Pete Rock – Soul Survivor (2xLP)

Pete Rock's Soul Survivor arrived in 1998 as his debut solo album and an early, defining example of the producer-led hip-hop record. Instead of treating the beats as background, Pete Rock puts his production right at the centre, building the album from warm soul loops, layered samples and crisp, hard-swinging drums while stepping in on vocals and hooks himself.

What makes it such a satisfying listen is the way that signature sound holds together a huge cast without losing focus. Method Man, Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, Prodigy, Common, Big Pun, Black Thought, O.C., Heavy D and C.L. Smooth all appear, but the album still feels unified rather than star-packed for its own sake. Tracks like Half Man Half Amazin, Truly Yours '98 and Mind Blowin' show how easily Pete Rock moves between street-weight boom-bap, jazz-rap smoothness and R&B detail.

Critics at the time noted both the depth of the guest list and the album's blend of '70s soul with slick late-'90s East Coast rap. Nearly three decades on, Soul Survivor still stands as a sharp reminder of how distinctive Pete Rock's ear was: generous to his collaborators, but always unmistakably his own.

Features

• 2xLP

Reviews

• a funky fresh affair, one that ties '70s soul with slick '90s hip-hop. - AllMusic.com