Back in the late ‘90s, Pete Rock was an established producer and DJ — known well beyond the five boroughs—respected by hip-hop heads for his work with Heavy D, Nas, Common and C.L. Smooth, among countless others. Smoke DZA was just a kid from Harlem wanting to get put on. “This was before I was 21, so I used to carry Pete’s crates to get in the club. Smoke weed with him and just chill,” DZA remembers.

Nearly 12 years later, the clubs they frequented—Nell’s, Zanzibar, Latin Quarter—are closed-down relics, but the duo’s relationship has survived. Pete Rock and Smoke DZA actually fuck with each other on a human level beyond music. They’re friends and music is a good excuse to hang out. “I’m still a fan. My fan shit ain’t never go away,” says DZA. “I go to him for life advice. PR always there for me. I always text or call and he has the best advice.” On the subject of Smoke DZA, Pete Rock’s take “He’s younger but he has the soul of a vet.”