Pete Rock v. DJ Premier

The other weekend I went to a DJ Battle at Five Star Restaurant in Raleigh, NC.  This was not a regular battle though; it was a battle between two hip hop heavyweights.  We are talking about Pete Rock and Premo.  I had the pleasure of hearing Premo spin last year and he was better than advertised.  He controlled the crowd.  In fact, I must say that he is the best DJ I have ever seen in person.  He was that good.

If you do not know who Pete Rock is, let me enlighten you. He has been a pillar in the hip hop community for decades.  He is responsible for producing some of the best songs in hip hop's illustrious history.  He is probably most well known for his production on the timeless track, T.R.O.Y. by Pete Rock and C.L. Smooth.  That song is as close to perfect as I have ever heard.  Over the years, he has worked with the greatest artists on the planet.  He produced Das Efx's "Real Hip Hop," Nas' "The World in Yours," and "The Game" by Raekwon, Prodigy and Ghostface.  

D.J. Premier is probably my favorite of the two super producers.  He has produced so many classic tracks.  I'll list a few of his classic tracks: (1) "Nas is Like," (2) "New York State of Mind," (3) "Mathematics," (4) "D'Evils," (5) "10 Crack Commandments," (6)"Recognize" and many more.  He also happens to be the most lively of the two producers. Pete Rock was super laid back.

The night of the DJ Battle, I arrived to Five Star much earlier than usual.  I arrived at 9:30 p.m. and grabbed a quick bite to eat, which was very good.  Who knew?  Shortly thereafter, I moved into the bar area as other DJ's began spinning.  11:00 p.m. came and went.  12:00 a.m., 12:30 a.m., 1:00 a.m. and still there was no sign of Pete Rock or Premo.  I was beginning to think the worst when finally they came to the stage a little after 1:00 a.m.  They did not disappoint, as they rocked the stage until well after 3:00 a.m.  It was a night I will remember for the rest of my days.  It was a great night for hip hop.

DJ Premier

Pete Rock

Peace