Third studio album-producer by Pete Rock, the first since "Soul Survivor II" (2004). The cover is a tribute to that one of "Hell" by James Brown. The production is handled entirely by Pete Rock, except for "Don't Be Mad", a solo track with a beat provided by DJ Green Lantern.
The title makes you guess that the man has brought together the best of the city on his album, and for a while, you might as well pretend that it is: Jim Jones, Max B, Styles P, Sheek Louch, Royal Flush, Redman, LD, Chip Fu, Renee Neufville, Little Brother, The Lords of the Underground, Rell, Raekwon, Masta Killa, Tarrey Torae, Doo Wop and Papoose. Among Diplomats, LOX, Fu-Schnickens, Lords of the Underground, The Revelations and Wu-Tang, at least a third of the performers are not from New York: LD is from California, Renee Neufville is from New Jersey, Little Brothers are from North Carolina, Rell is from South Carolina, Lords of the Underground formed in North Carolina and are based in Newark, New Jersey, and Tarrey Torae is originally from Chicago.
Intro, then the album begins with a joint with Jim Jones and Max B, at a time when Biggaveli is still tied to the Dipset label: the rhythm of Pete Rock is alternative, bouncy, confused, the performers spit light-heartedly, a scant track comes out. It follows a rare solo track by Pete Rock on his simple and tight alternate rhythm, the guy was never a good rapper and, sadly, he proves it throughout the album, being the main MC. LOX arrives in "914": simple and dark jazzy boom bap, Sheek & Styles deliver raw, there's no Jada. Tracks with Royal Flush and Redman are decent, they won't go down in history, they're fine, then Chip Fu comes in in a six-minute reggae cut: with all that braking and acceleration in the flow, it reminds me of the Red Bull Ring in Spielberg, Austria. DJ Green Lantern doesn't do a good job on "Don't Be Mad", quite simply, Pete Rock spits bars on his second and final solo track.
Little Brother, strange to say, they sound like the best performers in this record called "NY's Finest", on one of Pete Rock's best rhythms in this edition, simple and essential jazzy boom bap on which they flow smoothly, together with a Joe Scudda not accredited. On "The Best Secret", Lords of the Underground don't sound their best on a forgettable production. The song with Rell is one of the least successful, Pete Rock's rap, guest's rnb hook. In "The PJ's" comes a bit of Wu-Tang to freshen up the record, simple rhythm, dark mood, Raekwon has already arrived, Masta Killa has dropped the second LP a few years ago and this can be a further showcase for his talent. "Made Man" isn't good, despite Tarrey Torae's appreciable hook. Doo Wop and Papoose are fine, they don't impress.
Pete Rock plays it safe in this release, there's little inspiration anywhere, starting with the title and the cover. There are almost more weak tracks than strong ones, and those ones are simply discreet and nothing more. There are no bangers or masterpieces, nothing memorable. The production is minimal, essential, simple, the loops aren't exciting and most of the songs stretch for too long. The rapping offered by Pete Rock is generic and bland, the rest of the guys deliver bars and spit functional flows to the rhythms. Overall, there are 15 tracks and 59 minutes of listening, almost an hour, it's an avoidable CD, it's not a good product, it doesn't live up to the rest of Pete Rock's remarkable discography. It's not as bad an album as you can read from embittered fans and aesthetes, but it's surely disappointing when you compare it to his most highly regarded works: the music is bad by his standards, and is still superior to much of what the market has to offer.
Other than Little Brother, I want to point out that two bonus tracks have stand out: "Gangsta Boogie" with Slum Village boasts one of the best rhythms from Pete Rock on this LP, with a melodic sample from Isaac Hayes and a good drum. T3 delivers the first verse, then Elzhi goes off to the second verse, and it's probably the best MC on this disc. At this point, I might as well be pleased to write that Elzhi is the best on this album, even though he's from Detroit. It deserves to be. Except that the second bonus track is "It's So G": triumphant, glossy and lucid beat, wonderful and underground, trumpet loop, the drum is light, distant, in the background, almost imperceptible. On the most New York production of the project, Roc Marciano kills the cut with a spacial, powerful and loaded delivery, and stands out as the finest of the city.
Rating: 5.5/10 (6/10 considering the bonus tracks).
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