''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 ...

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, 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

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It's a Love Thing *"Try Love Again" by

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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

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No Tears *"The Junkies" by

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