I’ll be honest when I say I haven’t kept up much with Pete Rock since he and CL Smooth went their separate ways after 1994’s The Main Ingredient (man, I love that record).

But that doesn’t change the fact that Pete Rock is responsible for some of the best hip-hop production of our generation: Look no further than The World Is Yours by Nas.

Pete Rock returns Feb. 26 with his first solo record in four years, NY’s Finest (Nature Sounds). Guests include Raekwon, Masta Killa, Redman, Little Brother and Jim Jones, who shows up on the lead single We Roll, which features some classic Pete Rock-style horn samples. And though I’ve never been much of a fan of PR on the mic, I think his verse here at least shows a steady, tempered flow – perhaps taking a cue from CL Smooth after all these years.

• Pete Rock (feat. Jim Jones) | We Roll

BONUS:

• Pete Rock and CL Smooth (feat. Lil A) | They Reminisce Over Your (demo mix)

(Ripped from import vinyl, Never Coming Out EP.)