Pete Rock has worked with hip-hop legends like the Notorious B.I.G., Jay Z and Nas, so when the iconic rap producer throws a glowing endorsement to Kendrick Lamar, you know he knows what he's talking about.

"This is what a hip-hop album should sound like," Pete told MTV News on Wednesday, of Kendrick's latest LP, To Pimp a Butterfly.

It's important to note that Pete does appear on the album. On "Complexion (A Zulu Love)," he performs a portion of the hook and lays some of key record scratches over the track. Still, PR argues that he wasn't on Kendrick's last album, good kid, m.A.A.d. city, and he thinks the world of that album, as well. "I would say this even if I wasn't on it," he said about his gushing review.

"Complexion" was produced by Thundercat, Sounwave, Terrace Martin and Antydote and features a verse from Rapsody -- then, of course, contributions from Pete.

"The beat wasn't produced by me, but I did the hook and scratches. He asked me to jump on it and I did that," he explained. "That came together really beautifully; [Kendrick] just told me what he liked and I did it. I just put it in the place where I felt it made sense. I didn't even hear what he was gonna say over it, I just did what he asked me to do and that was that."

Pete, who is currently on tour with Slum Village, first heard TPAB when it dropped on iTunes on Monday, and he's been playing it ever since. "It's like the best album out, so we're listening to it and I'm loving the musicians that he picked to play on his album and the beats that he picked," he said. "I was pretty impressed with it. It just goes to show you how much an ear he has for his sound and what he's trying to accomplish. The album sounds great."

Kendrick isn't the only TDE rapper Pete has been working with; he says he has also logged in work with Ab-Soul and Schoolboy Q. He also hopes to collaborate with Jay Rock and Isaiah Rashad; who knows, maybe there will be a Black Hippy collaboration on his upcoming Soul Survivor 3.

"Their whole clique is dope," he said.