Rewind: Pete Rock and C.L. Smooth 'The Creator'

Welcome to the first post from the Crate Creator Blog. In the coming months, I'll be showcasing classic and cutting edge hip-hop, the samples that created it, and essential funk joints. Additionally, I'm doing the digging for you: most tracks and releases will be available (via Amazon) with a single click. Amazon's MP3s are 256 kbit, DRM-free, and are under a dollar. Filling your crate with fire has never been so easy!

This debut post reviews a deep cut from the 1991 'All Souled Out' EP from Pete Rock and C.L. Smooth, which would later appear as a B-Side to their monster hit 'They Reminisce Over You': 'The Creator'. Pete Rock's production is stellar, digging deep for the opening horn and drum drop of Eddie Bo's 'From This Day On'. The track has additional samples from 'Honey Pot' by the Mar-Keys and the classic drum breaks of 'Save Me' by Aretha Franklin (from the absolutely essential 1967 album 'I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You'). 'The Creator' can never compete with the fantastic 'T.R.O.Y.' (which will no doubt be reviewed in depth in a later post on this blog), but the upbeat track fits in nicely among proto-hip-house tracks from Delicious Vinyl and other labels from the same era.

The Lowdown:
Pete Rock and C.L. Smooth 'The Creator'
from 'All Souled Out' (1991) (MP3/CD)
Eddie Bo 'From This Day On'
Mar-Keys 'Honey Pot'
from 'The Great Memphis Soul Sound' (1965) (MP3/CD out of print)
Aretha Franklin 'Save Me'
from 'I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You' (1967) (MP3/CD)