DESCRIPTION:
There have been several MC/producer duos in hip-hop, most of the time it's an outstanding producer who gets an adequate MC to rap over his beats, this is one of those instances. Coming up under Marley Marl, Pete Rock met up with CL Smooth and together they released the EP All Souled Out. Along with Gang Starr's DJ Premier and A Tribe Called Quest's Ali Shaheed Muhammad, Pete Rock was one of the pioneers of hip-hop/ jazz fusion, something that is on full display on their debut Mecca and the Soul Brother.
Right from the start, Pete Rock's soon to be legendary production skills are made apparent on Mecca and the Soul Brother mixing jazz, R&B, soul and reggae samples in seamless fashion, along with his trademark horns. The best known song from Pete Rock and CL Smooth is obviously 'They Reminisce Over You (T.R.O.Y.)', dedicated to the memory of one of Heavy D's dancers. Dedicated crate-digger Pete Rock used an incredible saxophone loop, which works as the hook for this song. Fitting the vibe of the song perfectly are CL Smooth's, well, smooth, laid-back vocals, making this track one of the finest that hip-hop has to offer.
In 1994, Pete Rock and CL Smooth released Mecca and the Soul Brother's follow-up The Main Ingredient after which they parted ways. Pete Rock went on to become one of hip-hop's best and most respected producers, working with Common, Method Man, Redman, Nas, Slick Rick and Rakim along with an endless amount of remixes for other artists.
Tracklist:
1. The Return of the Mecca (Country Preacher- Cannonball Adderly/ You The Fool-The Three Degrees/ Long Red-Mountain)
2. For Petes Sake (Gimmie Some!- Freddy McCoy/ The Rill Thing- Little Richard/ N.T.-Kool & The Gang/ Come Live With Me- Dorothy Ashby)
3. Ghettos of the Mind (Ghettos of the Mind- Bama the Village Poet)
4. Lots of Lovin (Players Balling Players Doing They Own Thang, Whats Going On- The Ohio Players)
5. Act Like u Know (Freedom Death Dance- Eugene McDaniels/ Cameo- Eddie Semay/ Down Here on the Ground- Grant Green and Diane Reeves/The Awakening-Woody Shaw/ )
6. Straighten it Out (Bootleggin- Simtec and Wylie/ Heighty Hi- Mongo Santa Maria/ Chocolate Buttermilk- Kool and the Gang/ Our Generation- Ernie Hines)
7. Wig Out (Turbulence- Eddie Harris)
8. Anger in the Nation (Talk to the People- Les Mcann/ Sing a Simple Song- Sly and the Family Stones/ Funky President- James Brown)
9. They Reminisce Over You (When She Made Me a Promise- The Beginning of the End/ Today, Deliver Me- Tom Scott and The California Dreamers/ Say it Loud Im Black and Im Proud- James Brown)
10. On and On (Tell Me How do you Feel- Lee Michaels/ Ode to Billy Joe- Lou Donaldson
11. Its Like That (Mongoose- Elephants Memory)
12. Cant Front on Me (Where Do I Go?- Alyn Ainsworth/ Dont Change Your Love- The Five StairSteps/ Synthetic Substitution- Melvin Bliss)
13. The Creator (Slide to the Slide) - No Info.
14. Mecca and The Soul Brother (Remix) No Info, Featuring C.L. Smooth
15. The Basement (Risin to the Top- Keni Burke/ Atomic Dog- George Clinton/ Season of the Witch- Mike Bloomsfield, Al Kooper and Stephen Stills/ Bam Bam- Sister Nancy)
16. If it Aint Rough it Aint Right (Bluses and Pants- James Brown/ Dr. Funkenstein- Parliament/
Tresspassin' - Skull Snaps)
17. Skins (Funky President- James Brown/ Down Home Girl- The Coasters/ McArthur Park- The Three Degrees)
other samples off the album not mentioned
Soul Brother #1 was not included in the Instrumental Album, Mecca and the Soul Brother (Remix) was added, however these are the samples off that cut (Soul Brother #1): Pain- Ohio Players/ Bubble Gum/ Soul Man- Charles "Sweet" Sherrell/ Headless Heroes- Eugene McDaniels/ Long Red- Mountain/ The Grunt- The J.B.'s
Released June 9, 1992
Recorded 1991-1992
Producers Pete Rock, CL Smooth, Large Professor
WMG, ELECTRA 60948