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The chill-out-room throwback sound is back, and Rock confidently handles hook, verse, and beat duty with lyrical assists from the likes of Redman, Little Brother, Styles P, Raekwon, Masta Killa, and Papoose.
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His beats are understated but masterful, and so good that they remind you how mediocre most of the stuff you hear is.
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NY's Finest is a good, solid listen from a deservedly respected member of the hip-hop community, but it's also nothing that will blow you away.
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Rock's in a comfort zone on his first album in four years, a solid effort that makes up with work ethic and historical good will what it lacks in door-blowing moments.
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NY's Finest has everything you'd expect from this legendary producer. [Mar 2008, p.108]
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Finest is at its finest when the beats ride out wordlessly, and bloodlessly.
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NY's Finest, Pete Rock's fourth proper solo album since 1998, has just enough comfortable tricks for the one of the grand old men of 1990s New York production to maintain warm feelings.
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With NY's Finest, Pete Rock, whose place in hip-hop is alread firmly cememted alongside masters like Premier, may not go beyond expectations, but he certainly meets them comfortably.
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NY’s Finest finds the legendary producer consistent, if not innovative.
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The venerable producer's sound is thinner, but still effective, especially given the presence of old stagers like Redman, whose rhymes ("When I run out of ink I kill another octopus") are as addictive as the retro backdrop.
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NY's Finest shows glimmers of what Rock can do, but it's unfortunate the album came out before Soul Brotha #1 was warmed up.
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Now working below the corporate radar, the venerable producer's sound is thinner, but still effective, especially given the presence of old stagers like Redman, whose rhymes ('When I run out of ink I kill another octopus ') are as addictive as the retro backdrop.
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Throughout, Pete Rock gives the listeners what they came for: his beats, grounded but lifting off with an outerspace tendencies, highstepping with snare or petering off with synthesized tail ends.
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Q MagazineThis has its moments, notably the rolling break of '914' and heavyweight funk propelling Redman's tongue-twisting rap on 'Best Believe,' but it's one for the cognoscenti. [May 2008, p.136]