"You have a choice, you can listen to the ratchet hip-hop, you know what I'm sayin', or you can listen to the good, original sound of what hip-hop really is," says Pete Rock, sitting inside Electric Lady, the studio built by Jimi Hendrix in 1970.
We caught Pete Rock in a particularly pensive mood because two young Canadian MCs, Rich Kidd and Raz Fresco, had just performed "The Creator" as part of our four-part series Rock the Mic. "The Creator" is a significant one for him, as it's one of the few tracks Pete Rock produced and exclusively raps on. Watch the brief interview and performance below.
The legendary producer rose to prominence in the '90s as part of the duo Pete Rock and CL Smooth. As a solo producer, he became a pillar of the golden era sound, working with the likes of Common, Gang Starr, J Dilla, Naughty by Nature, Run-D.M.C. and, quite frankly, far too many to mention here.
Below, he shares more thoughts on classic hip-hop and shouts out Saukrates and Kardinal, who "started representing," he says. "New York wasn't the only place where you could hear a dope MC.
Watch the rest of Rock the Mic here: Part 1, Part 2 and 3.
Follow Jesse Kinos-Goodin on Twitter: @JesseKG
