Shouts to Pete Rock for being named #1 on
SoulTrain.com’s Top 40 Most Soulful Hip-Hop Artists
SoulTrain.com’s Top 40 Most Soulful Hip-Hop Artists
Pete Rock – The self-proclaimed Soul Brother #1 tops this tremendous list–and rightfully so. Throughout his illustrious career, Pete Rock’s signature sound has remained a beautifully-articulated cursive. From piano keys coupled with crisp snares, to samples of classic or mostly unheard records, each note he forms becomes a love letter to the soul music tradition. In an interview with SoulTrain.com he said, “Growing up we weren’t inspired by the kind of lyrics you hear today. We looked forward to becoming professionals in music. That’s the inspiration we gathered growing up listening [to] 80s rock, 80s R&B, 80s soft rock, the 90s, the 70s…that’s what we ate growing up. That was our meal.”
Born Peter Phillips, the New York native production wizard rose to prominence as part of popular 90s duo Pete Rock & CL Smooth. With their gripping debut single “They Reminisce Over You (T.R.O.Y.)”–today considered by several major publications, including Rolling Stone, as one of greatest songs of all time, the pair immediately established themselves among the greats in the hip-hop genre. And it didn’t take long for Pete Rock’s production to be heralded as masterful.
With this reputation still well intact, Pete Rock stands as a catalyst for the preservation of soul music, tunes that touch the heart and encourage the mind. “I’m still passionate about what I do,” he told SoulTrain.com. “I just turn my head into the music and try to address certain issues. When I do, I talk about something substantial. I’m not talking about how much money I got, how many chicks I’m smashing, or how many cars I got in the driveway. That’s not soul music. You can make fun records to let people know you can be a fun person, but don’t totally ignore what’s going on in this world.
In honor of hip-hop’s 40 year anniversary, Pete Rock’s Soul Brother #1 moniker is self-proclaimed no more. It’s official!