Rapster [Studio K7]
2004
Soul Survivor II
About This Album
Though by the mid-'90s he had earned his status as one of the finest producers in hip-hop, Pete Rock's solo career didn't get off to a good start. He split with C.L. Smooth in 1995 and moved back into independent production for several years, occasionally getting together a project with personal appeal, like his brother's group, InI. Finally signed to Loud/RCA for his first solo album in 1998, Rock called in fans and friends from Wu-Tang Clan to Kool G Rap to Beenie Man for a very promising record. Despite some great material, it wasn't a commercial success and he was unceremoniously dropped from the label (with one final disrespect: five years later, the Loud website was still proclaiming the release of Soul Survivor on November 10, 1998). More productions followed before he signed to Rapster, which treated him more like an artist than a meal ticket, and reissued some old projects (Lost and Found) before following through with the sequel to Soul Survivor. Surprisingly, Soul Survivor II is a much better record than the original, and the best production album Rock's ever done on his own. He's less reliant on hooks than in the past, instead content to simply recruit a cast of great rappers and give them enough to run with.
Track List (try tracks 2 and 3)

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