. Pete Rock worked with Kanye West on his album My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy.
He has continued to release new music. In 2019, he announced new projects like Return of the SP1200 and PeteStrumentals 3. He also worked on an album with rapper Skyzoo called Retropolitan. In 2020, he released PeteStrumentals 3 with the Soul Brothers. His album PeteStrumentals 4 came out in 2022. Most recently, in 2024, Pete Rock worked with rapper Common on the album The Auditorium Vol. 1.
Working with Other Artists
Helping New Artists
Pete Rock has helped many artists start their careers. One of his first projects was with the group YG'z in 1993. He produced most of their songs.
He also formed a group called INI with his younger brother Grap Luva and other rappers. They released a single in 1995, but their album was never officially released by the record label. Pete Rock explained that the label wanted him to change his music style, which he didn't want to do.
Relationship with CL Smooth
Pete Rock's relationship with his former partner, CL Smooth, has changed over time. They worked together on a song called "Da Two" in 1998. They also teamed up for "Back on Da Block" in 2001. For a while, it seemed like they might make a new album together. They even went on a short tour.
However, a new album never happened. CL Smooth later said there were problems between them. In 2006, Pete Rock said he wouldn't work with CL Smooth again, but he held no hard feelings. In 2024, Pete Rock spoke about their split, saying he wished things were different but some things in a partnership just don't work out.
Pete Rock's Music Style
How He Makes Beats
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Pete Rock creates his music by using samples. These are small pieces of sound taken from old R&B, funk, and jazz records. He honors the Black American music traditions that are the base of hip hop. He used machines like the E-mu SP-1200 and Akai S950 to make his music. Later, he started using the MPC.
Pete Rock often "chops" (cuts into smaller parts) and "layers" (puts together) several samples in one song. This makes his music sound hazy and deep. He is also known for his strong basslines, horn sounds, and rough-sounding drums. His beats often sound like they are being played from an old vinyl record. He used a special equalizer at a recording studio that gave his music a cool "wah-wah" effect.
He often uses horn samples in his songs. For example, in "They Reminisce Over You (T.R.O.Y.)", he used a horn sample from Tom Scott's "Today." He also used horns in songs for Public Enemy and Rah Digga.
Pete Rock, along with groups like Gang Starr and A Tribe Called Quest, played a big part in mixing jazz and funk music into hip hop. He used many jazz samples in his albums. He also often uses short instrumental parts at the beginning and end of his songs. These are like musical introductions and conclusions.
Remixes and Other Work
"Another Pete Rock Remix" is Pete Rock's famous saying that you hear on many songs he has remixed. He has remixed songs for hip hop artists and R&B singers like Monica. He even worked with Mary J. Blige on her song "Reminisce."
Pete Rock has a huge collection of about 90,000 records. He looks for new records to sample at least once a week.
His Impact on Music
Pete Rock has greatly influenced many music producers who came after him. Producers like J Dilla and 9th Wonder have been compared to Pete Rock. They even worked with him. These comparisons are often because these producers also use many samples and create warm, mellow sounds in their music. Pete Rock himself said that J Dilla was "just as serious" as him in making music.
Personal Life
Pete Rock is a big fan of Marvel. He loves reading and collecting comic books featuring heroes like The Incredible Hulk, Spider-Man, and X-Men. He also supports the NFL football team New York Giants and the NBA basketball team New York Knicks.
Legacy
Many people see Pete Rock as one of the most important and respected hip hop producers ever. A writer from Yellow Brick said that Pete Rock's music has a "unique sound, which blends jazz and soul samples with hard-hitting drums." This sound has inspired many other producers and helped shape what hip hop sounds like today.
Discography
Studio Albums
- Soul Survivor (1998)
- Soul Survivor II (2004)
- NY's Finest (2008)
- Soul Survivor 3 (TBA)
Collaboration Albums
- Mecca and the Soul Brother (with CL Smooth) (1992)
- The Main Ingredient (with CL Smooth) (1994)
- My Own Worst Enemy (with Ed O.G.) (2004)
- 80 Blocks from Tiffany's (with Camp Lo) (2011)
- Monumental (with Smif-N-Wessun) (2011)
- 80 Blocks from Tiffany's 2 (with Camp Lo) (2013, re-released in 2020)
- Don't Smoke Rock (with Smoke DZA) (2016)
- Retropolitan (with Skyzoo) (2019)
- 21 Grams: Worth It's [sic] Weight in Soul (with AMXXR) (2021)
- The Auditorium Vol. 1 (with Common) (2024)
Collaboration EPs
- All Souled Out (with CL Smooth) (1991)
- The Basement Demos (with CL Smooth) (2009)
- C (with Canibus) (2022)
- Baby Boy Beat Tape (with Bleq Saevan) (2023)
Instrumental Albums
- PeteStrumentals (2001)
- The Surviving Elements: From Soul Survivor II Sessions (2005)
- PeteStrumentals 2 (2015)
- Lost Sessions (2017)
- Return of the SP1200 (2019)
- PeteStrumentals 3 (with the Soul Brothers) (2020)
- PeteStrumentals 4 (2022)
- Return of the SP1200 Vol. 2 (2022)
Compilation Albums
- Pete's Treats (1999)
- Good Life: The Best of Pete Rock & CL Smooth (with CL Smooth) (2003)
- Lost & Found: Hip Hop Underground Soul Classics (2003)
See also
In Spanish: Pete Rock para niños
