Discovering the Classics: Mecca & the Soul Brother Edition

Discovering the Classics: Mecca & the Soul Brother Edition

Continuing my recent fascination with old school/golden age rap, I picked up Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth's much lauded classic Mecca & the Soul Brother, released in 1992 on the tail end of what many consider to be the genre's best days. I can't say that I would like this as much if it were made ten years later, in 2002, instead of '92. The 1992 release gives it the advantage of being one of the first in a crop of albums made by people who wanted to be respected as rappers but didn't have the advantage of growing up in a shitty neighborhood or having a dysfunctional family unit ("ugh life is SO UNFAIR!"), and decided to wear their middle class upbringing on their sleeves rather than try to hide it and risk getting called out for being a "studio gangster" like Dr. Dre -- because, you know, the fact that he's responsible for some of the greatest music the genre has ever heard is secondary; he made his background seem tougher than it was and THAT'S UNETHICAL MUSICIANS SHOULDN'T LIE ABOUT STUFF IN SONGS!

Pete Rock also has the distinction of being one of the first producers to use totally UNgangsta-like jazz and soul loops because that shows how nurtured and diverse his musical upbringing was, because really, how many people do you know of grew up without a father (figure) and got into jazz and soul music at a young age? Thought so. Little did Pete know, however, that conscious rappers would be biting that style for years to come and using words like "elevate" while describing the sad state of rap music and/or black communities. You can't blame him for that, though. He couldn't have possibly foreseen what sort of evil and what deep levels of mediocrity would be born from his style. That's like blaming Pearl Jam for Creed, or worse, Nickelback. It's unfair.

So considering it's status as one of the first of its kind, I can see what there is to like about this, despite it being way too long (77-minutes) and C.L.'s sort of monotonous delivery (this is probably why "The Basement" is my favorite song; vocal variety, on top of having the albums' best beat). I guess he's no worse than Rakim on that front but without the flow to make it easier to tolerate.

But this album is really about one song, "They Reminisce Over You (T.R.O.Y.)", which has always been, and always will be, an undeniable rap classic.



"They Reminisce Over You (T.R.O.Y.)"