Mecca and the Soul Brother

Mecca and the Soul Brother
Studio album by Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth
Released	June 9, 1992
Recorded	July 1991 - March 1992
Studio	Greene St. Studios (New York City, New York)
Genre	Hip hop, golden age hip hop, jazz rap, East Coast hip hop
Length	77:13
Label	Elektra
Producer	C.L. Smooth, Edward Ferrell (exec.), Nevelle Hodge, Large Professor, Pete Rock, Mr. Dante Ross (exec.)

Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth chronology
Previous	All Souled Out (1991)
Next	The Main Ingredient (1994)

Mecca and the Soul Brother is the debut studio album by American hip hop duo Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth, released in 1992 on Elektra Records. To date, Mecca and the Soul Brother has been widely acclaimed as one of the greatest hip hop albums of all time.

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.

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

Mecca and the Soul Brother brought considerable acclaim to the duo. They were often compared to Gang Starr, which also featured one MC, and a producer/DJ. 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

No.	Title	Performer(s)	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Tim
1.	"Return of the Mecca"	Pete Rock, C.L. Smooth	Penn, Phillips	Pete Rock, C.L. Smooth (co.)	5:42
2.	"For Pete's Sake"	Pete Rock, C.L. Smooth	Dixon, Penn, Phillips	Pete Rock, C.L. Smooth (co.)	5:48
3.	"Ghettos of the Mind"	C.L. Smooth	Penn, Phillips	Pete Rock, C.L. Smooth (co.)	5:01
4.	"Lots of Lovin"	C.L. Smooth	Hodge, Penn, Phillips	Pete Rock, Nevelle Hodge, C.L. Smooth (co.)	5:07
5.	"Act Like You Know"	C.L. Smooth, Pete Rock	Penn, Phillips	Pete Rock, Large Professor (co.), C.L. Smooth (co.)	4:01
6.	"Straighten It Out"	C.L. Smooth	Penn, Phillips	Pete Rock, C.L. Smooth (co.)	4:12
7.	"Soul Brother #1"	Pete Rock	Dixon, Phillips	Pete Rock, C.L. Smooth (co.)	4:30
8.	"Wig Out"	Pete Rock, C.L. Smooth	Penn, Phillips	Pete Rock, C.L. Smooth (co.)	4:10
9.	"Anger in the Nation"	C.L. Smooth	Muhammad, Penn, Phillips	Pete Rock, C.L. Smooth (co.)	5:31
10.	"They Reminisce Over You (T.R.O.Y.)"	C.L. Smooth	Penn, Phillips	Pete Rock, C.L. Smooth (co.)	4:44
11.	"On and On"	C.L. Smooth	Penn, Phillips	Pete Rock, C.L. Smooth (co.)	5:10
12.	"It's Like That"	Pete Rock, C.L. Smooth	Penn, Phillips	Pete Rock, C.L. Smooth (co.)	3:55
13.	"Can't Front on Me"	Pete Rock, C.L. Smooth	Penn, Phillips	Pete Rock, C.L. Smooth (co.)	4:18
14.	"The Basement"	C.L. Smooth, Grap Luva, Heavy D, Pete Rock, Rob-O, Deda	James, Myers, Odinda, Penn, Phillips	Pete Rock, C.L. Smooth (co.)	5:22
15.	"If It Ain't Rough, It Ain't Right"	C.L. Smooth	Penn, Phillips	Pete Rock, C.L. Smooth (co.)	5:04
16.	"Skinz"	C.L. Smooth, Grand Puba, Pete Rock	Dixon, Penn, Phillips	Pete Rock, C.L. Smooth (co.)	4:14

Notes

• Track 4 features background vocals performed by Terri Robinson and Tabitha Brace, and keyboards performed by Nevelle Hodge.

Samples

Return of the Mecca

• "Country Preacher" by The Cannonball Adderley Quintet
• "You're the Fool" by The Three Degrees
• "Long Red" by Mountain

For Pete's Sake

• "The Rill Thing" by Little Richard
• "Come Live With Me" by Dorothy Ashby
• "Gimme Some" by Freddie McCoy
• "N.T." by Kool & the Gang

Ghettos of the Mind

• "Ghettos of the Mind" by Bama the Village Poet
• "Long Red" by Mountain
• "Maceo" by Maceo & All the King's Men

Lots of Lovin'

• "Player's Balling (Players Doin' Their Own Thing)" by Ohio Players
• "North Carolina" by Les McCann
• "What's Going On?" by Ohio Players

Act Like You Know

• "Freedom Death Dance" by Eugene McDaniels
• "Get Out of My Life, Woman" by George Semper
• "Down Here on the Ground" by Grant Green

Straighten It Out

• "Bootleggin'" by Simtec & Wylie
• "Our Generation" by Ernie Hines
• "Chocolate Buttermilk" by Kool & the Gang

Soul Brother #1

• "Bubble Gum" by 9th Creation
• "The Grunt" by The J.B.'s
• "Headless Heroes" by Eugene McDaniels

Wig Out

• "Turbulence" by Eddie Harris
• "Jungle Child" by Johnny Lytle
• "Music Talk" by Georgie Fame

Anger in the Nation

• "Talk to the People" by Les McCann
• "Sing a Simple Song" by Sly & the Family Stone
• "Funky President (People It's Bad)" by James Brown

They Reminisce Over You (T.R.O.Y.)

• "When She Made Me Promise" by The Beginning of the End
• "Today" by Tom Scott and The California Dreamers

On and On

• "Ode to Billie Joe" by Lou Donaldson
• "The Bird" by Jimmy McGriff
• "Nobody Beats the Biz" by Biz Markie

It's Like That

• "Mongoose" by Elephant's Memory
• "Strictly for the Ladies" by Lord Finesse and DJ Mike Smooth

Can't Front on Me

• "Don't Change Your Love" by Five Stairsteps
• "Where Do I Go?" by Dave Wintour and Pat Whitmore

The Basement

• "Expo '83" by The Backyard Heavies
• "Bam Bam" by Sister Nancy
• "Rising to the Top" by Keni Burke

If It Ain't Rough, It Ain't Right

• "Trespassin'" by Skull Snaps
• "Once in a Lifetime" by Talking Heads
• "Nautilus" by Bob James

Skinz

• "MacArthur Park" by The Three Degrees
• "Down Home Girl" by The Coasters