Pete Rock

About

Rapper, DJ, and producer Pete Rock first emerged in 1991 as one half of a duo with C.L. Smooth, debuting with the All Souled Out EP. A hit LP, Mecca and the Soul Brother, followed before the two went their separate ways in the wake of 1994's The Main Ingredient, with Rock remaining a prolific studio presence prior to the release of his solo debut, Soul Survivor, on Loud/RCA four years later. Dropped from the label, he continued his career as an independent producer, and later signed to Rapster/BBE in 2001 for PeteStrumentals. Two years later, the label released a two-part compilation of mid-'90s LPs with Lost and Found. In 2004, Rock produced the sequel to his debut, Soul Survivor II, with features coming from Pharoahe Monch, Dead Prez, Talib Kweli, and former partner C.L. Smooth. During the next few years, Rock focused on producing for other artists, including Ed O.G. and Ghostface Killah, releasing his next solo album, NY's Finest, in early 2008. During the next several years, he continued to enhance his production discography, toured with C.L. Smooth, and released additional works of his own, including the full-length Smif-N-Wessun collaboration Monumental (2011) and PeteStrumentals 2 (2015). In 2016, Rock issued Don't Smoke Rock, a collaborative effort with Smoke DZA. The album included the single "Milestone," which featured BJ the Chicago Kid, Jadakiss, and Styles P. ~ Jason Ankeny