Pete Rock Comments On Who REALLY Invented The Remix (Video)
Since debuting Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth music in 1990, producer/MC/DJ Pete Rock has always been known to speak on his records. Songs like Nas’ “The World Is Yours,” his group’s own “They Reminisce Over You (T.R.O.Y.),” and AZ’s “Rather Unique” all feature notable background vocals from the Mount Vernon, New Yorker who laced the track.
Speaking with Doggie Diamonds TV, Pete revealed that his penchant for ad-libs inspired one of Rap’s most famous ad-libbers, Puff Daddy. At 3:30, the veteran details,”Even [Puffy Daddy] told me in the Bad Boy [Records] elevator. He was like, ‘Yo, you know I get that from you, right?’ I was like, ‘Yeah, it’s all good, B. Do what you do. I’ll do what I do, and we’ll make it pop off in the music, nahmean?'”
De La Soul Performed Their Pete Rock Joint With Help From The Roots (Video)
Puffy popularized numerous ad-libs on songs, including those heard on Biggie’s “Who Shot Ya?,” 112’s “Only You (Remix),” and Nas’ “Hate Me Now,” among others.
Pete Rock would work with Bad Boy. After producing several demo recordings for The Notorious B.I.G., including the original version of “Juicy,” Rock’s mix was presented to the public as a remix on the 12″ single.
Later, Doggie asks Pete Rock his relationship to a credit made by another mainstream music producer, Jermaine Dupri. This past July, JD was questioned by the Rap Radar Podcast if he feels he invented the remix. In 2002, Puffy and Bad Boy released a 2002 compilation with the title, We Invented The Remix. “I know that Puff did a lot of remixes, right? Do they know Puff for remixin’ more than they know Puff for makin’ [other] music? I don’t think so. I don’t think people think of Puff Daddy as ‘the remix guy’ first.”
Doggie mentions JD by name, and asks Pete his thoughts on others, including the So So Def producer, taking the claim. At 12:45, Pete says, “No disrespect to Jermaine Dupri, ’cause that’s the big homie, but cats know the real and who started what. Because I take it from people before me: Marley [Marl], Afrika Islam, and all those people like that—Kool Herc, Red Alert, Chuck Chillout, Jazzy Jay; I can name countless DJs from that era that I took my mojo from. I just kinda mixed it with what I like to do with beat-making.” Dating back to 1991, some of Pete’s earliest credited remixes belong to records by Heavy D & The Boyz, EPMD, and Public Enemy.
Here’s a Pete Rock remix of a song by Robert Glasper featuring Yasiin Bey (Audio)
In 1991, Puff Daddy remixed Jodeci’s “Come and Talk To Me” for Uptown Records, adding his own vocals and a rap by Fat Doug. That remix would eventually appear on a Bad Boy compilation. Jermaine Dupri’s credited remixes begin on the 1992 Totally Krossed Out Kris Kross LP he oversaw. Marley Marl, who Pete mentioned, has remix credits in the 1980s.
Notably, Puff’ would strongly incorporate “T.R.O.Y.,” for 1992’s Mary J. Blige “Reminisce (Remix),” a version that also featured C.L. Smooth.
Later in the interview (13:30), Pete Rock confirmed guests for his upcoming Smoke DZA collaborative album Don’t Smoke Rock. Those guests include Rick Ross, Wale, Mac Miller, The L.O.X., and Cam’ron, among others.