"After Mr. Magic's bitter departure from New York's WBLS-FM (early winter 1984), Marley Marl hosted "In Control," a weekend radio show that introduced listeners to a young man by the name of Pete Rock. A.K.A. "The Chocolate Boy Wonder," Pete was put in the role of wax-spinner by his cousin Heavy D. In 1991, he got his partner CL Smooth and dropped the underground EP All Souled Out, paving the way for their critically-acclaimed landmark Mecca And The Soul Brother. What's most surprising about The Main Ingredient is that Pete leaps into supervising the sound quality and overseeing the technical and engineering aspects - something most East Coast hip-hop producers overlook. By refusing to focus mainly on beats, he insures that the album's sounds are crystal-clear. In addition, CL incorporates melodic edges into his delivery." Revisit another classic album below...
"Not one to miss out, Pete also does his thing, filling choruses with soul-styled crooning ("Hey, hey, hey, hey") and throwing venomous disses to the competition ("Escape"). Blaxploitation intros underline the album's themes, and funky musical interludes (spotlighting secret beats) make sure that heads continue nodding. With other strong songs like "Physical" (a lyrical slugfest), "The Sun Won't Come Out," Pete's posse cut "In The Flesh" and "I Got a Love" (the album's first single), The Main Ingredient is worth its weight in gold. It wouldn't hurt to "Check It Out" as The Main Ingredient serves up some of the best that hip-hop has to offer." - The Source, 1/95 (Updated).
