I always like to compare Pete Rock & CL to Gangstarr, just so I can illustrate the problem I had with Pete & CL. Yeah CL has that smooth flow that blends with the beats, but I'm not sure if anyone ever knew, or cared what CL was actually saying.

People gave Guru so much shit in his later years, but he was a legend in his own right. CL Smooth is not. Guru has memorable verses, CL Smooth does not. Guru was able to rap about different topics, and keep you engaged for an entire song. CL was just throwing words together. Guru was able to make decent music without Primo. He wouldn't gotten a deal to do Jazzmatazz projects if he wasn't a somebody WITHOUT Primo. After CL stopped getting PR beats, he went right back to dat barbershop.

Black Thought also has that issue of blending into the beat too much that CL does. But guess what? If you pay attention to what Thought is saying, he's always giving you A+ well written material.

Listen to this bullshit. Can you imagine if a dope mcee was given a track like THIS? These rhymes are garbage.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SN9DIfMkmU8

Maybe Pete should have rapped more, maybe CL should have chosen different types of beats. He didn't seem to like Pete's bouncier flavors.