Exclusive: Watch Pete Rock Craft Beat in ‘Cosmic Slop’ Video
Influential rapper and producer Pete Rock will release his Petestrumentals 2 on June 23rd, and Rolling Stone has the exclusive look at the album’s first video for “Cosmic Slop.” In the stark, black-and-white clip, Rock meticulously crafts his beat on an Akai MPC 3000 — the same drum machine/sampler which Rock’s used to craft countless hip-hop classics — only to stop briefly to draw inspiration from the New York streets before hitting the beat again.
“‘Cosmic Slop’ is a beat I made that gave me a feeling of cruising down the highway on a nice day or night in the summertime seeing all kinds of people outside enjoying themselves,” Rock tells Rolling Stone. “The video just gives you a lil knowledge on the vibes I was feeling when I was making the track.” Petestrumentals 2, comprised entirely of instrumentals, is the long-awaited sequel to Rock’s 2001 LP Petestrumentals.
Pete Rock and CL Smooth’s “They Reminisce Over You (T.R.O.Y.)” ranked 12th on Rolling Stone‘s list of the 50 Greatest Hip-Hop Songs of All Time. (Rock’s remix of Public Enemy’s “Shut ‘Em Down” also landed on Questlove’s hip-hop list.) In addition to his time with CL Smooth, Rock’s storied hip-hop career features productions on classic albums like Nas’ Illmatic (“The World Is Yours”), Ghostface Killah’s Fishscale (“Be Easy”) and Notorious B.I.G.’s Ready to Die (“Juicy”) alongside various solo projects.
Rock’s latest 20-track collection, as a statement notes, “conjures memories of BBQ cookouts and Seventies Blaxploitation scores, rattling summer jeep cruises and blunted Jamaican vacations.” Rock also pays tribute to J Dilla, an admirer of Rock’s productions, on a requiem titled “Dilla Bounce (R.I.P.).” Petestrumentals 2 will be available on CD, LP and digital and is now available for pre-order.
Petestrumentals 2 Track List
1. “Heaven & Earth”
2. “PR 4 Prez”
3. “Cosmic Slop”
4. “On & On”
5. “Beat Goes On”
6. “Clap Ya Hands (I Feel Good)”
7. “My My Baby”
8. “I Wish”
9. “One, Two, A Few More”
10. “Air Smoove”
11. “Gonna Love You”
12. “90’s Class Act (EK)”
13. “Justice (Brotherhood & Understanding)” Skit
14. “Accelerate”
15. “Make Me Feel Like”
16. “Dilla Bounce (R.I.P.)”
17. “Play Yo Horn”
18. “BBJones”
19. “Rootz, Reggae, Kulcha”
20. “You Know Dat”