In this episode of "People's Party With Talib Kweli", Talib Kweli and Jasmin Leigh sit down with the legendary producer, DJ, and rapper:
Soul Brother #1, The Chocolate Boy Wonder...
PETE ROCK
Here's what they dug into with one of the most iconic and influential producers in hip-hop history:
- Hip-hop being born in the Bronx and having its roots in the Caribbean
- Being cousins with Heavy D and how he helped Pete get his big break
- Marley Marl putting Pete on the air at age 13
- How important Heavy D and his legacy are to the culture
- His parent's record collection and how much it impacted his ambitions
- Meeting James Brown at age 7 and Pete's favorite JB songs
- The influence of Marley Marl, Howie Tee, Large Professor, and Prince Paul
- Making the albums 'Mecca And The Soul Brother' and 'Main Ingredient'
- The process behind the creation of "They Reminisce Over You (T.R.O.Y.)"
- Pete's brother Grap Luva and his contributions on 'Mecca And The Soul Brother'
- Kanye West taking inspiration from Pete's production on "I Got A Love"
- What it was like working with Run DMC on "Down With The King"
- Being inspired by the militant sound of Public Enemy's production team The Bomb Squad.
- Getting on the roster for 'Illmatic' and the producers competing with each other
- Pete producing the original mix for Biggie's "Juicy" and BIG not liking the beat initially
- Love for Marvel's the Hulk and comparing the Wu-Tang members to superheroes
- Pete's long-time friendship with producer Madlib as well as DJ Premier
- The loss of Phife Dawg and how much it deeply affected Pete
- How it feels to be a go-to classic producer for the younger generation of NYC hardcore emcees
- A breakdown of the differences between the SP-1200 and the MPC
- Why Pete feels hip-hop instrumental albums are so important
- If we'll be seeing another Pete Rock and C.L. Smooth album
- Pete goes on to name off some of the projects he has in the works right now
"People's Party With Talib Kweli" is also available to give a listen via Spotify | SoundCloud | Google Play | Apple