Pete Rock & CL Smooth
Encyclopedia
Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth are a hip-hop duo from Mount Vernon
Mount Vernon, New York
Mount Vernon is a city in Westchester County, New York, United States. It lies on the border of the New York City borough of The Bronx.-Overview:...

, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...

. They made their debut with their 1991 EP, All Souled Out
All Souled Out
All Souled Out is an EP by Pete Rock & CL Smooth. It was released in the summer of 1991 to rave reviews and spawned a modest hit in "The Creator"....

and followed with 1992's Mecca and the Soul Brother
Mecca and the Soul Brother
Mecca And The Soul Brother is the critically acclaimed 1992 debut album from the Mount Vernon duo, Pete Rock & CL Smooth. The album contains their best known song, "They Reminisce Over You ." To date, Mecca and the Soul Brother has been widely acclaimed as one of the greatest Hip hop albums of all...

LP.

The Golden Age (1991-1994)

As a producer, DJ Pete Rock
Pete Rock
Peter Phillips , better known by his stage name Pete Rock, is an American record producer, DJ and rapper. He rose to prominence in the early 1990s as one half of the critically acclaimed group Pete Rock & CL Smooth...

 (Peter Phillips) tended to prefer obscure soul
Soul music
Soul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...

 and jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...

 sides for sample sources, frequently making use of horn-driven hooks. Lead vocalist CL Smooth
CL Smooth
CL Smooth is an American rapper, poet, and is best known as the vocal half of the hip-hop duo Pete Rock & CL Smooth....

 (Corey Penn) tended to be philosophical in his raps, and he mostly avoided profanity. Their signature hit was “They Reminisce Over You (T.R.O.Y.)
They Reminisce Over You (T.R.O.Y.)
"They Reminisce Over You " is a song by Pete Rock and CL Smooth, inspired by the death of their close friend Troy Dixon in 1990. The song was the lead single off their debut album, Mecca and the Soul Brother, released in 1992, and later became a staple of classic early 90s hip hop...

”, a dirge for fallen friends—namely Troy "Trouble T-Roy" Dixon
Trouble T Roy
Troy Dixon , better known as Trouble T Roy, was a hip-hop dancer with the successful group Heavy D and the Boyz from 1987 until 1990....

, a member of Heavy D & The Boyz
Heavy D & the Boyz
Dwight Arrington Myers , better known as Heavy D, was a Jamaican-born American actor, rapper, record producer, singer and former leader of Heavy D & the Boyz, a hip hop group which included G-Whiz , "Trouble" T. Roy , and Eddie F...

, who died in 1990.

1994's The Main Ingredient was the follow-up, and they appeared on a string of guest appearances for remixes, soundtracks, and other works. Public Enemy, EPMD
EPMD
EPMD is an American hip hop group from Brentwood, New York. The group's name is a concatenation of the members' name "E" and "PMD" or an acronym for "Erick and Parrish Making Dollars", referencing its members, emcees Erick Sermon and Parrish Smith...

, Heavy D and Johnny Gill
Johnny Gill
Johnny Gill is an American R&B singer-songwriter. He is the sixth and final member of the R&B supergroup New Edition, and was also a member of another supergroup called LSG; with Gerald Levert and Keith Sweat. His signature song "My, My, My" has been included on numerous romantic...

 were among the artists they collaborated with, and they can also claim credit for producing (and performing on) Run-DMC’s 1993 comeback single 'Down with the King
Down with the King (album)
Down with the King the sixth album by hip hop group Run–D.M.C.. This album was generally received more favorably by fans and critics than the group's previous album, Back From Hell.-Track listing:# "Down With The King"...

'. Despite all this, the duo failed to go gold on any of their own releases.

Creative Differences (1995-2009)

Separating in 1995 (shortly after a Sprite
Sprite (soft drink)
Sprite is a transparent, lemon-lime flavored , caffeine free soft drink, produced by the Coca-Cola Company. It was introduced in the United States in 1961. This was Coke's response to the popularity of 7 Up, which had begun as "Bib-Label Lithiated Lemon-Lime Soda" in 1929...

 TV commercial), they eventually worked together again on a handful of cuts from Pete Rock’s solo recordings: Soul Survivor (1998), PeteStrumentals
PeteStrumentals
PeteStrumentals is an instrumental hip hop album from Hip Hop producer/rapper Pete Rock, his second solo release. The album is the second installment of BBE Records Beat Generation series, following Jay Dee's Welcome to Detroit album. The instrumental songs were originally recorded between 1990 and...

(2001) and Soul Survivor II
Soul Survivor II
Soul Survivor II is a 2004 album from hip hop producer Pete Rock. The album features guest appearances from a large number of hip hop artists, including Pharoahe Monch, Little Brother, Skillz, RZA, GZA, Talib Kweli, Dead Prez, Slum Village, Jay Dee and former partner CL Smooth.Pete, who dropped...

(2004). They also went on a brief reunion tour as a warm up for their then-anticipated new album, which ended with a show at London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

's famous Jazz Cafe
Jazz Café
The Jazz Café is a music venue in Parkway in Camden Town, London, England. It opened in 1990, in the former premises of Barclays Bank, and has been run by Mean Fiddler Music Group since 1992, now a subsidiary of the MAMA Group.-History:...

. Despite these intermittent collaborations, the pair has exchanged dismissive comments toward each other in separate interviews, disavowing plans for a full-fledged reunion.

Their best-of compilation, Good Life
Good Life: The Best of Pete Rock & CL Smooth
Good Life is a compilation of the best songs by golden age hip hop group Pete Rock & CL Smooth. It contains singles and highlights from their two full-length albums and one EP, as well as leftover songs from soundtracks...

, was released on Elektra/WEA in 2003.

During this time span CL Smooth went on to release two solo albums - American Me
American Me (album)
American Me is the title of the first solo album by Hip Hop artist CL Smooth, released on October 31, 2006. The project is CL's first solo album, since breaking up with partner Pete Rock in 1995...

 in 2006 and The Outsider
The Outsider (CL Smooth album)
The Outsider is the second album by African-American hip hop rapper CL Smooth. The album is considered to be a companion to his previous album American Me. In addition to exclusive remixes, The Outsider also has new songs, as well as audio versions of songs performed live.-Track listing:...

 in 2007. Pete Rock would produce beats for a myriad of artists, including CL Smooth's It's a Love Thing and Love is a Battlefield from each of his solo albums. Pete has since confirmed that among his promised new slew of releases in 2011 that one of the albums will be the 3rd album between himself and CL Smooth
CL Smooth
CL Smooth is an American rapper, poet, and is best known as the vocal half of the hip-hop duo Pete Rock & CL Smooth....

.

Reunion (2010-Present)

A deluxe CD box-set of Mecca and the Soul Brother
Mecca and the Soul Brother
Mecca And The Soul Brother is the critically acclaimed 1992 debut album from the Mount Vernon duo, Pete Rock & CL Smooth. The album contains their best known song, "They Reminisce Over You ." To date, Mecca and the Soul Brother has been widely acclaimed as one of the greatest Hip hop albums of all...

was released in September 2010 by Traffic. The package includes a remastered CD of the original album, a second disc of remixes, instrumentals and acapellas, a fold-out poster and a detailed booklet with interviews and insights from Rock and Smooth by Brian Coleman.

In late 2010, Pete Rock & CL Smooth finally ended their creative differences after fifteen years of being at odds with each other. The duo has officially reunited for the sake of hip-hop and are respectfully working with each other again. The death of hip-hop pioneer Guru
Guru (rapper)
Keith Edward Elam , better known by his stage name Guru, was an American emcee and member of the hip-hop duo Gang Starr, along with DJ Premier. He was born in Roxbury, Massachusetts...

 earlier in the year was a major catalyst which lead to inspiring the reunion. Pete Rock & CL Smooth wanted to avoid the fate which Gang Starr
Gang Starr
Gang Starr was an influential East Coast hip hop duo that consisted of the late MC Guru and DJ/producer DJ Premier. Their style combined elements of New York jazz and hip hop.-Background:...

 ended with, as Guru had not been on speaking terms with DJ Premier
DJ Premier
Christopher Edward Martin , better known by his stage name DJ Premier , is an American record producer and DJ, and was the instrumental half of the hip hop duo Gang Starr, together with emcee Guru...

 for roughly seven years and ultimately succumbed to cancer before their differences could be absolved.

While touring in London with CL Smooth in December, Pete Rock has stated that a new Pete Rock & CL Smooth album is already in the works and will be released in 2011 as soon as it is completed. The album will be the duo's fourth album and first album after seventeen years since 1994's The Main Ingredient.

Albums

Album information
All Souled Out
All Souled Out
All Souled Out is an EP by Pete Rock & CL Smooth. It was released in the summer of 1991 to rave reviews and spawned a modest hit in "The Creator"....

  • Released: June 25, 1991
  • Billboard 200 chart position: -
  • R&B/Hip-Hop chart position: #53
  • Singles: "Mecca & the Soul Brother", "The Creator", "Good Life"/"Good Life (Group Home Mix)"
Mecca and the Soul Brother
Mecca and the Soul Brother
Mecca And The Soul Brother is the critically acclaimed 1992 debut album from the Mount Vernon duo, Pete Rock & CL Smooth. The album contains their best known song, "They Reminisce Over You ." To date, Mecca and the Soul Brother has been widely acclaimed as one of the greatest Hip hop albums of all...

  • Released: June 9, 1992
  • Billboard 200 chart position: #43
  • R&B/Hip-Hop chart position: #7
  • Singles: "They Reminisce Over You (T.R.O.Y.)
    They Reminisce Over You (T.R.O.Y.)
    "They Reminisce Over You " is a song by Pete Rock and CL Smooth, inspired by the death of their close friend Troy Dixon in 1990. The song was the lead single off their debut album, Mecca and the Soul Brother, released in 1992, and later became a staple of classic early 90s hip hop...

    ", "Straighten It Out
    Straighten It Out
    "Straighten It Out" is the second single by Pete Rock & CL Smooth from their album, Mecca and the Soul Brother, which was released to critical acclaim in 1992. The song deals with bootleggers and sample clearance opportunists. Unlike the previous single, "They Reminisce Over You ", "Straighten It...

    ", "Lots of Lovin'
    Lots of Lovin'
    "Lots of Lovin'" is the third and final single by Pete Rock & CL Smooth from their album, Mecca and the Soul Brother. This song is a love-ode to CL's partner and features one of Pete Rock's most sensuous productions; full of flutes and suave keyboard riffs. The song samples the Ohio Players cover...

    "
  • The Main Ingredient
  • Released: November 8, 1994
  • Billboard 200 chart position: #51
  • R&B/Hip-Hop chart position: #9
  • Singles: "Take You There"/"Get on the Mic"
    Take You There (Pete Rock & CL Smooth song)
    "Take You There" is the second single from Pete Rock & CL Smooth's second album, The Main Ingredient, released in 1994. The song samples "Keep Rising To The Top" by Keni Burke. It features vocalist Crystal Johnson on the chorus. The B-side is a remix of the album track "Get On The Mic" from The...

    , "I Got a Love"/"The Main Ingredient"
    I Got a Love
    "I Got a Love" is the first single from Pete Rock & CL Smooth's second album, The Main Ingredient, released in 1994. The song is a horn and guitar-driven love-jam, which sees CL exploring his "ladies man" persona which he first introduced on "Lots of Lovin'". It samples "Ain't Got the Love " by The...


  • Compilations

    Album information
    Good Life: The Best of Pete Rock & CL Smooth
    Good Life: The Best of Pete Rock & CL Smooth
    Good Life is a compilation of the best songs by golden age hip hop group Pete Rock & CL Smooth. It contains singles and highlights from their two full-length albums and one EP, as well as leftover songs from soundtracks...

    • Released: June 10, 2003
    • Billboard 200 chart position: -
    • R&B/Hip-Hop chart position:
    • Singles:N/A

    Singles

    • "The Creator (Remix)" (1991)
    • "They Reminisce Over You (T.R.O.Y.)
      They Reminisce Over You (T.R.O.Y.)
      "They Reminisce Over You " is a song by Pete Rock and CL Smooth, inspired by the death of their close friend Troy Dixon in 1990. The song was the lead single off their debut album, Mecca and the Soul Brother, released in 1992, and later became a staple of classic early 90s hip hop...

      " (1992)
    • "Straighten It Out
      Straighten It Out
      "Straighten It Out" is the second single by Pete Rock & CL Smooth from their album, Mecca and the Soul Brother, which was released to critical acclaim in 1992. The song deals with bootleggers and sample clearance opportunists. Unlike the previous single, "They Reminisce Over You ", "Straighten It...

      " (1992)
    • "Lots of Lovin'
      Lots of Lovin'
      "Lots of Lovin'" is the third and final single by Pete Rock & CL Smooth from their album, Mecca and the Soul Brother. This song is a love-ode to CL's partner and features one of Pete Rock's most sensuous productions; full of flutes and suave keyboard riffs. The song samples the Ohio Players cover...

      " (1993)
    • "One In a Million
      One in a Million (Pete Rock & CL Smooth song)
      "One in a Million" is a song by Pete Rock & CL Smooth, recorded for the soundtrack to the film, Poetic Justice. The song contains a mix of jazzy-horns over a sumptuous baseline, with a chorus sung by CL Smooth, and scratches and cuts by Pete Rock. The song contains a sample from Brother Jack...

      " (1993)
    • "Take You There
      Take You There (Pete Rock & CL Smooth song)
      "Take You There" is the second single from Pete Rock & CL Smooth's second album, The Main Ingredient, released in 1994. The song samples "Keep Rising To The Top" by Keni Burke. It features vocalist Crystal Johnson on the chorus. The B-side is a remix of the album track "Get On The Mic" from The...

      " (1994)
    • "I Got a Love
      I Got a Love
      "I Got a Love" is the first single from Pete Rock & CL Smooth's second album, The Main Ingredient, released in 1994. The song is a horn and guitar-driven love-jam, which sees CL exploring his "ladies man" persona which he first introduced on "Lots of Lovin'". It samples "Ain't Got the Love " by The...

      " (1994)
    • "Searching
      Searching (song)
      "Searching" is the third and final single by Pete Rock & CL Smooth from their album, The Main Ingredient. This is a downtempo and mellow song about relationships, with singer Vinia Mojica performing the chorus. Released just prior to the breakup of the group, the song received very little...

      " (1995)
    • "Back On The Block" (2001)
    • "Shine On Me"/"Climax" (2003)
    • "It's a Love Thing"/"Appreciate" (2004)

    External links

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