When it comes to the legend, Pete Rock, it is pretty easy for the original thought to get lost. A lot of hip hop’s accomplishments have been made through work from Pete Rock that opened doors for a lot of other people. Unlike a lot of other veterans, Pete Rock is actually a fan of the new school.
Nostalgic hip hop fans have wanted a return to the golden era sound. They wanted this sound to come from New York, but ironically the sound has come from Los Angeles with guys like Ab-Soul pushing it forward. Of course, New York City still has people holding it down like Joey Bada$$, however.
During an interview with AllHipHop.com last week, Pete Rock talked about his take on current hip hop. He gave his opinion on Kanye West and the Yeezus project and then he talked about Ab-Soul. Naming his top five rappers, dead or alive, Pete Rock named him (Ab-Soul), Kanye West, Jay-Z, Nas, and The Notorious B.I.G.
Read excerpts from the interview below:
What young artists that you hear now are exciting you musically?
Everyone. From Joey Bada$$ to A$AP Ferg, A$AP Rocky. I like Drake. I like AB-Soul. I like Kendrick Lamar. I like Schoolboy Q. You got a whole bunch of the young generation out there contributing to Hip Hop. I like that. Kanye West. People like that.
Speaking of Kanye. What did you think of Yeezus?
It’s different, but Kanye’s a talented producer. He’s going to go and challenge himself every time. Regardless of what people want out of him, he’s going to do him. I appreciate that in a person. But speaking from a fan I felt it was just a little left. Compared to Magna Carta [Holy Grail] where you can hear a couple of Boom-Bap beats on Jay Z’s new album. Nothing against Kanye. He just went a different direction. I respect it.
This has been a hot summer for Hip Hop. Are there any other projects that you enjoyed?
Wale’s album. J. Cole’s album. Nas’ album from last summer. So many good albums came out the past 8 or 9 months. I’m pretty excited. I’m a huge fan of all those people. To hear a new J. Cole and you’re listening to his album and you hear heartbeats. That made me smile. Even with Wale and the stuff that I hear him doing. Wiz Khalifa and a bunch of other cats that I’m checking for. It’s love. The fact that they pay homage to that real sh*t just makes me feel better.
Who are your top five emcees dead or alive?
Nas, B.I.G., Jay Z, Kanye West, and Ab-Soul.
