Pete Rock 'Soul Survivor II' (May 11, 2004)

On this day in 2004, Pete Rock released 'Soul Survivor II' through BBE Records. The album is the sequel to his '98 solo debut but the 3rd production album by Pete Rock, which also includes 'PeteStrumentals' in 2001, unless you also include 'Lost & Found' in '03. Unlike 'Soul Survivor,' we hear a lot less from Pete Rock in the booth and focussing more on the production, but he does enlist a heavy cast of lyricists to come through with the bars: Pharoahe Monch, Little Brother, Dead Prez, CL Smooth, Kardinal Offishall, Skillz, RZA & GZA, Talib Kweli, Slum Village and J Dilla. I agree with the overall review by Aqua in Vibe Magazine (May, 2004), who says "Soul Survivor is a true album experience rather than another compilation." It's still hard to digest that Pharoahe Monch was considered below the radar then ... and now ... meanwhile he raps better than 99.9% of Hip-Hop, but I shall digress because y'all already know how I feel. Enjoy the Soul Survivor II LP, streaming below...

Pete Rock "PeteStrumentals" (CMJ, 2001)

File Under: The relentless head nod! Yessir, Pete Rock released 'PeteStrumentals' through BBE on this day in 2001. It was the second in the Beat Generation series at BBE; the first being Dilla's 'Welcome To Detroit' LP. There are a few editions of the albums, all including instrumentals crafted in the early to mid-90s, then remixed and updated for the release, but the differences being the number of tracks that also had vocals. From Nature, CL Smooth, Freddie Foxx and The UN (Roc Marciano), each track was a nice complement to an already dope project and were recorded exclusively for it between 2000-2001. The 10-year anniversary edition was released on May 10, 2011; it featured the original 2001 album on Disc 1, and Disc 2 had all the 12″ inch singles from the album. The sequel, 'PeteStrumentals 2,' was released on June 23, 2015; via Mello Music Group. As a bonus, a sample from Chris Read's portion of the BBE 10th Anniversary Beat Generation mixtape, featuring joints from Pete Rock, J Dilla, Jazzy Jeff, Madlib, and more, is available to stream below...

J Dilla "Back To The Crib" (Mixtape)

It's already been a decade since J Dilla - the mercurial producer and rapper from Detroit - passed away and his posthumously completed album, The Shining, saw the light of day on BBE Records. As they prepare to release the project on 7" for the first time, we're extremely honored to get our hands on a never-before-heard mixtape by the master himself. Made some time between mid-1999 and early 2000, it's a fly-on-the-wall showing of what Jay Dee had blaring out of his speakers while on the sofa or by the MPC. Sink into your own couch and press play to enjoy the mixtape below.