Mecca and the Soul Brother

Mecca and the Soul Brother
Studio album by Pete Rock & CL Smooth
Released	June 9, 1992
Recorded	1991–92
Genre	Golden age hip hop, jazz rap, East Coast hip hop
Length	77:23 (CD) 85:14 (2xLP/MC)
Label	Elektra 60948
Producer	Pete Rock, CL Smooth, Large Professor
Pete Rock & CL Smooth chronology
All Souled Out (1991) Mecca and the Soul Brother (1992) The Main Ingredient (1994)
Singles from Mecca and the Soul Brother
"They Reminisce Over You (T.R.O.Y.)" Released: 1992 "Straighten It Out" Released: 1992 "Lots of Lovin" Released: 1993

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.)." Mecca and the Soul Brother has been widely acclaimed as one of the greatest hip hop albums of all time.^[1][2] The album was mostly produced by Pete Rock and Executive Produced by DJ Eddie F of Heavy D & The Boyz (co-group member with Trouble T-Roy).

Background

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 love ("Lots of Lovin'").

Reception

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.

Track listing

#	Title	Performer(s)	Producer(s)	Samples	Time
1	"Return of the Mecca"	Intro: Pete Rock Verses: C.L. Smooth Chorus: Pete Rock	Pete Rock, *C.L. Smooth	"You're the Fool" by The Three Degrees "Country Preacher" by Cannonball Adderley (intro) "Long Red" by Mountain "Mecca and the Soul Brother" by Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth	5:42
2	"For Pete's Sake"	Intro: Pete Rock First verse: C.L. Smooth Second verse: Pete Rock Third verse: C.L. Smooth Outro: Pete Rock	Pete Rock, *C.L. Smooth	"Come Live with Me" by Dorothy Ashby (intro) "Gimmie Some!" by Freddie McCoy "The Rill Thing" by Little Richard "N.T." by Kool & The Gang "Synthetic Substitution" by Melvin Bliss "Once in a Lifetime" by Talking Heads "It's My Thing" by EPMD "Just Rhymin' with Biz" by Big Daddy Kane featuring Biz Markie	5:48
3	"Ghettos of the Mind"	C.L. Smooth	Pete Rock, *C.L. Smooth	"Ghettos of the Mind" by Bama - the Village Poet "Long Red" by Mountain	5:01
4	"Lots of Lovin'"	Verses: C.L. Smooth Chorus: Terri Robinson / Tabitha Brace	Pete Rock, Nevelle Hodge, *C.L. Smooth	"What's Going On?" by Ohio Players "Player's Balling (Players Doin' Their Own Thing)" by Ohio Players (intro)	5:07
5	"Act Like You Know"	Verses: C.L. Smooth Chorus: Pete Rock	Pete Rock, *Large Professor, *C.L. Smooth	"Jagger the Dagger" by Eugene McDaniels (intro) "Cameo" by Eddy Senay "Down on the Ground" by Grant Green "The Awakening" by Woody Shaw	4:01
6	"Straighten It Out"	C.L. Smooth	Pete Rock, *C.L. Smooth	"Chocolate Buttermilk" by Kool & the Gang "Our Generation" by Ernie Hines "Bootleggin" by Simtec & Wylie (intro & outro) "Heighty Hi" by Mongo Santamaria	4:12
7	"Soul Brother #1"	Pete Rock	Pete Rock, *C.L. Smooth	"Pain" by Ohio Players "Bubble Gum" by 9th Creation "Soul Man" by Charles "Sweet" Sherrell "Headless Heroes" by Eugene McDaniels "Long Red" by Mountain "The Grunt" by The J.B.'s "You're A Customer" by EPMD	4:30
8	"Wig Out"	Intro: Pete Rock Verses: C.L. Smooth	Pete Rock, *C.L. Smooth	"Turbulence" by Eddie Harris (intro) "Jungle Child" by Johnny Lytle	4:10
9	"Anger in the Nation"	Intro: Adofo Abdullah Muhammad Verses: C.L. Smooth	Pete Rock, *C.L. Smooth	"Talk to the People" by Les McCann (intro) "Sing a Simple Song" by Sly & the Family Stone "Funky President" by James Brown "Synthetic Substitution" by Melvin Bliss	5:31
10	"They Reminisce Over You (T.R.O.Y.)"	C.L. Smooth	Pete Rock, *C.L. Smooth	"Today" by Tom Scott "Deliver Me" by Tom Scott "When She Made Me Promise" by The Beginning of the End (intro) "I'm Black and I'm Proud" by James Brown	4:44
11	"On and On"	Intro: Grap Luva Verses: C.L. Smooth	Pete Rock, *C.L. Smooth	"Tell Me How Do You Feel" by Lee Michaels "Ode to Billie Joe" by Lou Donaldson "Nobody Beats The Biz" by Biz Markie "Long Red" by Mountain	5:10
12	"It's Like That"	Intro: Pete Rock Verses: C.L. Smooth	Pete Rock, *C.L. Smooth	"Mongoose" by Elephant's Memory "Strictly for the Ladies" by Lord Finesse	3:55
13	"Can't Front on Me"	Intro: Pete Rock Verses: C.L. Smooth	Pete Rock, *C.L. Smooth	"Where Do I Go?" by Alyn Ainsworth "Don't Change Your Love" by Five Stairsteps "Synthetic Substitution" by Melvin Bliss "Nothingness" by Bama the Village Poet	4:18
14	"The Basement"	First verse: C.L. Smooth Second verse: Grap Luva Third verse: Heavy D. Fourth verse: Pete Rock Fifth verse: Rob-O Sixth verse: Deda	Pete Rock, *C.L. Smooth	"Expo 83" by The Backyard Heavies (intro) "Risin' to the Top" by Keni Burke "Atomic Dog" by George Clinton "Season of the Witch" by Mike Bloomfield/Al Kooper/Steve Stills "Bam Bam" by Sister Nancy "Just Hangin' Out" by Main Source "Mad Dog" by Lee Michaels	5:22
15	"If It Ain't Rough, It Ain't Right"	C.L. Smooth	Pete Rock, *C.L. Smooth	"Blues and Pants" by James Brown "Dr Funkenstein" by Parliament "Trespassin'" by Skull Snaps	5:04
16	"Skinz"	First verse: C.L. Smooth Second verse: Grand Puba Third verse: C.L. Smooth Fourth verse: Pete Rock Fifth verse: C.L. Smooth	Pete Rock, *C.L. Smooth	"Down Home Girl" by The Coasters "Funky President" by James Brown "McArthur Park" by The Three Degrees(intro)	4:14

Notes

• The cassette and 2xLP versions contain two bonus tracks: "The Creator (Remix)" and "Mecca And The Soul Brother (Remix)"
• (*) Symbolizes co-producer

Album singles

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.) (Remix)"
"Lots of Lovin" Released: 1993 B-side: "It's Not A Game"

Chart history

Album

Chart (1992)	Peak position
scope="row"	US Billboard 200[15]	43
scope="row"	US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[16]	7

Singles

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	-

Accolades

The information is taken from AcclaimedMusic.net.^[17] 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.

In popular culture

The first single "They Reminisce Over You (T.R.O.Y.)" appeared in the 2003 video game NBA Street Vol. 2 and the 2011 video game Madden NFL 12, as well as in the Netflix series Master of None.

References

1. "Rocklist.net...The Source 100 Best Rap Albums & Singles". Rocklistmusic.co.uk. Retrieved 2012-03-01.
2. "The Greatest Hip-Hop Albums of all Time - Top 100 Rap/Hip-Hop Albums". Rap.about.com. 2012-01-26. Retrieved 2012-03-01.
3. "They Reminisce Over You". Acclaimed Music. Retrieved 2012-03-01.
4. "Top 100 Rap Songs - These are the Top 100 Rap Songs that helped shaped Hip-Hop - Top 100 Rap Songs". Rap.about.com. 2012-01-26. Retrieved 2012-03-01.
5. Stewart, Stanton (March 3, 2008). Review: Mecca and the Soul Brother. Allmusic. Retrieved on 2010-10-24.
6. Considine, J.D. (July 10, 1992). Review: Mecca and the Soul Brother. The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved on 2010-10-24.
7. Christgau, Robert (1992). "Consumer Guide: Mecca and the Soul Brother". The Village Voice. Retrieved on 2010-10-24.
8. Browne, David (July 17, 1992). Review: Mecca and the Soul Brother. Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved on 2010-10-24.
9. Watrous, Peter (July 1, 1992). "The Pop Life". The New York Times. Retrieved May 12, 2010.
10. Mennella, Dan (September 30, 2003). Review: Mecca and the Soul Brother. RapReviews. Retrieved on 2010-10-24.
11. Hoard, Christian (November 2, 2004). "Review: Mecca and the Soul Brother". Rolling Stone: 695.
12. Malone, Bonz (October 1992). "Review: Mecca and the Soul Brother". Spin: 26.
13. Larkin, Colin (March 1, 2002). "Review: Mecca and the Soul Brother". Virgin Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Retrieved on 2010-10-24.
14. Paine, Jake (2010-10-21). "DJ Premier Confirms "Pete Rock vs. DJ Premier" Album In The Works | Get The Latest Hip Hop News, Rap News & Hip Hop Album Sales". HipHop DX. Retrieved 2012-03-01.
15. "Pete Rock – Chart history" Billboard 200 for Pete Rock.
16. "Pete Rock – Chart history" Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums for Pete Rock.
17. "Mecca and the Soul Brother at AcclaimedMusic.net". Retrieved June 22, 2007.

External links

• Mecca and the Soul Brother at Discogs
• Classic Material: The Hip-Hop Album Guide – Mecca and the Soul Brother — By Oliver Wang