DJ Premier and Pete Rock run down the stories behind their classics

A huge, huge thanks to my pal Gabe for directing me toward this interview with DJ Premier and Pete Rock in which the two legends relay wonderfully detailed stories behind the creation of some of their most notable records. In my mind, they are hands down the two most important producers in 90's hip-hop (and both top my list of favorite hip-hop producers of all-time, along with Large Professor), and thus this sit-down is indispensable for any fan of the genre circa the early to mid 90's. Here how Rock ghost-produced A Tribe Called Quest's "Jazz (We've Got)", how an overbooked Premier crafted Biggie's "Unbelievable" at the last minute, how Jeru The Damaja's "Come Clean" was nearly a more expansive sonic affair, how Premier scrapped his original production of Nas' "Represent" during the recording of Illmatic after being floored by Rock's work on "The World Is Yours," how Diddy infamously jacked Rock's ideas for Biggie's "Juicy" without giving proper credit....shit, the whole thing is a treasure for any serious head. This chat was available as a bonus on a DVD release documenting a battle/show Rock and Premier undertook in Japan. Without question, this is essential viewing:

And as a bonus, here are three Pete Rock and three DJ Premier favorites of mine that don't get as much attention as they should:


INI featuring Pete Rock - "Fakin' Jax (Rude Youth Remix)"


Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth - "Mecca And The Soul Brother (Wig Out Mix)"


Scritti Politti featuring Mos Def and Lee Majors of the Bush Babees - "Tinseltown To The Boogiedown (Pete Rock Variation)"


Das EFX - "Kaught In Da Ak (DJ Premier Remix)"


Da King & I - "Flip Da Scrip (Toot Da Horn Mix)"


Rawcotiks - "Hardcore Hip-Hop (DJ Premier Remix)"