Happy 25th: Pete Rock and C.L. Smooth, MECCA AND THE SOUL BROTHER
25 years ago this month, Pete Rock and C.L. Smooth released their debut album, an LP which has since gone on to be seen (and heard) as one of the best hip-hop albums ever.
Produced by the duo themselves, along with Large Professor, one of the founding members of Main Source, MECCA AND THE SOUL BROTHER is arguably best known for its first single, “They Reminisce Over You (T.R.O.Y.),” which featured samples from tracks by The Beginning of the End, Tom Scott & The California Dreamers, and James Brown’s “Funky President (People It’s Bad).” It was a huge hit on the Billboard Rap Singles chart, climbing all the way to #1, but it also made impressive waves elsewhere, going top-10 on the R&B / Hip-Hop Singles chart and even hitting #58 on the Hot 100.
Both of the album’s other singles, “Straighten It Out” and “Lots of Lovin,” were also sizable hits on the Rap Singles chart, with the former hitting #7 and the latter actually becoming the duo’s second chart-topper. Alas, neither hit the Hot 100, so it can’t be said that they achieved full crossover success, but they both made it into the 60s on the R&B / Hip-Hop Singles, so they were definitely getting expanded appreciation.
That expansion has only continued over the years: when The Source compiled its list of the top 100 hip-hop albums of all time, you’d better believe that MECCA AND THE SOUL BROTHER was in the mix.