Skyzoo & Pete Rock - "It's All Good"

While younger artists working with their musical heroes has been common in the past decade or so for rock and folk artists, there hasn't been much in the world of hip hop. Skyzoo is changing that by working with the legendary Pete Rock on a collaborative album. I'm not that familiar with Skyzoo, but Pete Rock's work with C.L. Smooth helped soundtrack my teenage years. Their first single together is out, and "It's All Good" is, quite simply, great. It doesn't hurt that the beat for "It's All Good" comes from Rock's secret stash and is from around the time (1994) that Rock was working on Nas's beyond classic Illmatic. 

Skyzoo has this to say about the album:

“The idea for Retropolitan came from a feeling of necessity. The album is both a love letter and a wake up call to the city of New York. In an age where hype dominates reality, FOMO supersedes integrity and gentrification has supplanted tradition, this album is screaming for NYC to wake TF up – even as Pete & myself thank the city for all it’s done for us at the same time. Wake up from accepting your culture being stripped away from you. Wake up from believing that the people who aren’t cut from the cloth you created know your fabric better than you. Wake up from denying the change that’s taken place within you, told to be for your betterment, when it’s solely for theirs, and at your expense and detriment. Wake up from ignoring the identity you once had, the community you once built, the strength you once manifested, all to take on that of one you assumed would expand your reach, when all it’s doing is spreading you comically thin. Dear New York, all five boroughs of you, thank you for all you’ve done. You’re the greatest. Now sit back, listen, and wake TF up."

You can listen to "It's All Good" below. Retropolitan, the upcoming album from Skyzoo and Pete Rock, will be out September 20 on Mello Music Group. You can pre-order it at Skyzoo's Bandcamp.