TezMilli
All Star
Nikkas in here not feelin this, need their ears cleaned smh
This album is culture
This album is culture
Albums Skyzoo x Pete Rock - Retropolitan (Discussion Thread)
- Thread starter Nostalgic
- Start date
Very good album, great production from Pete too.
Big Mel
@bigboss
sometimes i think Pete Rock is the GOAT.
I think these beats are immaculate. And I’m not a Skyzoo fan at all. I hate when he’s featured on Griselda songs. But I bought the CD and preordered the vinyl. All based off those PR beats. Plus he’s been supplying Griselda with Fire the past few years. And his beats on Lost Tapes 2 were fire too.
:havdahell:still the GOAT though.
Big Mel
@bigboss
Agree with everything except the Lost tapes 2 beats. The 1 was decent, the other combo pack beat was lazy and uninspired.
Skyzoo fan here and I have mixed feelings about this album. There are things that are great about it but also things not so great.
The beats are some of the best collection of Pete Rock beats assembled in a long while, which I figured it would be because Sky dont pick wack beats at all.
Sky is on point as usual.
Lyrically and musically though, its very simplistic. Which in one way is good but in another way isnt. Its got some nice beats that take you back and the name Retropolitan is really fitting. Its that NY sound.
What really holds this album back from being one of his best is that it doesnt seem organic enough. I think they talked about doing something together and Pete sent Sky a bunch of beats and he picked them and just threw some raps over them. I dont think they spent much time together in the studio on this at all. Sounds like the beats and rhymes were emailed to the studio and recorded.
The mix on most of this album is not that good. On some of the tracks Sky vocals dont stand out enough. Some of the tracks the instruments/samples arent mixed good. Although the beats are dope, this really does sound like old school SP1200 tracks. Not as musical as any of his last projects. He has been pretty musical ever since Dream Deferred where he stepped out of the backpacker lane. The Easy Truth still stands as his best work to me and when you go back to his earlier days, The Salvation. Most of his other joints were well thought out musically such as In Celebration, Music for My Friends, etc....I can see where a fan could choose any of his last 3 full lengths as their favorite and throw in Peddler Themes.
His discography is just really strong and this isnt the worst but it isnt the best either. Its more of a moody type return to backpack type album which sounds a bit like a mixtape so the mixing really holds this album back also he is not quite as diverse as he has been on his later projects. I would probably rank them like this...
Albums:
(you can rank these in almost any order)
The Easy Truth
The Salvation
Music for My Friends
In Celebration of Us
(these two albums are a tier below the others)
Retropolitan
A Dream Deferred
(ep's you can rank in any order)
Peddler Themes
Live From The Tape Deck
Theo vs JJ
Cloud 9
his discography is unbelievable consistent. nothing wack and favorites are interchangeable. Retro and Dream and dope too but I think every one of the other 4 albums are better.
note: some I left out because I didnt have the desire to listen to, like Ode to Reasonable Doubt
The beats are some of the best collection of Pete Rock beats assembled in a long while, which I figured it would be because Sky dont pick wack beats at all.
Sky is on point as usual.
Lyrically and musically though, its very simplistic. Which in one way is good but in another way isnt. Its got some nice beats that take you back and the name Retropolitan is really fitting. Its that NY sound.
What really holds this album back from being one of his best is that it doesnt seem organic enough. I think they talked about doing something together and Pete sent Sky a bunch of beats and he picked them and just threw some raps over them. I dont think they spent much time together in the studio on this at all. Sounds like the beats and rhymes were emailed to the studio and recorded.
The mix on most of this album is not that good. On some of the tracks Sky vocals dont stand out enough. Some of the tracks the instruments/samples arent mixed good. Although the beats are dope, this really does sound like old school SP1200 tracks. Not as musical as any of his last projects. He has been pretty musical ever since Dream Deferred where he stepped out of the backpacker lane. The Easy Truth still stands as his best work to me and when you go back to his earlier days, The Salvation. Most of his other joints were well thought out musically such as In Celebration, Music for My Friends, etc....I can see where a fan could choose any of his last 3 full lengths as their favorite and throw in Peddler Themes.
His discography is just really strong and this isnt the worst but it isnt the best either. Its more of a moody type return to backpack type album which sounds a bit like a mixtape so the mixing really holds this album back also he is not quite as diverse as he has been on his later projects. I would probably rank them like this...
Albums:
(you can rank these in almost any order)
The Easy Truth
The Salvation
Music for My Friends
In Celebration of Us
(these two albums are a tier below the others)
Retropolitan
A Dream Deferred
(ep's you can rank in any order)
Peddler Themes
Live From The Tape Deck
Theo vs JJ
Cloud 9
his discography is unbelievable consistent. nothing wack and favorites are interchangeable. Retro and Dream and dope too but I think every one of the other 4 albums are better.
note: some I left out because I didnt have the desire to listen to, like Ode to Reasonable Doubt
I think this might be the best batch of PR beats in a while...
This album is insane
I never cared for Skyzoo as a rapper but this is the first project that I actually enjoyed immensely. Great work
I never cared for Skyzoo as a rapper but this is the first project that I actually enjoyed immensely. Great work
What does musical mean? Are these Pete Rock beats not music??
these beats are dope but simplistic in composition. Zoo's last few projects had a lot of songs that were focused more on instrumentation and singing without sounding corny or pop-ish. like he had tracks that focused on making a piano stand out or perhaps a horn solo. also the singing and spoken word. iI think its what defined his growth as an artist and quite frankly it made some of his joints that may have been more forgettable...catchy. so I ultimately judge albums by their replay value. its not that this album isnt dope but it sounds like it should be filed with his projects before Dream. I can name songs from each of his last few projects that clearly stand out because something about them was wildly unique. This one not so much. Been listening to it since it came out and the only joint that sticks in my head is Its All Good.
Dead End
Rican B*stard
These are unused 90s beats from Pete right? They sound nothing like anything he's made in the 21st Century. They sound like that Baby Pa album.
right. hence the name of the album. everyone should cop or listen, its an album for the culture, so I dont want to dissuade anyone from doing that. dope beats, but thats more of the older Pete. the later version of Pete is a little more technical with his sampling/chopping or just more methodical with his layering. this album serves a purpose and that is how it was composed musically and lyrically to fit a theme. however, it would be nice to hear them do a joint together with more of the newer Pete sound, like he showed on Dont Smoke Rock.....or this masterpiece right here.....