Pete Rock and CL Smooth – Mecca and the Soul Brother, The Main Ingredient

This golden age partnership released a demo EP in 1991 called All Souled Out, which was followed the same year by Mecca and a few years later by Ingredient. Then they parted ways. Pete Rock is still producing records, but CL Smooth has mostly disappeared. It’s a real shame, because they were a force together.

I was excited about Mecca because I knew “They Reminisce Over You (T.R.O.Y.)” as a certified b-boy classic from back in the day. Clearly, the rest of the album couldn’t be as good or “T.R.O.Y.” wouldn’t have been a standout track, but I was expecting the record to be a little stronger than it is. The production is great, but it not all the songs got my head nodding.

I wasn’t expecting as much from The Main Ingredient, and I was pleasantly surprised. This is the record I thought Mecca would be. Pete Rock’s drum track finds a heartbeat groove and doesn’t stop for 60 minutes. CL Smooth never sounds out of place or in over his head. There are simply no mistakes on this album. Whereas Mecca takes a lot of chances artistically (and pays for them, in my opinion), Ingredient isn’t as ambitious. It’s just about droppin’ that beat. Word.