''PeteStrumentals'' is the second studio album from

hip hop Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hip- ...

producer/

rapper Rapping (also rhyming, flowing, spitting, emceeing, or MCing) is an artistic form of vocal delivery and emotive expression that incorporates "rhyme, rhythmic speech, and ommonlystreet vernacular". It is usually performed over a backing ...

Pete Rock Peter O. Phillips (born June 21, 1970), better known by his stage name Pete Rock, is an American record producer, DJ and rapping, rapper. He is widely recognized as one of the greatest hip hop producers of all time, and is often mentioned along ...

. The album is an

Instrumental hip hop Hip hop production is the creation of hip hop music in a recording studio. While the term encompasses all aspects of hip hop music creation, including recording the rapping of an MC, a turntablist or DJ providing a beat, playing samples and "sc ...

album and the second installment of

BBE Records Barely Breaking Even (BBE) is a British record label started by two DJs, Peter Adarkwah and Ben Jolly. The name BBE comes from The Universal Robot Band's 1982 track "Barely Breaking Even". It has two sublabels: Deep Funk, and Urban Theory. ...

''Beat Generation'' series, following

Jay Dee James Dewitt Yancey (February 7, 1974 – February 10, 2006), better known by the stage names J Dilla and Jay Dee, was an American record producer, composer and rapper. He emerged from the mid-1990s underground hip hop scene in Detroit, Michiga ...

's '' Welcome to Detroit'' album. The instrumental songs were originally recorded between 1990 and 1995, but were remixed and continued when putting together the album. All songs featuring vocals (The U.N., Freddie Foxxx, C.L. Smooth & Nature) were recorded exclusively for this project between 2000 and 2001.

Background

There are two versions of this album. On the first version, twelve of the fourteen tracks are instrumentals, and the tracks "Cake" and "Nothin' Lesser" both feature rapping from The UN. On the second, five out of sixteen tracks feature vocals from The UN,

Freddie Foxxx James Campbell (born March 27, 1969), is an American rapper and record producer, better known by his stage names Freddie Foxxx and Bumpy Knuckles. Biography Foxxx started rapping in the early 1980s. In 1986, he recorded "You Gotta Come Out Fre ...

Nature Nature is an inherent character or constitution, particularly of the Ecosphere (planetary), ecosphere or the universe as a whole. In this general sense nature refers to the Scientific law, laws, elements and phenomenon, phenomena of the physic ...

, and Rock's former partner,

CL Smooth Corey Brent Penn Sr. (born October 8, 1968), known by his stage name CL Smooth, is an American rapping, rapper. He is best known as the vocal half of the hip-hop duo Pete Rock & CL Smooth. Early life Corey Brent Penn Sr. was born on October 8, 1 ...

. The updated version of the album was a result of Rock being blown away by Jay Dee's '' Welcome to Detroit'' which made him feel he needed to better his own contribution to the Beat Generations series. The 10 year anniversary expanded and limited edition of ''PeteStrumentals'' was released on May 10, 2011. Featuring the original 2001 album tracks on disc one. Disc two is a bonus disc featuring all the 12" inch singles from the album, including a remix of "Back on the Block" featuring CL Smooth, a clean version of "Cake" featuring The UN, and a cappella and instrumental versions of "Back on the Block", "Nothin' Lesser", "Mind Frame" & "Give it to Y'all". Along with "Outro" instrumental. A sequel, ''

PeteStrumentals 2 ''PeteStrumentals 2'' is the third instrumental hip hop and fifth overall solo album by hip hop producer Pete Rock. The album was released on June 23, 2015, under Mello Music Group. The album was released a day after Pete's 45th birthday and it ...

'', was released on June 23, 2015. Another sequel by Rock, ''

PeteStrumentals 3 Peter O. Phillips (born June 21, 1970), better known by his stage name Pete Rock, is an American record producer, DJ and rapper. He is widely recognized as one of the greatest hip hop producers of all time, and is often mentioned alongside DJ P ...

'' was released on December 11, 2020. A fourth installment to Rock's PeteStrumentals series, ''PeteStrumentals 4'' was later announced and released on March 31, 2022.

Critical reception

A publisher from ''Sputnikmusic'' called ''PeteStrumentals'' "a musical gem and a definite hip-hop classic, delivering more of the thumping and laid-back grooves that the acclaimed producer is known for. The jazz-laced and soulful production is classic, with easily enjoyable beats that will certainly get you to at least attempt a freestyle or two to the instrumental tracks." ''

Exclaim! ''Exclaim!'' is a Canadian music and entertainment publisher based in Toronto, which features coverage of new music across all genres with a special focus on Canadian and emerging artists. The monthly ''Exclaim!'' print magazine publishes seven ...

'' wrote "This release is the second in BBE's quickly burgeoning Beat Generation series; unlike the first guest Jay Dee, and as the title suggests, Pete keeps things largely instrumental by only inviting MCs on a couple of tracks."

Track listing

First edition

*All tracks produced by

Second edition

*All tracks produced by Pete Rock

2011 10th Anniversary Edition

Disc 1

The first disc has the same track listing as the Second Edition.

Disc 2

*All tracks produced by Pete Rock

Album singles

Charts

Album

Singles

References

External links

* {{Authority control 2001 albums Instrumental hip-hop albums Pete Rock albums Albums produced by Pete Rock Barely Breaking Even albums Albums recorded at Greene St. Recording