Mecca and the Soul Brother

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Mecca And The Soul Brother
Mecca And The Soul Brother cover
Studio album by Pete Rock & CL Smooth
Released June 9, 1992
Recorded 1992
Genre Hip hop
Length 77:13
Label Elektra Records
60948
Producer Pete Rock
CL Smooth
Professional reviews
Pete Rock & CL Smooth chronology
All Souled Out
(1991)		 Mecca and the Soul Brother
(1992)		 The Main Ingredient
(1994)

Mecca And The Soul Brother is the critically acclaimed 1992 debut album from the Mount Vernon duo of Pete Rock & CL Smooth. The album contains their best known song, "They Reminisce Over You (T.R.O.Y.)".

Contents

[edit] Overview

Mecca And The Soul Brother followed on the heels of their EP All Souled Out, released in 1991. Despite being a critical success, it had little commercial success in comparison to other noteworthy releases of 1992, such as Dr. Dre's The Chronic. CL Smooth's dexterous lyrics were a suitable match for Rock's jazzy, sampled-laden soundscapes. The first single, "They Reminisce Over You (T.R.O.Y.)", a dedication to their fallen friend and back up dancer for Heavy D, "Trouble" T. Roy, has gone on to become not only their signature hit, but also one of hip hop's most highly regarded songs.

Other topics on the album range from life in the ghetto ("Ghettos of the Mind"), the teachings of the Nation of Islam ("Anger in the Nation"), bootlegging ("Straighten It Out"), and the self-explanatory "Lots of Lovin'" (the third single to be released from the album). At 77 minutes, it's a lengthy album, and the large number of songs is tempered by brief musical interludes - a theme Pete Rock would repeat on the duo's second album, and on his own solo albums.

Mecca And The Soul Brother brought a lot of acclaim to the duo they were often compared to the group Gang Starr, which also featured one MC, and a producer/DJ. Although it garnered a lot of praise, sales were slow. The group only grew more popular, however, and next appeared on the Menace II Society soundtrack, followed by Who's the Man?, and Poetic Justice, respectively before returning in 1994, with The Main Ingredient.

In 1998, the album was selected as one of The Source Magazine's 100 Best Rap Albums.

[edit] Track listing

  1. "Return of the Mecca" – 5:42
  2. "For Pete's Sake" – 5:48
  3. "Ghettos of the Mind" – 5:01
  4. "Lots of Lovin'" – 5:07
  5. "Act Like You Know" – 4:01
  6. "Straighten It Out" – 4:12
  7. "Soul Brother #1" – 4:30
  8. "Wig Out" – 4:10
  9. "Anger in the Nation" – 5:31
  10. "They Reminisce Over You (T.R.O.Y.)" – 4:44
  11. "On and On" – 5:10
  12. "It's Like That" – 3:55
  13. "Can't Front On Me" – 4:18
  14. "The Basement" (featuring Deda, Grap Luva, Heavy D, Rob-O) – 5:22
  15. "If It Ain't Rough, It Ain't Right" – 5:04
  16. "Skinz" (featuring Grand Puba) – 4:14

The cassette version contain two bonus tracks: "The Creator (Remix)" and "Mecca and the Soul Brother (Remix)"

[edit] Samples Used

Source: Rap Sample FAQ[1]

[edit] Accolades

The information is taken from AcclaimedMusic.net.[2] and other website links below.

Publication Country Accolade Year Rank
Ego Trip USA Hip Hop's 25 Greatest Albums by Year 1980-98 1999 #8
Exclaim Canada 100 Records that Rocked 100 Issues 2000 *
Rolling Stone USA The Essential Recordings of the 90s 1999 *
The Source USA The 100 Best Dance Albums of All Time 1998 *
Mojo UK Mojo 1000, the Ultimate CD Buyers Guide 2001 *

( * ) designates lists which are unordered.

[edit] Album singles

Single cover Single information
"They Reminisce Over You (T.R.O.Y.)"
  • Released: 1992
  • B-side: "The Creator"
"Straighten It Out"
  • Released: 1992
  • B-side: "They Reminisce Over You (T.R.O.Y.)"
"Lots of Lovin''"
  • Released: 1993
  • B-side: "It's Not A Game"

[edit] Album Chart Positions

Year Album Chart positions
Billboard 200 Top R&B/Hip Hop Albums
1992 Mecca & The Soul Brother #43 #7

[edit] Singles Chart Positions

Year Song Chart positions
Billboard Hot 100 Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks Hot Rap Singles Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales
1992 They Reminisce Over You [T.R.O.Y.] #58 #10 #1 #20
1992 Straighten It Out - #65 #7 #37
1993 Lots of Lovin - #66 #1 -

[edit] References

  1. ^ Search
  2. ^ Mecca and the Soul Brother at AcclaimedMusic.net. Retrieved on June 22, 2007.
v • d • e
Pete Rock & CL Smooth
Corey Penn · Peter Phillips
EP Albums
Compilations
Albums
Mecca and the Soul Brother (1992) · The Main Ingredient (1994)
Singles/EP's
"Good Life" (1991) · "The Creator" b/w "Mecca and the Soul Brother" (1991)" · "They Reminisce Over You (T.R.O.Y.) (1992)" · "Straighten It Out (1992)" · "Lots of Lovin' (1993)" · "One In a Million (1993)" · "Take You There (1994)" · "I Got a Love (1994)" · "Searching (1995)"
Languages