''Soul Survivor II'' is a
studio album by
hip hop producer Pete Rock, released in 2004. The album features guest appearances from a large number of
hip hop artists, including
Pharoahe Monch
Troy Donald Jamerson (born October 31, 1972), better known by his stage name Pharoahe Monch, is an American rapper from South Jamaica, Queens, New York. He is known for his complex lyrics, intricate delivery, and internal and multisyllabic rhy ...
,
Little Brother,
RZA,
GZA
''Gary Eldridge Grice'' (born August 22, 1966), better known by his stage names GZA ( ) and The Genius, is an American rapper and songwriter. A founding member of the hip hop group Wu-Tang Clan, GZA is the group's "spiritual head", being both ...
,
Talib Kweli
Talib Kweli Greene (; born October 3, 1975) is an American rapper. He earned recognition early on through his collaboration with fellow Brooklyn rapper Mos Def in 1997, when they formed the group Black Star. Kweli's musical career continued with ...
,
Dead Prez
Dead Prez, often stylized as dead prez, is an American hip hop duo composed of stic.man and M-1, formed in 1996 in New York City. They are known for their confrontational style, combined with lyrics focused on both militant social justice, self ...
, and former partner
CL Smooth
Corey Brent Penn, Sr. (born October 8, 1968, New Rochelle, New York), known by his stage name CL Smooth, is an American rapper. He is best known as the vocal half of the hip-hop duo Pete Rock & CL Smooth.
Career
After the duo Pete Rock & CL S ...
.
Pete, who dropped verses on the majority of the songs found on his solo debut ''
Soul Survivor'', performs only a single verse on this album ("Niggas Know") but handles several choruses throughout. Rock's engineer, Jamey Staub, co-produces a number of songs on the project.
The album's front cover is a nod to the
Miles Davis
Miles Dewey Davis III (May 26, 1926September 28, 1991) was an American trumpeter, bandleader, and composer. He is among the most influential and acclaimed figures in the history of jazz and 20th-century music. Davis adopted a variety of musi ...
album ''
Tutu'', which features the jazz
trumpet
The trumpet is a brass instrument commonly used in classical and jazz ensembles. The trumpet group ranges from the piccolo trumpet—with the highest register in the brass family—to the bass trumpet, pitched one octave below the standard ...
er in an identical, albeit black and white, portrait shot.
Critical reception
''RapReviews'' wrote that "Rock lets us know that he hasn’t lost a step as far as beats go, displaying an uncanny ability of picking the perfect artist for nearly each song on the disc." ''
The A.V. Club
''The A.V. Club'' is an American online newspaper and entertainment website featuring reviews, interviews, and other articles that examine films, music, television, books, games, and other elements of pop-culture media. ''The A.V. Club'' was cre ...
'' wrote that Rock "ill-advisedly strays from his lush, mellow chill-out sound on a handful of tracks."
Track listing
*All tracks produced by
Pete Rock
Samples
Truth Is
*"Girl You Move Me" by Cane and Able
We Good
*"Mango Meat" by
Mandrill
Give It to Ya
*"Running" by
Baby Huey
*"I Believe in You" by The Moments
*"The Makings of You" by
Gladys Knight & the Pips
Gladys Knight & the Pips were an American R&B, soul and funk family music group from Atlanta, Georgia, that remained active on the music charts and performing circuit for over three decades starting from the early 1950s.
Starting out as simply ...
It's a Love Thing
*"Try Love Again" by
The Natural Four
The Natural Four was an American R&B group from Oakland, California that played from 1967-1976.
History
Formed in 1967, the Natural Four approached Fred Ivey about becoming their manager. Ivey owned a local record store called Tape Town and eve ...
One MC One DJ
*"Gotta Get Away" by
Flaming Ember
Beef
*"The Stunt Man – Main Theme" by
Dominic Frontiere
*"Where Do I Go From Here (Sonny Carson's Theme)" by
Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson
Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson (June 14, 1932, Manhattan, New York City or possibly (unconfirmed) Winston-Salem, North Carolina – March 9, 2004, Chicago) was an American composer whose interests spanned the worlds of jazz, dance, pop, film, ...
No Tears
*"The Junkies" by
Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson
Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson (June 14, 1932, Manhattan, New York City or possibly (unconfirmed) Winston-Salem, North Carolina – March 9, 2004, Chicago) was an American composer whose interests spanned the worlds of jazz, dance, pop, film, ...
Head Rush
*"What Happened to the Real Me" by
Mavis Staples
Da Villa
*"Holding on to a Dying Love" by
Otis Clay
Otis Lee Clay (February 11, 1942 – January 8, 2016) was an American R&B and soul singer, who started in gospel music. In 2013, Clay was inducted to the Blues Hall of Fame.
Early life
Clay was born in Waxhaw, Mississippi, to a musical family, ...
Niggaz Know
*"Heartbeat" by
War
War is an intense armed conflict between states, governments, societies, or paramilitary groups such as mercenaries, insurgents, and militias. It is generally characterized by extreme violence, destruction, and mortality, using regular o ...
Appreciate
*"2-4-6-8" by
The Jackson 5
The Jackson 5 (sometimes stylized as the Jackson 5ive, also known as the Jacksons) are an American pop band composed of members of the Jackson family. The group was founded in 1964 in Gary, Indiana, and for most o ...
Album singles
Charts
References
{{Authority control
2004 albums
Pete Rock albums
Albums produced by Pete Rock
Sequel albums
Barely Breaking Even albums