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NY's Finest

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NY's Finest
Studio album by
ReleasedFebruary 26, 2008
GenreHip hop
LabelNature Sounds
ProducerPete Rock, DJ Green Lantern
Pete Rock chronology
Underground Classics
(2006)
NY's Finest
(2008)
Monumental
(2011)

NY's Finest is the fourth studio album by hip hop producer and emcee Pete Rock. The album was Rock's first studio album since 2004's Soul Survivor II, and was released on February 26, 2008 through the Nature Sounds record label.[1] The album's cover art was created by Fuse Green and inspired by the cover of James Brown's Hell. The instrumental version of the album was released on May 13, 2008 and includes two additional songs not available on the ordinary release; "It's So G" (which appeared with lyrics by Roc Marciano on the deluxe edition) and "When I Need It" (which later was released with lyrics by Pete Rock on the NBA Live 10 soundtrack).

Collaborations

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NY's Finest, as the name suggests, features many of New York City's most respected and successful rap artists. As with previous Pete Rock albums, the album features an array of guest artists, and prior to its completion, Rock expressed interest in collaborating with rappers such as Papoose, Redman, D-Block, Jim Jones, Raekwon & Masta Killa. The album also sees Rock rapping on 7 songs. In December 2007, an EPK was released featuring Rock and other musicians talking about the album and in the studio.[2] The album was to also feature Detroit hip hop act Slum Village, in a song called "Gangsta Boogie", but was taken off the album, probably to keep with theme of the title (however, the North Carolina group Little Brother appears on the song "Bring Y'all Back").

Use in film

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The album track "Best Believe" was used in the 2008 Paul Rudd and Seann William Scott comedy Role Models.[3]

Reception

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Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[4]
The A.V. ClubB+[5]
Billboard(favorable)[6]
The Guardian[7]
Pitchfork Media(6.8/10)[8]
PopMatters(6/10)[9]
RapReviews(8/10)[10]
Spin[11]
U-WIRE(favorable)[12]
Village Voice(favorable)[13]

Commercial performance

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The album debuted at number 193 on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart, selling 3,900 copies in its first week.[14]

The first single is "914", featuring LOX members Styles P and Sheek Louch, backed with B-side "The PJs", featuring Wu-Tang Clan members Raekwon and Masta Killa. A third track, "Gangsta Boogie" featuring Slum Village, was also leaked onto the internet but will be an iTunes exclusive only.

Track listing

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All tracks produced by Pete Rock unless noted otherwise.[15]
  1. "Pete Intro"
  2. "We Roll"
  3. "Till I Retire"
  4. "914"
  5. "Questions"
  6. "Best Believe"
  7. "Ready Fe War"
  8. "Don't Be Mad"
  9. "Bring Y'all Back"
  10. "The Best Secret"
  11. "That's What I Am Talking About"
    • Featuring Rell
  12. "The PJ's"
  13. "Made Man"
    • Featuring Tarrey Torae
    • Samples: "Take The Time To Tell Her" by Jerry Butler
  14. "Let's Go"
    • Featuring Doo Wop
  15. "Comprehend"
  16. "Gangsta Boogie"
  17. "It's So G"
    • Featuring Roc Marciano (Deluxe Edition Bonus)

Album singles

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Single information
"We Roll"
  • Released: 2008
  • B-side:Til' I Retire

Charts

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Chart (2008) Peak
position
US Billboard 200[16] 193
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[17] 42

References

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  1. ^ Nature Sounds :: Releases :: Natural Selection Archived February 26, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
  2. ^ "Pete Rock - NY's Finest EPK". YouTube. 2007-12-14. Retrieved 2012-08-29.
  3. ^ "Soundtracks - Role Models (2008)". imdb.com. IMDb.com. Retrieved 2015-11-01.
  4. ^ Brown, Marisa (2008-02-26). "Allmusic review". Allmusic.com. Retrieved 2012-08-29.
  5. ^ Rabin, Nathan (2008-03-10). "The A.V. Club review". Avclub.com. Retrieved 2012-08-29.
  6. ^ Billboard review[dead link]
  7. ^ "The Guardian review". London: Guardian. 2008-02-17. Retrieved 2012-08-29.
  8. ^ "Pitchfork Media review". PitchforkMedia.com. 2008-06-11. Archived from the original on 2008-06-11. Retrieved 2012-08-29.
  9. ^ Pauline, Alexis. "PopMatters review". Popmatters.com. Retrieved 2012-08-29.
  10. ^ "RapReviews review". Rapreviews.com. 2008-02-26. Retrieved 2012-08-29.
  11. ^ "Spin review". Spin-cdnsrc.texterity.com. Retrieved 2012-08-29.
  12. ^ "U-WIRE review". Highbeam.com. Retrieved 2012-08-29.[dead link]
  13. ^ Hastings Cameron (2008-03-04). "Village Voice review". Villagevoice.com. Retrieved 2012-08-29.
  14. ^ Aliya Ewing (March 5, 2008).hip hop album sales week ending-3-2-08 :: Sales Archived 2014-09-12 at the Wayback Machine
  15. ^ "Soul Brothers - Pete Rock / DJ Semtex / Pete Rosenberg « Old To The New - Ryan Proctor's Beats, Rhymes & Hip-Hop Nostalgia". Oldtothenew.wordpress.com. 2007-12-17. Retrieved 2012-08-29.
  16. ^ "Pete Rock Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard.
  17. ^ "Pete Rock Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard.
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