| Mecca and the Soul Brother | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Studio album by Pete Rock & CL Smooth | ||||
| Released | June 9, 1992 | |||
| Recorded | 1991-1992 | |||
| Genre | Golden age hip hop, jazz rap, East Coast hip hop | |||
| Length | 77:23 (CD) 85:14 (2xLP/MC) |
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| Label | Elektra 60948 |
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| Producer | Pete Rock, CL Smooth, Large Professor | |||
| Pete Rock & CL Smooth chronology | ||||
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Mecca And The Soul Brother is the critically acclaimed 1992 debut album from the Mount Vernon duo, Pete Rock & CL Smooth. The album contains their best known song, "They Reminisce Over You (T.R.O.Y.)." To date, Mecca and the Soul Brother has been widely acclaimed as one of the greatest Hip hop albums of all time.[1][2]
Contents |
Mecca And The Soul Brother followed on the heels of the duo's 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. The first single, "They Reminisce Over You (T.R.O.Y.)", a dedication to their deceased friend; Trouble T-Roy (a dance member of Heavy D. & The Boyz), has gone on to become not only their signature hit, but also one of hip hop's most highly regarded songs.[3][4]
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).
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic | [5] |
| The Baltimore Sun | (favorable)[6] |
| Robert Christgau | [7] |
| Entertainment Weekly | (C+)[8] |
| The New York Times | (favorable)[9] |
| RapReviews | (9.5/10)[10] |
| Rolling Stone | [11] |
| Spin | (favorable)[12] |
| Virgin Encyclopedia | [13] |
Mecca And The Soul Brother brought considerable acclaim to the duo. They were often compared to the group Gang Starr, which also featured one MC, and a producer/DJ.[14] Although the album garnered a great amount of acclaim, 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.
| # | Title | Performer(s) | Producer(s) | Samples | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Return of the Mecca" |
|
Pete Rock, *C.L. Smooth |
|
5:42 |
| 2 | "For Pete's Sake" |
|
Pete Rock, *C.L. Smooth |
|
5:48 |
| 3 | "Ghettos Of The Mind" |
|
Pete Rock, *C.L. Smooth |
|
5:01 |
| 4 | "Lots Of Lovin'" |
|
Pete Rock, Nevelle Hodge, *C.L. Smooth |
|
5:07 |
| 5 | "Act Like You Know" |
|
Pete Rock, *Large Professor, *C.L. Smooth |
|
4:01 |
| 6 | "Straighten It Out" |
|
Pete Rock, *C.L. Smooth |
|
4:12 |
| 7 | "Soul Brother #1" |
|
Pete Rock, *C.L. Smooth |
|
4:30 |
| 8 | "Wig Out" |
|
Pete Rock, *C.L. Smooth |
|
4:10 |
| 9 | "Anger In The Nation" |
|
Pete Rock, *C.L. Smooth |
|
5:31 |
| 10 | "They Reminisce Over You (T.R.O.Y.)" |
|
Pete Rock, *C.L. Smooth |
|
4:44 |
| 11 | "On And On" |
|
Pete Rock, *C.L. Smooth |
|
5:10 |
| 12 | "It's Like That" |
|
Pete Rock, *C.L. Smooth |
|
3:55 |
| 13 | "Can't Front On Me" |
|
Pete Rock, *C.L. Smooth |
|
4:18 |
| 14 | "The Basement" | Pete Rock, *C.L. Smooth |
|
5:22 | |
| 15 | "If It Ain't Rough, It Ain't Right" |
|
Pete Rock, *C.L. Smooth |
|
5:04 |
| 16 | "Skinz" |
|
Pete Rock, *C.L. Smooth |
|
4:14 |
| Single information |
|---|
"They Reminisce Over You (T.R.O.Y.)"
|
"Straighten It Out"
|
"Lots of Lovin''"
|
| Year | Album | Chart positions | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Billboard 200 | Top R&B/Hip Hop Albums | ||
| 1992 | Mecca & The Soul Brother | 43 | 7 |
| 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 |
| Straighten It Out | - | 65 | 7 | 37 | |
| 1993 | Lots of Lovin | - | 66 | 1 | - |
The information is taken from AcclaimedMusic.net.[15] and other website links below.
| Publication | Country | Accolade | Year | Rank | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| About.com | USA | 100 Greatest Hip-Hop Albums | 2008 | #37 | ||
| 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 Rap Albums of All Time | 1998 | * | ||
| Mojo | UK | Mojo 1000, the Ultimate CD Buyers Guide | 2001 | * | ||
| (*) designates lists that are unordered. | ||||||
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