Pete Rock & CL Smooth

Hailing from the little town of Mt. Vernon, NY, right next to the Bronx, Pete Rock & CL Smooth pretty much got together in their local high school when Pete noticed CL's dope and unique voice. After high school, Pete hooked up a weekend hip-hop show on WBLS-FM and was considered one of NY's premier DJ's during his four year stint on the show. Towards the end of it, Pete & CL got together on Johnny Gill's remix for "Rub U The Right Way" with CL dropping a verse and Pete on the boards. From this point on, things really began to pick up for the two. They hooked up with Elektra Records and released their debut EP, "All Souled Out". Apart from the fact that CL was a very tight MC who could always be counted on for dropping a few gems on every track he makes, it was the phenominal production by Pete Rock which really drew people to this EP. If the legendary DJ Mark The 45 King was the first producer to incorporate horns in their music, Pete Rock was the first to really perfect this new style of production with his trademark echoing horns laced throughout his music. This was done very nicely on two of the cuts off the EP, 'Creator' and 'Mecca & The Soul Brother', and people were taking notice in a big way.

After the solid Mecca/Creator 12", the duo unleased one of those all-time classic LP's every MC dreams of having, "Mecca & The Soul Brother". I must say, this album should serve as a model for what every hip-hop producer should strive for when they lay down tracks for an artist. Very rarely do you ever come across close to 80 minutes of music with little need to skip to the next track. That's how good this album is. Quite a few of the songs on here are very monumental: 'They Reminisce Over You', 'Straighten It Out', 'Ghettos Of The Mind', and even 'Lots Of Lovin' to name a few... These are the types of songs that can literally make you cry - damn, they were playing TROY at funerals everywhere. I don't care how many remixes or appearences these two have made on other people's work, nothing has and most likely will ever match the chemistry and emotion of these incredible songs.

For the next couple of years, Pete was one of the most sought after producers in the business, doing production for his cousin Heavy D, House of Pain (Jump Around Remix), Jeru The Damaja (Prophet Remix), Nas (Member of the "Illmatic" dream team) and so on. One of the annoying things that started as a result of Pete's work were these biting producers who milked the whole horn thing to death. It seemed like every record in that 2 year period was sure to feature some sort of nickel and dime horn sample. Ah well, "Mecca..." was still dope regardless but it was clear that Pete had to somehow change up his style.

As a result, Pete Rock & CL Smooth's sophmore LP had a much different feel to it. So much so that there was maybe only one song on the entire LP which featured some sort of a horn-type sample. Everything else was pretty much on the mellow vibe tip. The wierd thing about this LP was the fact that in the beginning, many heads simply hated it accusing it of being too soft and R&Bish. But then, as people started checking for the album a year or two later, they liked it so much more. Like "Mecca..." it was well over 70 min. in length and well worth the price of an average LP. Sure it was laced with a bunch of Lots of Lovingish type R&B influenced songs but the standout cuts like 'Get On The Mic' made it well worth your while. Even still, all was not well with the duo in '94/'95...

With the dismal commercial response of the album, it seemed that they had no other choice but to go their seperate ways. For the next couple of years, they did a few sporadic solo efforts on movie soundtracks or simply producing other artists' work. However, in '97, they officially got back together again but there hasn't been any word on whether a new album is in the makings just yet.

Albums

All Souled Out - Elektra 1991 (61175)		The groundbreaking EP that started it all off for this Mt. Vernon duo. It showcased the beginnings of some of Pete's trademark horn influenced production and CL's "Smooth", buttery flow. 'Good Life' and 'Go With The Flow' were very nice cuts but most everyone will agree that 'The Creator' and 'Mecca and the Soul Brother' were the real gems on this one.		Good Life Mecca & The Soul Brother Go With the Flow The Creator All Souled Out Good Life (Group Home Mix)
Mecca And The Soul Brother - Elektra 1992 (60948)		This LP is about as solid an LP as you will ever hear in your lifetime. Very rarely do you ever encounter an album that is so damn good from front to back. The production is fresh and blends in exceptionally well with CL's rhymes. In all honesty, there isn't a bad song on this one, NOT ONE, but there are some stand-out cuts like 'Ghettos of the Mind', 'T.R.O.Y.', 'Wig Out','Act Like You Know', and of course, the nice posse cut, 'The Basement'. Overall, this was probably the best album of '92, some of the most moving and beautiful music to date.		Return of the Mecca For Pete's Sake Ghettos of the Mind Lots of Lovin Act Like You Know Straighten It Out Soul Brother #1 Wig Out Anger in the Nation They Reminisce Over You (T.R.O.Y.) On and On It's Like That Can't Front on Me The Creator (Remix) (LP Bonus Track) Mecca And The Soul Brother (Remix) (LP Bonus Track) The Basement If It Ain't Rough, It Ain't Right Skinz
The Main Ingredient - Elektra 1994 (61661)		Coming off the heels of the outstanding "Mecca and the Soul Brother", "The Main Ingredient" serves up a slightly different sound and creative direction in PR & CL's music. More precisely, quite a few of the songs on this album could be considered a 'Lots of Lovin Pt. 2' with not as hard an edge to them both lyrically and musically as with the previous album. Although most (including myself) thought there were a bit too many of these song on this album, they were generally very well done and made for some nice listening. But don't worry, there are some incredibly dope tracks on this LP that still kept Pete Rock & CL Smooth's credibility and reputation in check: 'In The House', 'I Get Physical', 'The Main Ingredient', and 'Get On The Mic'.		In The House Carmel City I Get Physical Sun Won't Come Out I Got A Love Escape The Main Ingredient Worldwide All The Places Tell Me Take You There Searching Check It Out In The Flesh It's On You Get On The Mic

Singles

Good Life- Elektra 1991 (ED 5544)		Not too much here to excited about as both tracks are featured on the EP. As the title already suggests, 'Good Life' basically discusses people's dreams of living the "good life". Both mixes are nice and feature typical Pete Rock production.		Good Life (EP Mix) Good Life (Group Home Mix)
The Creator/Mecca And The Soul Brother - Elektra (5587)		A wicked compliment to their groundbreaking EP, this 12" pretty much started off the trend of high quality 12" releases that DJ's have always grown to love from these two. With great mixes of the two strongest cuts off the EP, especially the incredible Wig Out mix of Mecca..., how could you go wrong with this one? [Big shouts go to Alexander Poulikakos at the Hip Hop Vinyl Heaven for hooking me up to real audio of the Surfboard & Wig Out remixes.]		The Creator (Radio Edit) The Creator (Slide To The Side Mix) The Creator (Surfboard Mix) The Creator (Instrumental) Mecca And The Soul Brother (Wig Out Mix) Mecca And The Soul Brother (EP Version) Mecca And The Soul Brother (Wig Out Instrumental)
They Reminisce Over You (T.R.O.Y.) - Elektra 1992 (66445)		Not a bad 12" to start off their debut LP. Featuring one of the greatest songs made from the duo, 'They Reminisce Over You', as well as previously available mixes of 'Creator', Pete Rock & CL Smooth were starting a real buzz around the hip-hop community as to just how solid their material is.		They Reminisce Over You (T.R.O.Y.) (Vocal) They Reminisce Over You (T.R.O.Y.) (Inst) Creator (Slide To The Side Remix) Creator (Slide To The Side Remix Inst) Creator (EP Mix - Vocal) Creator (EP Mix - Inst)
Straighten It Out - Elektra 1992 (66382)		Yet another VERY solid 12". Although it really wasn't necessary, PR&CL give a very different sounding TROY than the original. However, it works very well and serves as a nice change of pace to the very powerful LP version that we've all grown to love. Sure, the original 'Straighten It Out' was really not the best cut on the album (musically of course), but the remix is out of this world, easily surpassing many of the tracks on their LP in terms of quality.		Straighten It Out (Vocal) Straighten It Out (Vocal Remix) Straighten It Out (Instrumental) They Reminisce Over You (Remix) They Reminisce Over You (Remix Inst) Straighten It Out (Remix Instrumental)
Lots of Lovin - Elektra 1993 (66338)		I guess it was only time before the duo decided to release a single for many people's favorite track on the album, 'Lots Of Lovin'. In keeping with the quality of their previous 12" releases, Pete Rock & CL serve up cool little remix and then an entirely new B-Side that was never to appear on any of their albums. It's unfortunate as 'It's Not A Game' is a very tight track that could have fit nicely into "Mecca...".		Lots of Lovin (LP Version) Lots of Lovin (Remix) It's Not A Game (Vocal) It's Not A Game (Instrumental)
I Got A Love - Elektra 1994 (66196)		This lead off single for "The Main Ingredient" was pretty damn tight. The A-side, 'I Got A Love', was an obvious choice due to the popularity of 'Lots of Lovin' from the previous release. Surprisingly, the remix (typical of most Pete Rock remixes) was pretty tight and almost outshines the original. The b-side was none other than the title cut which features that hillarious KRS sample where he goes "Wooop-Wooop" on 'Sound of the Police'. [Thanks to Alexander Poulikakos at the Hip Hop Vinyl Heaven for hooking me up with the scan of this 12" cover.]		I Got A Love (LP Version) I Got A Love (Remix) I Got A Love (LP Instrumental) The Main Ingredient (LP Version) The Main Ingredient (Instrumental) I Got A Love (Remix Instrumental)
Take You There - Elektra 1994 (66181)		Considering the somewhat dissapointing response to their sophmore LP, PR&CL still managed to serve up another strong 12". While most weren't too fond of the original 'Take You There', the remix was actually very good due to a much improved beat and minus the cheesy R&B chorus. The B-Side, 'Get On The Mic', was the real treat on this record with both the phenomenal LP version and the slammin remix.		Take You There (LP Version) Take You There (LP Instrumental) Take You There (Remix) Take You There (Acappella) Get On the Mic (LP Version) Get On the Mic (Remix) Get On the Mic (LP Instrumental)
Searching - Elektra 1995 (5738)		Kind of a dumb 12" if you ask me. Not the greatest song on the album to be releasing plus there weren't any nice remixes either. I guess it was really a sign of the times for the duo as their unfortunate break-up was near.		Searching (LP Version) Searching (LP Instrumental)