Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
My kind of hip-hop, May 17, 2008
NYC-based producer and MC Pete Rock should need no introduction as he's been around for ages. A friend sent me a link to the video to "Till I Retire/Best Believe" on YouTube and I got into it immediately. Then I checked the album out on Amazon and after reading Chandler's brilliant review (see it on the product page), checked out the soundclip to the incredibly funky "That's What I Am Talking About" featuring Rell (I wonder where he's been?) and I was sold. I remember saying to Chandler at the time: even if the rest of the album is c**p, which I thought would be very unlikely - this is Pete Rock, after all - this will still be a top buy.
I wasn't wrong. I've explained it on here a few times; I'm a very bizarre and atypical hip-hop fan and rarely take any notice of what the rappers are saying. It's the music, the beats, the vibe, that I live for and it's all heavenly on here. Musically, this is up there for me with the likes of Little Brother and The Roots. I love all the tunes, the only two exceptions being "Questions" featuring Royal Flush and the sickeningly homophobic "Let's Go" featuring Doo Wop (maybe I do listen after all).
But this is what those clever people invented skip buttons on CD players for, n'est-ce pas?
An excellent CD for bouncing around in the car on those hot summer days. Let's hope we get some in this part of the world.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
C'mon Pete Rock!!!, May 9, 2008
Pete did it again with this one but there's a couple of joints that I like. It's cool that he put out an album to keep his statis alive but he got to break out the big guns...
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4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Well, At Least The Beats Are Tight... {3 ½ Stars}, March 18, 2008
You know, when it comes to making beats, not many producers are on the level of Pete Rock. Even if he isn't recognized as THE best producer in rap history, it'd be hard not to acknowledge his portfolio as top 5 material. That's what made me check out NY's Finest, but it's safe to say that this isn't PR's finest work. Sure, the beats are tight, but you already knew that would be the case. What hurts the album is lackluster performances from mediocre to so-so rappers. Despite that, there are some gems on the album. Joints like "Bring Y'all Back", "The PJs", and "Questions" all bang without incident. Lords Of The Underground redeem themselves somewhat after dropping a wack LP not too long ago. Pete's production on "We Roll" can even make the usually awful Jim Jones and Max B. tolerable. At the end of the day, the beats make everything worthwhile.
As you've probably guessed by the title, some of the rappers recruited for this album are just plain boring or wack. Jim Jones and Max B. soil the aforementioned beat for "We Roll" with some awful rhymes and disappointed me a little. And, while he's been tolerable over the years, Pete managed to ruin a few beats all by himself with some truly wack rhymes -- 'Til I Retire and Don't Be Mad (which is just plain awful) are perfect examples of this.
NY's Finest is a decent album. Pete Rock can still make dope beats, we all know this, but some of the rappers he solicited bring the album down some. There are enough dope tracks to make getting this a good idea though. I recommend checking this one out, and even though it's solid, I wouldn't make it a priority purchase.
Standout Tracks: The PJ's feat. Raekwon & Masta Killa, Ready Fe War feat. Chip Fu & Renée Neufville, 914 feat. Styles P. & Sheek Louch, Questions feat. Royal Flush (My Favorite), Bring Y'all Back feat. Little Brother, & Best Believe feat. Redman & LD
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