Mecca and the Soul Brother
Studio album by
Pete Rock & CL Smooth
ReleasedJune 9, 1992[1]
StudioGreene St. Recording (Manhattan, New York)
Genre
Length77:23 (CD)
85:14 (2xLP/MC)
LabelElektra
Producer
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
  1. "They Reminisce Over You (T.R.O.Y.)"
    Released: April 2, 1992
  2. "Straighten It Out"
    Released: 1992
  3. "Lots of Lovin'"
    Released: February 1993

Mecca and the Soul Brother is the 1992 debut album from hip-hop 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.[2][3] 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 song, but also one of hip hop's most highly regarded songs.[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
SourceRating
AllMusic[5]
Encyclopedia of Popular Music[6]
Entertainment WeeklyC+[7]
RapReviews9.5/10[8]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[9]
The Source4/5[10]

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.[11] 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.

Accolades

Publication Country Accolade Year Rank
About.com United States 100 Greatest Hip-Hop Albums 2008 #37
Ego Trip United States Hip Hop's 25 Greatest Albums by Year 1980–98 1999 #8
Exclaim! Canada 100 Records that Rocked 100 Issues 2000 *
Rolling Stone United States The Essential Recordings of the 90s 1999 *
Rolling Stone United States The 200 Greatest Hip-Hop Albums of All Time 2022 #130
The Source United States The 100 Best Rap Albums of All Time 1998 *
Mojo UK Mojo 1000, the Ultimate CD Buyers Guide 2001 *
(*) designates lists that are unordered.

Track listing

# Title Performer(s) Time
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" 5:22
15 "If It Ain't Rough, It Ain't Right" 5:04
16 "Skinz" 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: February 1993
  • B-side: "It's Not A Game"

Chart history

Album

Chart (1992) Peak
position
US Billboard 200[12] 43
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[13] 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 -

The first single "They Reminisce Over You (T.R.O.Y.)" appeared in the 2003 video game NBA Street Vol. 2, the 2011 video game Madden NFL 12 and NBA 2K18, as well as in the Netflix series Master of None. All of the episode titles of the season 2 of Luke Cage are titles of songs from this album. The song "Soul Brother #1" appeared in the video game Tony Hawk's Underground 2.

References

  1. ↑ Chuck D (2017). Chuck D Presents This Day in Rap and Hip-Hop History. Running Press. ISBN 978-0-316-43098-2.
  2. ↑ "Rocklist.net...The Source 100 Best Rap Albums & Singles". Rocklistmusic.co.uk. Retrieved March 1, 2012.
  3. ↑ "The Greatest Hip-Hop Albums of all Time – Top 100 Rap/Hip-Hop Albums". Rap.about.com. January 26, 2012. Retrieved March 1, 2012.
  4. ↑ "Top 100 Rap Songs – These are the Top 100 Rap Songs that helped shaped Hip-Hop – Top 100 Rap Songs". Rap.about.com. January 26, 2012. Retrieved March 1, 2012.
  5. ↑ Stewart, Stanton. "Mecca and the Soul Brother – Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth". AllMusic. Retrieved October 24, 2010.
  6. ↑ Larkin, Colin (2011). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (5th concise ed.). Omnibus Press. ISBN 978-0-85712-595-8.
  7. ↑ Browne, David (July 17, 1992). "Mecca and the Soul Brother". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved October 24, 2010.
  8. ↑ Mennella, Dan (September 30, 2003). "Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth :: Mecca and the Soul Brother :: Elektra Records". RapReviews. Retrieved October 24, 2010.
  9. ↑ Relic, Peter (2004). "Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. p. 695. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
  10. ↑ Matty C (May 1992). "Pete Rock & CL Smooth: Mecca & The Soul Brother". The Source (32).
  11. ↑ Paine, Jake (October 21, 2010). "DJ Premier Confirms "Pete Rock vs. DJ Premier" Album In The Works". HipHopDX. Archived from the original on April 30, 2015. Retrieved March 1, 2012.
  12. ↑ "Pete Rock Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard.
  13. ↑ "Pete Rock Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard.
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