Pete Rock Shows He's Still Relevant with NY's Finest

Pete Rock is one of the most prominent producers in all of hip hop. His work spans from the late '80s, and he is still sought after to this day. Kanye West has even proclaimed himself "The new version of Pete Rock." On his new album, NY's Finest, his first since 2005, Pete is back with some of the most ferocious emcees in the game. However, this time Pete is also rapping on the tracks as well as just producing them. Will this approach finally catapult Pete Rock into the mainstream?

The first single off of NY's Finest is 914 featuring Styles P and Sheek Louch from The LOX. The track is definitely what you would expect from a Pete Rock produced track. There is a vintage hip hop sample over which the two members of The LOX deliver very strong verses. The end of the track features a heavily jazz inspired song which is very catchy.

The second single is The PJ's featuring Raekwon and Masta Killa from The Wu-Tang Clan. The beat is very minimal yet has many different intricate levels. As usually Raekwon and Masta Killa deliver very solid verses.

On We Roll Pete Rock is joined by Jim Jones and Max-B of Dipset fame. The song is definitely different than you would expect to hear from Jim Jones. The beat is very interesting and catchy.

Don't Be Mad is the only track on the album that is not produced by Pete Rock. The track is produced by popular producer and DJ Green Lantern. The song still captures the whole vibe of the album even though it is more contemporary in nature slightly. One has to wonder why Pete Rock is not featured more lyrically on his own album.

Best Believe features Redman and LD. Redman shows he is still one of the best emcees in all of hip hop. The beat is minimalist to just accentuate Redman's flow and lyrical ability.

Ready Fe War is a solid reggae song. The track features Chip Fu and Renee Neufville of Zhane fame from the early 90's. The song shows off how solid Pete Rock is as a producer.

Bring Ya'll Back features Little Brother and Joe Scudda. The beat like the rest of the tracks on the album is very solid and Little Brother show off their solid lyrical skills on the track.

Comprehend features lyrical heavyweight Papoose. The beat is one of the catchiest production tracks on the album and Papoose just improves the whole effort with very solid verses.

NY's Finest is a very solid effort from Pete Rock. With 20 years in the game Pete Rock is still relevant to this day. NY's Finest gets 8 out of 10 stars. If you are a fan of Pete Rock, make sure you pick up NY's Finest when it is available in stores on February 26.