Mecca And The Soul Brother
is the critically acclaimed 1992 debut album from the Mount Vernon duo of Pete Rock & CL Smooth. The album contains their best known song, "They Reminisce Over You (T.R.O.Y.)".
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THE BASEMENT TICKETS
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Overview
Mecca And The Soul Brother
followed on the heels of their 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
.
CL Smooth's dexterous lyrics were a suitable match for
Rock's jazzy, sampled-laden soundscapes. The first single, "
They Reminisce Over You (T.R.O.Y.)", a dedication to their fallen friend and back up dancer for
Heavy D, "Trouble" T. Roy, 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 the self-explanatory "
Lots of Lovin'" (the third single to be released from the album). At 77 minutes, it's a lengthy album, and the large number of songs is tempered by brief musical interludes - a theme Pete Rock would repeat on the duo's second album, and on his own solo albums.
Mecca And The Soul Brother
brought a lot of acclaim to the duo they were often compared to the group
Gang Starr, which also featured one MC, and a producer/DJ. Although it garnered a lot of praise, 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
.
In 1998, the album was selected as one of The Source's 100 Best Rap Albums.
Track listing
#"Return of the Mecca" – 5:42
#"For Pete's Sake" – 5:48
#"Ghettos of the Mind" – 5:01
#"
Lots of Lovin'" – 5:07
#"Act Like You Know" – 4:01
#"
Straighten It Out" – 4:12
#"Soul Brother #1" – 4:30
#"Wig Out" – 4:10
#"Anger in the Nation" – 5:31
#"
They Reminisce Over You (T.R.O.Y.)" – 4:44
#"On and On" – 5:10
#"It's Like That" – 3:55
#"Can't Front On Me" – 4:18
#"The Basement" (featuring Deda,
Grap Luva,
Heavy D,
Rob-O) – 5:22
#"If It Ain't Rough, It Ain't Right" – 5:04
#"Skinz" (featuring
Grand Puba) – 4:14
The cassette version contain two
bonus tracks: "The Creator (Remix)" and "Mecca and the Soul Brother (Remix)"
Samples Used
Source: Rap Sample FAQ
[1]
- "The Return of the Mecca"
- *"You're the Fool" by The Three Degrees
- *"Country Preacher" by Cannonball Adderley Quintet (intro)
- *"Long Red" by Mountain
- "For Pete's Sake"
- *"Come Live With Me" by Dorothy Ashby (intro)
- *"Gimmie Some!" by Freddie McCoy
- *"The Rill Thing" by Little Richard
- *"N.T." by Kool & The Gang
- *"Synthetic Subsitution" by Melvin Bliss
- "Ghettos of the Mind"
- *"Ghettos of the Mind" by Bama - the Village Poet
- *"Long Red" by Mountain
- "Lots of Lovin'"
- *"What's Going On?" by Ohio Players
- *"Player's Balling (Players Doin' Their Own Thing)" by Ohio Players (intro)
- "Act Like You Know"
- *"Freedom Death Dance" by Eugene McDaniels (intro)
- *"Cameo" by Eddy Senay
- *"Down on the Ground" by Grant Green
- "Straighten It Out"
- *"Chocolate Buttermilk" by Kool & the Gang
- *"Our Generation" by Ernie Hines
- *"Bootleggin" by Simtec & Wylie (intro)
- *"Heighty Hi" by Mongo Santamaria (intro)
- "Soul Brother #1"
- *"Pain" by Ohio Players
- *"Bubble Gum" by 9th Creation
- *"Soul Man" by Charles "Sweet" Sherrell
- *"Headless Heroes" by Eugene McDaniels
- *"Long Red" by Mountain
- *"The Grunt" by The J.B.'s
- "Wig Out"
- *"Turbulence" by Eddie Harris (intro)
- *"Jungle Child" by Johnny Lytle
- "Anger in the Nation"
- *"Talk to the People" by Les McCann (intro)
- *"Sing a Simple Song" by Sly & the Family Stone
- *"Funky President" by James Brown
- *"Synthetic Substitution" by Melvin Bliss
- "They Reminisce Over You (T.R.O.Y.)"
- *"Today" by Tom Scott
- *"Deliver Me" by Tom Scott
- *"When She Made Me Promise" by The Beginning of the End (intro)
- *"I'm Black and I'm Proud" by James Brown
- "On and On"
- *"Tell Me How Do You Feel" by Lee Michaels
- *"Ode to Billy Joe" by Lou Donaldson
- "It's Like That"
- *"Mongoose" by Elephant's Memory
- "Can't Front on Me"
- *"Where Do I Go?" by Alyn Ainsworth
- *"Don't Change Your Love" by Five Stairsteps
- "The Basement"
- *"Risin' to the Top" by Keni Burke
- *"Atomic Dog" by George Clinton
- *"Season of the Witch" by Mike Bloomfield/Al Kooper/Steve Stills
- *"Bam Bam" by Sister Nancy
- "If It Ain't Rough, It Ain't Right"
- *"Top Billin" by Audio Two
- *"Blues and Pants" by James Brown
- *"Dr Funkenstein" by Parliament
- *"Trespassin'" by Skull Snaps
- "Skinz"
- *"Down Home Girl" by The Coasters
- *"Funky President" by James Brown
- *"McArthur Park" by The Three Degrees
Accolades
The information is taken from AcclaimedMusic.net. [2] and other website links below.
Publication
| Country
| Accolade
| Year
| Rank
|
Ego Trip
| USA
|
| 1999
| #8
|
Exclaim!
| Canada
|
| 2000
| *
|
Rolling Stone
| USA
|
| 1999
| *
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The Source
| USA
|
| 1998
| *
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Mojo
| UK
|
| 2001
| *
|
(*) designates lists that are unordered.
|
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.)"
|
"Lots of Lovin''"
- Released: 1993
- B-side: "It's Not A Game"
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Album chart positions
Year
| Album
| Chart positions
|
Billboard 200
| Top R&B/Hip Hop Albums
|
1992
| Mecca & The Soul Brother
| 43
| 7
|
Singles chart positions
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
| -
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In popular culture
- "Soul Brother #1" is featured in the game Tony Hawk's Underground 2.
- "They Reminisce Over You (T.R.O.Y.)" is featured in the game NBA Street Vol. 2.
References
- Search
- Mecca and the Soul Brother at AcclaimedMusic.net