Ranked #63 in the Soul Strut 200

By 1992, Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth were fresh of an impressive debut EP (All Souled Out).  The mix of Pete Rock's layered jazz beats peppered with catchy horn samples and CL Smooth's suave delivery proved to be the peanut butter and jelly of hip hop.  Their debut LP Mecca And The Soul Brother took it up a notch from their debut and unleashed an 80 minute seamless east coast boom bap classic that the mainstream was not quite ready for.  The album is best known for the poignant homage to Heavy D dancer and good friend Troy Dixon who died of a tragic fall ("They Reminisce Over You (T.R.O.Y.)"), but also has other rippers like "Straighten It Out", "Ghettos of the Mind", and "For Pete's Sake".   Rock and Smooth only released one more album after this 1994's The Main Ingredient citing creative differences.  Their cult success of their short catalogue would go on to prompt a reunion in 2010.

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