Sometimes in life, one can feel pretty stupid. Sometimes the cause for such feeling is known only to said person. Sometimes it's plain for all to see. Unfortunately in my case, I'm the second scenario. You see, when you establish a blog called Boom Bap Reviews and a year goes by without you writing about a group that embodies boom bap in every sense of the word, you probably deserve to be branded as stupid.
Well, this shit ends now.
Peter Phillips was a scrawny little teenager living in a little place called Mount Vernon, New York. South side Mount Vernon, to be exact. Being that his home was literally a stone throw away from a certain place called the Bronx, he was very close to the epicenter of hip hop's birth. So naturally, he was introduced to the shit at a very young age. However, the importance of his age when he did is irrelevant compared to the importance of whom introduced him to this passion of ours. See, Pete is the younger cousin of a certain Dwight Myers, bka the late great Heavy D, who is right up there with the Rakims, the KRS's & the Kanes of the world as an integral part of a generation of MCs that changed lyrical contribution to hip hop forever and right up there with the LLs, the Beasties & the Run-DMCs of the world as one of the most successful rappers of all time, selling at least five million records throughout his lifetime, with his hits Now That We Found Love and Big Daddy still getting airplay on mainstream hip hop radio. (Just listen to his guest feature on Naughty By Nature's Ready For Dem. Go ahead, it's on YouTube. Great, huh?) One can safely assume that without the Hevster, Pete Rock (Hev's nickname for his younger cousin) would not be the hip hop household name he is today. The same goes for a certain Corey Penn.
Corey Penn also lived near the Bronx in a little place called New Rochelle, which neighbors Mount Vernon. He too was exposed to hip hop at an early age by his legendary cousin Maxwell Dixon, bka Brand Nubian's Grand Puba. Insert my praise for Heavy D here, except without the mainstream success part. Sorry, GP. Anyways, Hev and GP, influential legends that they are, arranged for Corey and Pete to meet in one of their many get-togethers in Lincoln Park, being that their respective crews were down with each other and all. And this meeting just so happened to coincide with Corey's serious efforts in following his beast of a cousin's footsteps into the realm of MCing while Pete gets a big time job in WBLS for his DJing skills under yet another hip hop great, legendary DJ/producer Marley Marl. (Yet another favor Hev pulled for his cousin. Of course, Pete had to have the skills to back such endorsements up in order for this favor to not seem as a total dick move. Which, thank Almighty God, he did) So you start seeing a pattern here: All this legendary influence would eventually result in something worthwhile, right?
These two got together, and the chemistry was off the charts. Pete, fresh off Marley's production tutelage on a few tracks off Hev's popular Big Tyme album, showed that he was ready to become a legend himself behind the boards, while Corey, whom Hev dubbed CL Smooth, showcased a certain talent in multisyllables that proved his cousin's endorsement of him was no fluke. The result? Their lead single, The Creator, is a Pete Rock solo song with Pete rapping.
I'm sure you're currently jammed proper in WTF mode. I don't blame you. But isn't Pete Rock the DJ, you ask? Why, yes indeedy feed the needy, he is. So how was he able to write lead single-worthy lyrics, you ask?
Here's the thing: He didn't. And according to him, he never wanted to rap in the first place. Yet, on one breezy night, him, CL & Cousin Puba were in the midst of a studio session when during break time, Pete started reciting lyrics from a favorite song of his. Puba, seasoned MC that he is, heard a certain quality in Pete's voice that was perfect for lyrical delivery. So being that Pete's only contributions to the art of MCing were a few corny-ass bars on Cousin Hevster's Don't Curse and a few cornier-ass bars on Pete's own timeless remix to the legendary Public Enemy's Shut Em Down, Puba offered to write all the song's lyrics for him. And when you are a producer of Pete's caliber and you have one of the best MCs of all friggin' time writing your lyrics for you, you're free to focus on the aspect of hip hop music you're actually good at. So, of course, The Creator was a hit. Here's the thing though, Pete: All this still doesn't justify why you, the DJ of the group, chose your first debut as a group on wax ever to be a solo song of yours, whereas the MC of your group is stuck on the b-side. I only attribute it to my lone gripe with the legendary Pete Rock: He's a bit too much of a mark for himself. I apologize to the hip hop heavyweight if this seems a little disrespectful, I don't mean it to be, but I am for damn sure no dickrider and I call it like I see it.
The success of The Creator spurred Elektra, the group label, to approve the making of a six-track EP, which indeed is my focus for this post. And you're here to find out if they blew it, you malicious piece of shit.
GOOD LIFE
Petey starts us off behind the boards with a soothing loop of O'Donel Levy while sprinkling in some Mountain ad-libs and a very famous Eddie Kendricks interlude. Corey utilizes the ensuing wizardry to open a basic-yet-incredibly vivid lyrical window into various tales and journeys of escaping poverty in America. This style fits him very well, because he has an authoritarian voice of someone you can definitely learn a thing or two from. That's right, exactly like a Chuck D. I loved this shit.
MECCA AND THE SOUL BROTHER
However, what's pretty impressive about CL Smooth is his ability to sound right at home doing either conscious rap like the above song, or displaying straight dominance on that mic, like this song here. Pete's beat (Hey, that rhymes!) showcases that the kid was a true genius behind the boards, welding two O'Donel Levy samples together, and cutting up Cousin Hev's first ever shout-out of PR & CL ingeniously as the hook. Overall the result is nothing short of awesome. Now allow me to get back to the lead single situation: This track is, of course, the b-side to The Creator. Now, I want you to honestly listen to both songs, back to back. And I mean this version, not the remix shown in the video. Heard both songs? OK. Now, do you honestly believe that The Creator fits being the lead single better than Mecca and The Soul Brother? Or should The Creator have been the b-side here with Mecca getting the lead look? Another thing: The term Mecca refers to the holiest city in Islam, and it's located in the western region of the Arabian Peninsula. Just wanted to throw that out there because this explanation will come into play when I review their next album.
GO WITH THE FLOW
Pete goes left with the S.O.U.L. flute sample dominating this track. With braggadocio being the bread and butter of an MC, CL's contribution really hammers home the fact that these two are skilled musicians vibing off each other. This was pretty enjoyable, yet I would structure it a bit later in retrospect. It's too early to slow down things.
THE CREATOR
The lead single. I've already talked about this in abundance but let's talk some more. Pete surrounds himself with a prominent King Curtis loop that gets the blood pumping something proper. As I've mentioned before, Cousin Puba wrote the lyrics to this song. And since he's a certified MCing legend, writing some killer punchlines is a walk in the park for him. Furthermore, his prediction that Pete has a good voice on that mic came true, because Pete delivers these lines as if he's been spitting all his life. I really do think this was a pretty good song, yet I'm still pissed that it was picked as the lead single. Spoiler alert: Thank God, Pete doesn't make this mistake again. Ever.
ALL SOULED OUT
Lou Donaldson is all over this instrumental, from the drums to the organs played to the light horns in the background. Brilliant work by PR. The speed of the beat forces CL to kick in high gear as he display yet another offering of punchlines. I must admit the fast pace fits his flow well, and he makes the most of said fact. Excellent song, but I might've been expecting more from a title track by such a team. That's pretty much all I got.
GOOD LIFE (GROUP HOME MIX)
I've been a staunch supporter of the original mix for a very long time, but it's only during listening to it while writing this review that I've finally changed my mind: This remix, where Pete cooks up a storm with a sweet Ray Barretto appetizer to start you off, followed by a brilliant Meters loop with some added Kool & The Gang flavor. I'm now totally convinced that combining this beat with the original lyrics realizes the desired vision better. And we're done.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Oh, how so little can go so long. All Souled Out is the place to start if, by a freak accident, somebody introduced you to Pete Rock and his importance to the game without somehow playing TROY for you. The following statement has been stated countless times, but PR & CL really do bring the best out of each other. Granted, my issue with the lead single choice is nagging but it isn't enough to deter you from enjoying the hell out of this release. It truly is a testament to the quality of this little EP that I can't really pick a favorite song out of the bunch. But perhaps All Souled Out's biggest accomplishment was it set the foundation for a career in the golden years of boom bap.
WORTH IT?
You bet your malicious ass. All Souled Out is as consistent as any hip hop release can get. All the songs here have aged beautifully, and in such a freak case that you haven't heard them before: Be prepared for a lifetime of fandom of these two.
TRACKS TO TRACK DOWN:
THE CREATOR (SLIDE TO THE SIDE REMIX)
MUCH love to one Angus Batey for the heads up! I just heard this and I'm literally gobsmacked that I got the opportunity to hear something so rare! This must've been hell to acquire back when it originally came out on one of the single's many copies in '91. Anyway, the true highlight of this remix is that you get to hear CL share mic time with his DJ/producer and show him how it's really done! Over a typically masterful concoction of Mar-Keys & Tyrone Washington samples while retaining the genius Eddie Bo bass sample that made the original such an addictive track to begin with. If you loved this EP, you need to hear this! And we're done
For more in the scintillating career of Pete Rock, here. (You know because unfortunately CL hasn't really done much of note in his solo career.)
