Pete Rock, widely recognized as one of the greatest hip hop producers of all time, joins Hip Hop Scriptures to talk about his historic career. Pete shares how his roots and upbringing with Heavy D influenced his music, collaborations with Kanye and Jay-Z, and much more! Read an interview recap below and check out the full interview on YouTube above.
Interview was conducted by Priscilla Guadarrama and documented by Sacha Seresin
Inspired by music
Pete is no newbie in the music game. He can’t remember a time when music wasn’t a part of his life. He credits his father as his original inspiration. He surrounded Pete with the records he would eventually sample in his iconic beats. Pete’s father was his teacher, letting his expansive record collection teach Pete about so many different music genres.
Growing up in New York
Pete could always feel something brewing in the city. He found a community of passionate musicians in New York that helped shape his aspirations for his budding career.
Genres that inspire Pete Rock
Pete’s earliest influences come from reggae, which stems from his family’s Jamaican roots. Other influences such as soul and jazz eventually trickled in. Pete has huge respect for the legendary jazz musicians who came before him taught him so much. “Jazz musicians I give a lot of respect to, especially ones who know how to write that kind of thing. Because listening to it you’re like, how does someone write such a thing? That’s mastery.”
On Heavy D
When we asked Pete about his most impactful collaborations, he did not hesitate to say Heavy D. Heavy D is his family. Pete says Heavy D was the one who always believed in him, and in turn, Pete believed in him. They figured hip hop out together. They watched the genre unfold in front of them and they navigated through it as a team. According to Pete, seeing Heavy D make it was an inspiration to everyone. “We struggled, you struggled with me Pete, and I’m gonna bring you along with me. I’m gonna show you.” To this day, Pete works hard to make Heavy D proud and thank him for all he did for his own career, “He held people’s hand in the dark, let alone mine, and took me to a place I’ve never been, and god bless him for it.”
Working with Kanye and Jay-Z
Pete had been trying to work with Jay-Z for years. He unexpectedly made it happen with Watch the Throne. Kanye invited him to produce and Pete was floored by his lyricism. Pete actually turned down rapping on “The Joy”! “I didn’t feel I was up to par yet.” However, Pete is so grateful the track came to fruition because he loved seeing Kanye and Jay-Z work together. When Pete worked on the song, he had no idea Jay would eventually hop on. He found out later, over the phone. “I was happy to finally hear him on a Pete Rock beat.”
Tracklib
Pete is partnering with Tracklib to host a beat battle ending on November 28th. Aspiring producers can submit their best beat to Pete where he will then crown a winner and give them a one-on-one remote session. Learn more about the competition here. Pete has some advice for the contestants: “Put your best foot forward, make the best possible beat you can make, and keep at it. Keep doing it. That’s how you become great.” Pete wishes he had a tool like Tracklib at his disposal in the 90s and he hopes producers will take advantage of the innovations in hip hop today.
The new generation of hip hop
Believe it or not, Pete gets inspired by the up-and-coming hip hop artists of today. Pete doesn’t see his future without music and he says the new talent keeps him on his toes. As for some words of wisdom for today’s artists, Pete remind them to open their ears and minds to everything. “Don’t just do one style, don’t pigeonhole yourself.” Having an open mind and taking a risk in music is necessary. That’s exactly what Pete had to do when he collaborated with Run-D.M.C.. He was struggling to impress Russell Simmons as a newbie producer. It was a challenge, but after a lot of hard work, creativity, and tinkering (especially with the drum beat), Pete got it right. He got Russell to see a new side of hip hop, and although there were times where Pete didn’t think he could do it, the song ended up being a massive success.
T.R.O.Y.
Pete knew from the moment he made T.R.O.Y. that it would change lives. The song strikes a chord in everyone who listens to it. It’s something everyone can relate to and it brings people together through emotion. “It touches their soul”. Pete says the emotions he feels when he makes his beats can be felt through his music. It finds a home there and the music lets him express himself and keep a positive mindset. “Music is like medicine.”
What does his future look like
Pete has confirmed it - Petestrumentals 4 is on the way! He has also been working with up-and-coming artist AMXXR on producing his mixtape, sharing his wisdom the young rapper. We got a sneak peak and can affirm the music is absolutely incredible.
Check out the full interview here. Shoutout to Tracklib for organizing the event and a major thank you to Pete Rock for sharing some words of wisdom.
