Pete Rock & CL Smooth - Mecca And The Soul Brother (June 9, 1992)

Check out that flat cap. Stylin', yo.

So in 1991, the dynamic duo of Peter Phillips and Corey Penn, bka Pete Rock & CL Smooth, released an EP that firmly established these two as a force that's capable of doing BIG things in this game of hip hop. Aided by the Grand Puba-written The Creator, All Souled Out did good enough numbers to warrant a full-LP budget from the fuckheads at Elektra. Of course, this was back when sampling was treated properly. You know, before guys like Comby ruined this particular art form for mainstream rap forever.

Yes, sampling was once a very recognized factor in the making of hip hop music. This particular approach was vastly popularized by great and incomparable legends like DJ Premier, Large Professor, Q-Tip and Pete Rock himself. Because I'm reviewing his album, I'm going to stick with his output for now.

Speaking of which, the critical acclaim that All Souled Out gathered entailed some important call-ins for our duo, with most of them usually asking for Pete. Which is a damn shame really, as Corey has proven on the EP that he is nothing if not a phenomenal MC. The first of those features was a big-time showing on the late great Heavy D's album Peaceful Journey, where Pete produced two songs for Hev, who is incidentally Pete's first cousin. The most important of those two was the single Don't Curse, a who's who of hip hop heavyweights of that era which included the following: Hev on two verses (because it's his album, see), Puba (CL's cousin), Kool G Rap, Big Daddy Kane, A Tribe Called Quest's Q-Tip and thankfully CL Smooth himself. Oh, and Pete rhymes as well. His own rhymes this time, and it showed. Painfully. Those who were expecting the blazing display on The Creator were in for a horrible awakening. Nevertheless, the song did its job of elevating Pete as a producer worth his weight in gold, because he was commissioned to do a shit ton of remixes right after that. And that's when Public Enemy came knocking. Remember, this was when Public Enemy were the absolute hottest act in rap, so this was big.  The resulting remix of Shut Em Down is nothing short of timeless, even with Pete Rock's cornball-ass rhymes threatening to ruin the show once again. I heard that there was a version without Pete's rhymes on there, so if you happen to find it hold on to it for dear life. Anyways, great remix. Probably his best ever, although I must mention his fine work on Das EFX' Real Hip Hop remix in there, as well. Funny thing is, Pete also did a remix to Nighttrain, yet another PE track, and that remix featured CL on them rhymes. Once again, the issue I have with Pete somehow pushing himself as a bigger lyrical presence than Corey on the hit singles rears its ugly head, but I've gone about that long enough in the last review.

Believe me, Pete's remixes warrant an entire discography devoted exclusively to them. On the production front, though, PR followed that up with some sweet production on ATCQ's Jazz (We've Got) and Main Source's Vamos A Rapiar. Well, in the second case, he simply found the sample whereas Large Professor was the one who worked on the entire beat, yet Pete still got co-credit. Unlike what happened on Jazz (We've Got), where Pete did the whole beat, then Q-Tip re-did the beat exactly the way Pete made it, and all Pete got was a shoutout. Well, PR says he's over it now, and judging by the fact that he worked on Illmatic with Tip later on, I'd say there's a fair share of truth to that.

Frustrating thing is, I wish I could say the same about CL Smooth's solo moves. I will say, however, that CL has always showed his lyrical progress when partnered alongside his DJ and the album I'm reviewing today might not be any different in that particular aspect.

Of course, no mention of Mecca And The Soul Brother the album is complete without mentioning its lead single They Reminisce Over You, widely considered as the absolute peak of both PR & CL's respective careers. Now of course, they released another single before the proper album called Straighten It Out which was pretty dope, but T.R.O.Y. is the single that people still talk about. Story time: I've established that our duo were very tight with the late great Heavy D and his group the Boyz. Well, apparently the glue that kept all of these guys together was one Troy Dixon, backup dancer and best friend to Heavy D and his Boyz, so naturally he was very close to Pete Rock as well. How he met CL Smooth is the stuff of Mount Vernon myth: Apparently, CL and him got into a legendary street fight that ended with them becoming steadfast friends. Unfortunately in late 1990, Troy (nicknamed Trouble T-Roy) fell to his immediate death in an accident caused by honest-to-God innocent fun. He stumbled off a ledge that just so happened to be at a considerably dangerous height. Now, because he lost his life in a pure accident, this somehow hit his family and friends even harder. Which is understandable because there's nobody to focus the negative emotions you feel on. Especially when someone that young dies from something that unexpected. This single was the result of that.

T.R.O.Y. was an immediate smash that tore through the hip hop world, especially with its unparalleled ability to aid a grieving human soul. It has now become so big that many hip hop historians have listed it as the absolute greatest song in hip hop history. While I completely understand their passion for it, I am steadfast in my stance AGAINST ranking art in any way, shape or form. You can mention your preferences, but generalizing is a definite no-no in my book. But you still understand the magnitude of this song now, so you better get ready for this album I'm about to hit you with.

Pete Rock & CL Smooth's sophomore, boy/girl. (Pick one)

RETURN OF THE MECCA
Remember my remark about Mecca in the previous review? I told you I'll get back to it.

First of all, I have to ask: Why is it that a sizable portion of good hip hop songs just have to come with putrid intros?! Second and most importantly, I have only the following to say about this intro: Please learn Arabic. And after you do, please read their history books. You will eventually find that most of what is being preached here to be inspired by the teachings of Louis Farrakhan's NOI and Clarence Smith's 5% Nation and to be absolute psychobabble. Normally, I am above badmouthing another person's belief but this intro, along with that godawful Wu-Revelation track on Wu-Tang Forever, attempts to directly dishonor the beliefs of over 1.5 billion human beings on the planet. It doesn't even matter if it's doing so willingly or not, that is something I cannot ignore.

Once again, thank God for iTunes, because I haven't listened to that intro ever since I figured out how to skip to the 39th second, which is the duration of this blasphemy.

As for the song itself? I don't mind it one bit. CL's always branded himself the Mecca Don, which can mean the Mecca in Ohio. Or Texas. Or Tennessee. Or Missouri. Or Indiana. Or Florida. Or California. I simply don't give a shit. As long as it doesn't contain any reference to Wallace Fard's teachings. So of course, this was a dazzling punchline display by CL, befitting of the famed b-side that gave this album its name. One thing I forgot to mention about Corey here, and this is for all you lyrical heads out there, is that his rhyming choices forerun a certain Ghostface Killah, critically acclaimed for his unique blend of imagery and punchlines. Well, pay close enough attention to CL's rhymes, and sure enough you'll notice that he follows a very similar lyrical pattern, even though they sound and flow nothing like each other: See, CL also utilizes a unique blend of imagery and punchlines all his own, and he's been doing so ever since All Souled Out. It is for that reason that I absolutely refuse to listen to anyone front on him in general as an MC. As for PR? You needn't doubt him bringing the goods behind them boards, because he did so something proper. His Mountain loop is a thing of sonic beauty, with dashes of Three Degrees and Tom Scott sprinkled throughout. Remember the name Tom Scott. Just saying.

FOR PETE'S SAKE

A mere two tracks in and this album's already hitting a brilliant stride. All it took from Pete was a Freddie McCoy xylophone loop interwoven with bits of Kool & The Gang, Sly & The Family Stone and Tyrone Washington. If your head doesn't nod for even a slight second from the resulting beat, you need your heart checked. Corey obviously takes the music to heart and starts spitting for his life before long, with one of the man's most quotable verses ever. Of course, Grand Puba answers his cousin's challenge perfectly, penning an equally quotable sixteen. Corey comes back to close out the song with a verse that establishes his superiority over his cousin on Pete's beat. What the hell am I doing mentioning Grand Puba when he's nowhere to be heard on this song, you ask? Well, I'm going to keep doing this every time Pete spits a verse completely written by someone else, in this case Grand Puba. Just to show you how jarring this practice is to me and to simply open your eyes. You're welcome.

GHETTOS OF THE MIND
And somehow, PR finds yet another killer loop in the same Mountain song sampled on Return Of The Mecca. This time though, he couples it with touches of Maceo just enough to give it a different flavor, and the gamble works magnificently. CL, however, didn't get the memo. I say this because the man turns in one hell of a thesis regarding ghetto life and its many pitfalls while highlighting a major cause: the song's title. I wish I could say this was a perfect marriage of beat and rhymes, though. This song suffers because of the decision to match such a beat with these lyrics, as they clearly deserve something more worthy. That decision falls squarely on Mr. Chocolate Boy Wonder's shoulders, so he's the reason the song isn't as awesome as it could've been.

LOTS OF LOVIN'
Didn't take long to venture into this sappy bullshit, did it? Literally, everything about this crap screams 'corporate cash-in'. From Pete's various Ohio Players samples to Corey's slippery rhymes, this was a definite misfire. I get the allure of a guy with Corey's voice pitch spitting love raps to women left and right, but I ain't feeling. You knew this was coming, mind you.

ACT LIKE YOU KNOW
Yet another Pete Rock/Large Professor collaboration. This time it's the other way around, where LP found one of the samples, the Woody Shaw one I presume, and PR flipped it into a banging beat and gave LP the co-producer credit. But not before adding some Eddie Senay guitars and Grant Green organs in the mix. As for CL, you'll rarely find a better trace of Ghostface's lyrical lineage to him than this song here. You tell me just how similar are the following lines: CL's "I stand by the rabbi, sail in Shanghai/Always had an alibi even if I lie" to Ghost's "I ran the Dark Ages, Constantine the Great, Henry the 8th/Build with Genghis Khan, the red suede Wally Don". Uncanny, right? Regardless of what you thought, this was pretty friggin' awesome.

STRAIGHTEN IT OUT
The second single. One that easily tends to get brushed aside when compared to the monster preceding it, T.R.O.Y.  It must be noted that this track's is almost of equal importance, since both the lyrics and the beat tackle the forever-relevant issue of music piracy. Now, let's be honest: I'm sure each and every person who fell in love with 90s boom bap during at least the past seven years has sampled an album or two off the internet. Way the cookie crumbles, really. Well, back in the actual 90s it was called bootlegging, our subject for this song. PR goes in with the Simtec & Wylie sample (actually called Bootleggin') bookending a majestic mashup of Ernie Hines and Kool & The Gang. CL answers his partner's challenge with three distinct verses, each one aimed at a specific threat to their musical fortunes: First is a dart aimed at bootleggers that still features some punchline flexing. Second is a shot fired at the musicians sampled, and how greedy they were getting in charging for their samples. As we all know, they got too fucking greedy. The third verse is the most overlooked but probably the most deserving of attention, for it schools the aspiring musician on formatting a solid business plan and not fuck it up for the rest. That and some more punchlines mixed with out of left field imagery. If I were to look at theses songs as a duel between MC and DJ, which seems to be the way everyone else looks at them, CL would definitely take this one.

SOUL BROTHER #1
Oh look, Grand Puba's back to give us yet another solo number, after his hit The Creator created a fairly big splash on the previous EP. Understandably, this might aggravate a reader of this blog that might misunderstand this as false advertising but hey, who's keeping track, right? So Pete constructs a monolithic beat for Puba's lyrics that welds together a trio of samples from Eugene McDaniels, Ohio Players and 9th Creation respectively, fleshing the result out with a sublime JBs sample chopped up and flipped to aid in the beat's progress. Puba keeps matters within the punchline realm, where his work remains revered to this day. So yeah, Pete hit the jackpot with this one.

WIG OUT
We now come to one of my favorite beats on the entire project, and the one I admittedly revisit the most. And it's all because of that Johnny Lytle xylophone sample, punctured by a sweet Eddie Harris sax note. You know, I'm slowly coming to the realization that Pete's signature sound being horns was a very rushed judgment of the man's ear for music, as he's proven with this track and For Pete's Sake that his ear for xylophones is even better. Props to him sampling Puba lines from The Creator. Corey, on the other hand, keeps true to the song's title and simply wigs out. This time, he chooses to add a ton of references to his already-successful blend of imagery and punchlines, thereby further establishing just how much people are sleeping on dude. True story: I almost crashed my car while listening to this song because I was enjoying it a bit too much.

ANGER IN THE NATION
After a short Les McCann sample, PR makes sure he doesn't repeat his mistake on Ghettos Of The Mind by giving CL the most suitable backdrop possible for his most focused lyrics ever. Never mind the 5% references in the first verse, he makes sure to highlight a set of the most glaring problems facing African Americans. And you can't help but admire how he still paid attention to flow throughout the track. Unfortunately, even though these two made this song as a commentary to the 1992 LA riots, the issues presented here are even more relevant today. This song is essential hip hop, folk.

THEY REMINISCE OVER YOU (T.R.O.Y.)
What a way to follow up the social commentary! The first single, boy/girl, (pick one) and you bet your doughy, smelly ass it still lives up to every bit of acclaim it accumulated throughout the years. Remember Tom Scott? The name from the first song review? Yeah, well this dude made a record, also sampled in the first song, and this record fell into Large Professor's hands, who gave it to Pete. That's right, fellow lonely soul: Pete didn't discover the sample. LP did. Although in the end, he did cut up the sample in various ways and make this beat from top to bottom similarly to both situations on Vamos A Rapiar and Act Like You Know, respectively. So, I must wonder: Why didn't you give LP the co-producer credit this time, o' Chocolate Boy Wonder?! (Pun very much intended) I've already talked about the inspiration behind the song's title, but I've yet to discuss the lyrical content itself besides highlighting its ability to aid a grieving human soul. This is one of the greatest mourning songs in hip hop, scratch that, in musical history. And according to Pete, the sheer emotion Corey and him went through when they lost Troy drove them to grieve in their own way separately. Only when Corey heard what Pete was working on was he inspired to spit the timeless rhymes you hear today on this particular beat. Of course, Pete was blown away with the three verses dedicated to Corey's mom, stepdad & Troy himself respectively, thereby establishing Corey as an authority in introspective MCing. So Pete went back to the beat and flipped the Tom Scott sample a few extra times to achieve the best result possible. This timeless piece of music is what we got, so if by any chance you're reading this review and you still haven't stopped, looked for the song on YouTube and listened to it, do so now. You're welcome.

ON AND ON
Damn, CL's killing it with the reflection! His first verse is a semi-biography that still makes you nod your head with his amazing attention to flow despite all the lyrical wizardry he's displaying. The second verse is basically a lyrical anti-establishment exercise, one that works fairly well I might add. The third verse is straight up MCing, pure and simple. And you know for damn sure by now how good CL can be at that. Props to the line: "But the past can never choose my future correctly/I found a greater source directly." On the musical front, we have PR answering his partner with one of the most complex beats on the entire album, one that constructs the main loop out of three samples: Lee Michaels, Kool & The Gang and mostly Jimmy McGriff. And the end result is pretty dope, if a bit underwhelming given all the ingredients. Still a damn good song.

IT'S LIKE THAT
A prominent Elephant's Memory sample assaults your senses (I honestly mean that as a compliment) after Pete's opening ad-lib (trust me, I'll get to those) which lets you know it's lyrical dominance exhibition time. Corey answers the invitation spectacularly, might I add, in what is ultimately a perfect marriage between beat and rhymes this time. Excellent track. Next!

CAN'T FRONT ON ME
Another braggadocious display by CL that almost totally eclipses his performance on the preceding song. I say 'almost' because his Arabic reference was simply ill-attempted: He was basically saying "Thank You" and "You're Welcome" to himself. That just sounds weird. Nevertheless, his performance on the rest of the track was truly stellar. PR also displays his patented wizardry behind the boards with him combining Dave Wintour with a sample from the same Tyrone Washington song he's used on For Pete's Sake. All in all? A great song.

THE BASEMENT (FEATURING INI, HEAVY D & DEDI)
The crew's first venture into posse cut territory, and by all accounts their biggest one yet. Pete sets the backdrop with the timeless Sister Nancy sample popularized by Large Professor on Just Hangin' Out, merged with a famed Keni Burke sample and surrounded by Lee Michaels and that Season Of The Witch note. The result is, and I know I've used this word many times but it's the only one that fits this beat, monolithic. You feel like you're in a city-large palace of hip hop, where the MCs present proceed to bring the palace down with their respective performances. Props to DJ Premier for making Heavy D's hit "Here Comes The Heavster" from one bar out of this song. Something to note, though: Seems to me that Pete finally got his lyrical act together. Hooray! A triumph on more than one front!

IF IT AIN'T ROUGH, IT AIN'T RIGHT
CL's back for dolo this time, and he's in the unenviable position of following up the mammoth song prior. He fails of course, but the important thing here is the effort, right? Well, his effort was a punchline clinic. Truly well played, good sir. PR goes absolutely crazy on his sample selection here, truly contending for the title 'Mad Scientist' that various producers seem to call themselves. He builds a smorgasbord of samples over the main Skull Snaps one, including bits of James Brown, Nautilus, Talking Heads, Parliament and Stetsasonic. About damn time I mentioned these dudes on this blog! Nevertheless, this song did the best it could, which is pretty damn good in the end.

SKINZ (FEATURING GRAND PUBA)
I fucking hate this song. No ways about it. The beat pisses me off, with that loud sax sample serving as the main loop seeming as if it's doing its damnedest to piss you off as much as you can. And you know damn well what I feel about the lyrics. it's just something about sex raps and their frequency that screams insecurity. But the thing that pissed me off the most about this song was a discovery I made long after I burned this song into my brain. I used to listen to everything back then. Story time: Remember how happy I was with Pete's lyrical contribution on The Basement? I was totally convinced that his lyrical days of woe were behind him. How could I not be? You heard his lyrics. That is, until one of my boys smugly showed me a reference on Discogs that one of the writers on this song here was one Robert Odindo. Who the fuck is Robert Odindo, you ask? He's none other than Rob-fucking-O from In-fucking-I, and he spit a magnificent contribution on The Basement right after Pete's supposed lyrics. Sure enough, I carefully studied their respective verses and Pete's bars damn sure sound like Rob's. Now do you feel the disappointment setting in? This is what happens when you realize that some of your favorite lyrics that make you love a certain rapper's work weren't written by him. Fuck this song. Fuck Pete's decision to end the album with it. And fuck Pete's decision to not admit that he's absolute shit on the mic. (Any problems you might have with me, Pete, remember that I love your production. Which where you get your bread from, anyways. If you want to add something I don't know, sound off in the comments section below. It's there for a reason.)

FINAL THOUGHTS
Two songs and a stupid-ass intro aside, Mecca And The Soul Brother realizes every bit of potential All Souled Out hinted at. This was a very focused LP from two very focused individuals: CL Smooth was a revelation of an MC on the EP, but here he delivers consistently breathtaking performances song after song. Whether it's his enviable ability to merge flow with substance and skill, or it's his confidence shining through conscious as well as boastful songs. Pete Rock, on the other hand, really elevates the legacy of his production that he built through his remixes here with his endlessly-talented ear for new music. On a different note: I flatly refuse to acknowledge the lyrics he didn't write as some lyrical accomplishment on his part. And yes, that unfortunately includes his contribution to The Basement. Furthermore, I must address the most irritating thing about him: His fucking ad-libs on every goddamn song. They seem to get more and more annoying with each passing track. For some people, this is an experience-ruining flaw. For others (myself included), I eventually tuned them out and focused on the quality music present on this here album. This was a definite win for all parties involved.

WORTH IT? I'm sorry, but we can no longer be friends if you don't get this album, study it and repeat the experience over and over and over again. Go listen to your Desiigners.

TRACKS TO TRACK DOWN:
IT'S NOT A GAME
This one's a b-side of the 1993 Lots Of Lovin' single. Ugh, I hate that song. This one, on the other hand, features a single solitary second of a Compost guitar number looped to infinity, surrounded by vocal samples from Willie Henderson. Yet somehow, PR makes it work. CL decides that this should be an exercise in bragging, even though the first verse is one of the more filthier sex raps he spit in his career. The hook, though, is either so bad you'll enjoy it, or so bad you'll turn the shit off. I happen to fall in the category of 'so bad I friggin' loved it'. This was pretty entertaining.

DEATH BECOMES YOU (FEATURING THE YG'Z)
This contribution to the Menace II Society soundtrack was originally intended as a parody of all the violent rap songs that began emerging in the early 90’s. In time, it was looked at as one, too, and it's not really hard to see why. Corey manages to fit all the curses, violent threats and thuggery he would ever need had he become a gangster-rapper (a fucking ludicrous branding if you ask me) in three venom-filled verses. Thing is, he's so good here that for a brief moment, you actually believe he's been one all his life. Of course, the only possible guests for such a song were the YG'z, the duo of Kenny Austin and Tommy Guest: Two rappers from Mount Vernon who ran with Pete & Corey during their come-up days, and while they're nothing special on that mic, they get the job done. Unlike the last rapper here, Pete himself, who manages yet again to utterly embarrass himself. I'm fed up with this guy's lyrics, to be honest, to the point I'm even doubting that the one good bar in his verse, 'I'm Menace like Dennis so don't try to play me close', isn't even his. You want proof? The following bar doesn't even rhyme with this one! All in all, I'm still happy. Because the three average-to-wack rappers on here always come after a scathing verse from Corey that softens the blow. So, this is still worth your time and investment.

For more on the Soul Brother, here.