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Selected Quotes
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Selected quotes
"Pete Miser is a multi-talented, multi-cultural b-boy right out of Wild Style…" "In a scene where the battle cry is about independence and "keeping it real," Pete Miser stands out as an m.c./producer who takes these values to the extreme. As the owner of his own record label (Ho-Made Media) Pete is responsible for every aspect of his projects, from production to creative design to promotion…" “Quite possibly, Radio Free Brooklyn will be exalted as a shining example of hip-hop intelligence - a substantial, thought-provoking alternative to all the gangsta rap clichés and predictable odes to "bitches," "hoes," gats, blunts, and bling-bling that have flooded the market.” “Smart and inventive…Hip hop could use more role models like this.” “[Pete Miser] builds himself a musical gymnasium for his verbal somersaults and low-key floor exercises delivered by a voice that could belong to the husky athlete brother of Black Sheep's Dres. "Mr. Pete Miser provides a hot & heavy glimpse into the future New York City underground hip-hop scene. On Radio Free Brooklyn, Pete's style make needle and vinyl cry out. Highly recommended." “Radio Free Brooklyn is loaded with clever songs, innovative recording techniques, and other things that can all be boiled down to one very pure word: creativity. Pete Miser deserves a better word, but that'll do for now.” “Pete Miser's refreshing verity, die-hard enthusiasm for the art form and next-level creativity all feed into Radio Free Brooklyn, a benchmark independent album that successfully fuses lyrical substance with solid, neck-snapping production.” “Pete Miser's long-awaited follow up to his first solo album was certainly worth waiting for. Pete Ho has accomplished an amazing feat. Within the framework of his chosen means of expression, he has created a great work.” “This album is nothing short of breathtaking from the first note to the last. If you like your hip hop strong and purposeful, Pete Miser is your man. Forget the nonsense that Jay Z, Eminem, and their clones offer, this is the album you want.” “Pete's unique brand of conscious, intelligent hip hop is akin to the golden age of hip hop… - buy his album, and brag to your friends about how you run shit.” 1340Mag, Feb. 2003 By Mark Fisher Check out the remainder of this article at: www.1340mag.com/pete_miserreview.htm [ top ] All Music Guide, March 2003 By Alex Henderson For someone who grew up in Portland, OR, Pete Miser certainly brings a strong East Coast vibe to Radio Free Brooklyn. The rapper/producer/DJ now lives in New York (Brooklyn to be exact), and this solo effort is right out of the East Coast school of alternative rap. The obvious comparisons include Gang Starr, the Roots, Digable Planets, and the Jungle Brothers; Miser isn't as eccentric and quirky as De La Soul, the Pharcyde (an L.A. group with an East Coast sound), or A Tribe Called Quest, but he does share their appreciation of jazz-influenced grooves and their knack for positive, uplifting lyrics. No one will accuse Radio Free Brooklyn of being among hip-hop's more confrontational and hostile releases; Miser steers clear of thug-life imagery, and he isn't afraid to offer some lucid, intelligent observations when it comes to social and political issues. The MC, who is part Asian, discusses racism on "Ho-Made" and questions materialism on "Got That"; the sobering title track is about nuclear war, while the poignant "Might Be" reflects on the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. Quite possibly, Radio Free Brooklyn will be exalted as a shining example of hip-hop intelligence - a substantial, thought-provoking alternative to all the gangsta rap cliches and predictable odes to "bitches," "hoes," gats, blunts, and bling-bling that have flooded the market. And it isn't hard to imagine this CD receiving a lot of favorable reviews in the hip-hop press. But what critics like and what the public actually buys can be two entirely different things - Common has long been a critics' favorite, but he hasn't sold nearly as many albums as Snoop Dogg. At any rate, Radio Free Brooklyn is an excellent release that alterna-rap enthusiasts should make a point of hearing. [ top ] AP / Alternative Press, April 2003 Pete Miser Who? Sounds Like? How is it? Kindred Spirits: [ top ] Sympatico.ca/chartattack.com, Feb. 2003 By Andy Lee Biracial Brooklyn b-boy Pete Miser, a.k.a. Pete Ho, covers all the bases from writing and producing to running his own independent hip-hop label. On his second LP, Radio Free Brooklyn, Pete chronicles the hardships of being half-Asian in America ("Ho-Made"), professes his undying love ("For You") and flexes his ingenuity on "Toothbrush," assuredly the first hip-hop track to feature a toothbrush solo. Radio Free Brooklyn is stacked with witty, old school rhymes and funky beats with plenty of twists and turns. Pete©ˆs love of hip-hop is obvious and manifests itself in every last detail, from the self-made artwork to the delicious "Ho-Made" beats. [ top ] CMJ Monthly, May 2003 by Richard M Juzwiak Early on Radio Free Brooklyn, former Five Fingers of Funk head Pete Miser announces his goal: "I'm trying to change the world before I change my mind." If in the process, he's one of indie hip-hop's most quotable, it's a fortunate byproduct - Miser's aim is affecting and uplifting the (relative) masses via an identity exploration. A bedwetting back-packer alienated by values glamorized in the mainstream, Miser creates a litany of his hip-hop haves (love, style and pride) and have-nots (floor length minks, golf carts on rims and Versace gear) on "Got That." The shiny-happy vibe is tempered by space filled , tentative beats too busy being smooth to cloy. He builds himself a musical gymnasium for his verbal somersaults and low-key floor exercises delivered by a voice that could belong to the husky athlete brother of Black Sheep's Dres. Indeed, black sheep-ism in Miser's blood-an oft-examined aspect of himself in his lyrics is his multiracial make-up."Anglicized my name to 'Miser' some say a self-conscious attempt to exempt myself from bigotry sent my way/ But I say they read too much into it," explains the half-Chinese Miser (whose real last name is Ho), in "Ho-Made." Brooklyn's sole weakness is length-no matter how consistently witty and inspired, an hour is just too much time to listen to someone talk about himself. [ top ] Cosmik.com, April 2003 By DJ Johnson Radio Free Brooklyn is loaded with clever songs, innovative recording techniques, and other things that can all be boiled down to one very pure word: creativity. Pete Miser deserves a better word, but that'll do for now. Check out the rest of this article at: Dream Forge WebZine -Brooklyn's In 'Da House, April 2003 By Mark Kirby (Tiny excerpt from a very thorough review) Pete Miser has produced a record with little, if any, fat. It's phat. Song after song, from cut 1 to 19 is full of verbal gymnastics, dope beats, tasty samples, interesting narratives, and rhymes and images that come at the listener like cluster bombs of rap joy. If you want to remember the times and the reasons why you were excited by rap music and hip hop culture, pick up on Pete. Yo, Miser is ill and gots mad skills, he's like the brother in The Matrix, handin' out the blue pills . . . and it don't stop. Check out the rest of this article at: www.pcisys.net/~drmforge/kirby.htm [ top ] Elusivestyles.CO.UK, March 2003 (Excerpt) Pete Miser's refreshing verity, die-hard enthusiasm for the artform and next-level creativity all feed into Radio Free Brooklyn, a benchmark independent album that successfully fuses lyrical substance with solid, neck-snapping production. Read the rest of this article at: www.elusivestyles.co.uk/reviews.html [ top ] Glidemagazine.com, Sept. 9, 2003 by Eric Ward With the consistent blurring of genres, the development of numerous musical subsets and the inevitable reforming of contemporary ideas overlaid upon traditional structures, creative differences, and self-expression are becoming harder and harder to define. What was once rock, jazz, soul and classical is now transformed into a complex categorizing process as valuable as the dewey decimal system. Further solidifying the boundaries constantly influx are the business market abilities to define an audience rather than the stylistic approach to art. It has happed in every scene, and the hip-hop world, though grounded in the authenticity of character, is no stranger to it. Conscious hip-hop, combining steady beats and heavy rhythms with political and social commentary, may not be a new phenomenon, but with artists such as The Roots and Talib Kweli gaining momentum to new live audiences outside the hip-hop realm, it’s another sub-genre creating it’s own unique players and identity - and MC/producer/indie-label owner Pete Miser is confidently adding his own honest views to the mix. Receiving high praise from The Source, CMJ and Chuck D’s own rapstation.com, The 2002 release of Radio Free Brooklyn got the uninitiated talking, and those more familiar, nodding in reassurance. Like many contemporary artists, The Portland, Oregon native, and previous front man for the Northwest’s prominent hip-hop band, 5 Fingers of Funk, Pete Miser (Pete Ho), decided that the best way to continue making records the way he wanted, was to create his own label, and shortly before moving to New York City, Ho-Made Records was born. By releasing Radio Free Brooklyn on his own, his ability to self-express was secured, and the parallel story of surviving the unthinkable in New York came to fruition. It may be a vividly captured, hour-long journey through the boroughs, but Miser wasn’t set on creating the concept album it appears to be, even though the storyline evenly threads the nineteen tracks. "I think it ended up that way," he explains, "because of the things that I was dealing with, in my life, were showing up in all the songs...like war, and all the craziness of living in New York right now. Just the connotation from Radio Free Brooklyn is based on Radio Free Europe, the allied news source during World War II. And the idea was, which is pretty clearly explained [in the title track], is there’s some sort of bomb that goes off in Manhattan, Manhattan is gone, I happen to be in the subway system when it happens...I come out, and I find an old radio, and the only thing on it is some guy, one of the survivors, and he’s broadcasting. But the title track actually came after the fact. I think that might have even been the last song I recorded for the album." With obvious comparisons to the events of September 11th, the song "Might Be" is a direct reaction to the tragedy from a personal perspective. And though he speaks his mind, Miser is cautious to jump the preachy line that hovers close at all times. "I’ve heard a handful of songs about 9/11, and most of them really, really bum me out" he says before adding, "they’re so, well, they’re just shortsighted in the same way that Americans can be shortsighted about that and other issues. I guess I just call it like I see it, you know what I mean?" And continues, "I see all the contradictions, and I can’t really comment on it without pointing them out." Miser, a well-respected producer for years, eventually caught the eye of the female singer, Dido, and was asked to tour with her band as DJ. You would assume going worldwide, performing on Letterman and Leno, and playing the large venues she brought him to would be the high points of the experience, but always thirsting for more mind food, Miser is quick to explain the true treasures of self-development that he found. "There’s a whole culture of, ‘backpackers,’ or ‘keep-it-realers,’ in hip-hop that feel like they jeopardize their credibility if they listen to anything other than the realist of real hip-hop and I used to be one of those guys a long time ago" he confesses. "And I kind of began to appreciate the value of pop music for the first time. And I just tried to open up to whatever, and not have a closed mind." Opening himself up to new sounds, and seeing the validity in any style of expression is a vital characteristic to the conscious hip-hop movement. With the recent introduction of The Roots and Jurassic 5 to jam audiences, the balance between creative integrity and playing what you need to stay alive has been tested. Where some acts are hesitant to go outside the comfort zone, those like Miser and the more well known acts he’s inspired by, who are able to perform live, confidently play for anyone, regardless of how they got there, in order to share the music and relevant message greatly needed in this time or turmoil. First meeting The Roots when Five Fingers of Funk opened up for them during their first tour, Miser admittedly spent "forty-five minutes just chewing Brother Question’s ear off about how to engineer drums," before adding "yeah, them cats are definitely inspiring to me." When asked about the unspoken backlash sometimes used within the hip-hop community when artists like The Roots are perceived as catering to jam audiences and are categorized as a crossover act, Miser explains, "I know that [The Roots] put it on their album, the sentiment that, it’s upsetting to them, not that the jam world is coming to their shows, but more that the black community isn’t coming to their shows as much. And they took that quote from Mo’ Better Blues, where Wesley Snipes is saying to Denzel [Washington], you know like, ‘the people don’t come, because you don’t play the shit the people want to hear.’ And [The Roots] definitely represent the hip-hop intelligencia, and the hood doesn’t rally around that as much. But at the same time, them cats are really, really respected in the hood, and really loved in the hood and really appreciated. So I think as people doing what they love to do, their happy to see anybody at the show." Further elaborating the issue, he offers the opinion that "I think it’s typically an American thing, to be caught up on that, like ‘is it ok, that this band of hip-hop heads have nothing but white folks in the audience. I don’t think people in Norway are thinking about that (laughs). It’s just like, is it dope music? Yeah. Are they sick musicians? Yeah. Are these people fans of sick musicianship and dope music? Yeah. So it’s all good." With the subset strengthening it’s newly constructed niche, and an audience latching onto yet again a reformed approach to old traditions, conscious hip-hop seems to have a solid foundation, with, especially in the hip-hop realm, the unique ability to sell tickets, not just sell records. Miser elaborates, "I think hip-hop is splitting off into sub-genres the way rock ‘n roll did [with acts like] Jurassic 5, Talib Kweli, Mos Def, and The Roots. When I look at the super-mainstream hip-hop, the big radio hip-hop, I mean, I don’t even think that has much to do with me, and that’s not to say it doesn’t have value, but I feel like that’s pop music, and hip-hop is it’s source...the way pop music with Matchbox 20, rock ’n roll is it’s source, but the arrangements are all pop and the point is pop and the digestibility is pop." Continuing with cautious optimism, he adds "there’s always gonna be a place for conscious hip-hop, or at least there’s always a place for conscious thought...or maybe there won’t be the way things are going." And it appears that it will keep growing, paving it’s own way while remaining sincere to the values set before. If anything, Pete can always release his music on his own label, but like he adds in the anti-Cribs sentiment of "Got That," he doesn’t plan on getting the bling-bling simply from educating minds. "You can use the jazz musician quote of, ‘how do you make a million dollars as a [jazz] record label owner?...start with two million" he laughs. "Most people who start record labels are like me, they don’t have much business acumen. I mean, I’m not doing it ‘cause I want to have a multi-media conglomerate" he chuckles before adding in a more serious tone, "I’m doing it ’cause I want to put out records, and it seemed like the path of least resistance." It may indeed be the path, but regardless of how it gets out there, his solid beats and serious subject matter will continue to be spun with intellectual wit and subtle, comedic self-disclosure. When I referred to him consistently rapping about being dumped by the girl who only leaves her toothbrush, or having an apartment in Brooklyn with no AC, I made the rather ignorant comparison to almost a Rodney Dangerfield approach to rap, with which he graciously responded, "yeah, I’m the Rodney Dangerfield of hip-hop! I like that!" www.glidemagazine.com/articles62.html Pitchfork Media, April 8th, 2003 By Julianne Shepherd Dramatic, yet effective, Miser sets out in his world with an uninhibited emotionalism, though heˆs not self-indulgent like most emo rappers; rather, he discusses changing his name from "Ho" to "Miser" as a mechanism to combat racism; he writes a pretty sweet paean to his girl, elsewhere about his love for hip-hop culture, and the city itself. It meshes nicely with the tight production, ladeled by New York, with its easy beats sitting thick in the mix Check out the rest of this review at: http://pitchforkmedia.com/record-reviews/m/miser_pete/radio-free-brooklyn.shtml [ top ] San Diego City Beat by Reuben Brody Pete Miser: Radio Free Brooklyn Somewhere between edgy Eminem and the esoteric verses of El-P and other Def Juxies, lies Pete Miser. He's definitely not mainstream, nor is he as cerebral as those NYC iconoclasts at Def Jux. However, he ain't Nelly neither. In fact, Radio Free Brooklyn is an impressive first effort for a DJ turned MC (this summer, he'll be backing up Dido on the turntables). Miser's brand of composition varies from slamming breakbeats with boomeranging scratches to jazzy R&B. Most songs are composed with traditional instruments and recall funk-hop acts like Kid Koala's Bullfrog and The Roots. Miser's voice sounds close to El-P's in tone, and the rhymes Miser spitkicks are thoughtful and often political, even if they lack the density that makes El-P the Shakespeare of hip-hop. Songs such as 'Bring it to the Masses', 'Radio Free Brooklyn' and 'Might Be' all refer to the destruction of 9/11 and the fear of apocalypse that seems to be a running theme for many NYC artists today. [ top ] Splendid Ezine, April 2003 By Matt Pierce (Excerpt) Check out the rest of this review at: www.splendidezine.com/review.html?reviewid=3258251725334923 [ top ] The New Yorker, March 2004 Critics Pick – Pete Miser [ top ] TwoLouiesMagazine, Feb. 2003 By SP Clark (Very small excerpt from a huge article!) Pete Miser's long-awaited follow up to his first solo album was certainly worth waiting for. Pete Ho has accomplished an amazing feat. Within the framework of his chosen means of expression, he has created a great work. Check out the rest of this article at: www.twolouiesmagazine.com/feb_03_gbu3.html [ top ] Village Voice By Eddy This undie rhymer's Radio Free Brooklyn, one of the most consistently catchy and listenable hip-hop albums so far this year, is highlighted by the following: (1) a perfect old-school-homage opener; (2) a title track where a nuclear bomb blows up the city; (3) a brag about having friends, karma, Asian eyes, and a Chinese dad but not a Benz, ice grill, bitches, and hoes; (4) one of the least sanctimonious 9-11 songs ever; (5) a very catchy Run-DMC rip; and (6) a warm-hearted ode to summer in Central Park. Anybody who dismisses the kid as a backpack twerp just plain hates fun. With Digit and Schuman. [ top ] Xlr8r issue # 41 For You [ top ] Yellow Rat Bastard, May 2003 Office Album Of The Week His last name is "Miser" and his label is "Ho-Made Records" -so, you know Pete Miser's poor. What he lacks in terms of money though, he makes up for in terms of sound. Pete's unique brand of conscious, intelligent hip hop is akin to the golden age of hip hop when it was all about the Tribe and Posdnuos's dope fade. Plus he produced all the tracks -and the beats are really quite formidable. Check him out - www.PeteMiser.com - buy his album, and brag to your friends about how you run shit. [ top ]
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