Tag: 25th Anniversary

Coming from Mount Vernon, both Peter Phillips aka Pete Rock and Corey Penn aka C.L. Smooth came together to be one of hip hop’s most legendary and celebrated duos of all time. It was exactly 25 years ago when the duo released their debut album. On June 9th, 1992, their album “Mecca And The Soul Brother” was released. With Pete Rock’s glossy and smooth but jazzy, hard hitting and soulful influenced production and C.L.’s cool rhymes and flow with an edge that made your head bop. His rhymes were mostly philosophical and had little to no cursing. C.L. is another one to me who has a voice that’s perfect. It hits on the beat just right. Completely flawless. The album is a perfect project from beginning to end. An album that’s about knowing your true self which is the Mecca. It’s a way of life, not a place or a state of mind. The album’s positive energy is what made it one that’s highly respected and held in high regard by hip hop fans. Besides the singles “Straighten It Out”, “Lots of Lovin'” and their signature joint “They Reminisce Over You (T.R.O.Y.)”, the rest of the album was just as much of a banger. Honestly, it’s my first time hearing it all the way through and I instantly fell in love with it. It just has that perfect sound I love so much. Joints like “Soul Brother #1” and “It’s Like That” are my top favorites. Out of an entire album that’s dope, there’s always a few ones or less that stands out the most. It’s the ones that hit me the hardest. It makes me go crazy, I make an ugly face listening to it. Overall, I can definitely agree that it’s truly a hip hop classic.