Pete Rock & CL Smooth | |
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| Background information | |
| Also known as | PR & CL |
| Origin | Mount Vernon, New York, U.S. |
| Genres | |
| Years active |
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| Labels |
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| Members | Pete Rock CL Smooth |
Pete Rock & CL Smooth were an American hip hop duo from Mount Vernon, New York. They made their debut with their 1991 EP, All Souled Out and followed that with their 1992 LP Mecca and the Soul Brother . [1]
Pete Rock (Peter Phillips) and CL Smooth (Corey Penn) first met in Mount Vernon High School. [2] They begin shopping demos to labels until Elektra Records signed the duo to a production deal, The Untouchables management, which was handed by DJ Eddie F. The duo released their first EP All Souled Out on June 25, 1991.
Their debut album, Mecca and the Soul Brother was released on June 9, 1992. Their signature hit was "They Reminisce Over You (T.R.O.Y.)", a requiem for fallen friends — namely Troy "Trouble T-Roy" Dixon, a member of Heavy D & The Boyz, who died in 1990. [3] They were first signed to Elektra Records, managed, and executive produced by Eddie F of Heavy D and The Boyz and Untouchables Entertainment who also then managed Pete Rock as a producer. Pete Rock was one of the original three "Untouchables" producers along with Eddie F himself and Nevelle Hodge. [1]
In 1994 the duo followed up with The Main Ingredient , and they appeared as frequent guest artists collaborating on remixes, soundtracks, and other works.
The group broke up in 1995, though they collaborated several times since on a handful of cuts from Pete Rock's solo recordings: Soul Survivor (1998), PeteStrumentals (2001) and Soul Survivor II (2004). The duo also went on a brief reunion tour as a warm up for their then-anticipated new album, which ended with a show at London's famous Jazz Cafe.
Their best-of compilation, Good Life , was released on Elektra/WEA in 2003.
During this period, CL Smooth released two solo albums - American Me in 2006 and The Outsider in 2007.
A deluxe CD box set of Mecca and the Soul Brother was released on September 14, 2010 by Traffic Entertainment Group.
In late 2010, the two finally ended their creative differences, but a third album, though announced in December 2011 and again in 2016, [4] was never released. [5]
| Year | Album | Peak chart positions | |
|---|---|---|---|
| U.S. | U.S. R&B | ||
| 1992 | Mecca and the Soul Brother
| 43 | 7 |
| 1994 | The Main Ingredient
| 51 | 9 |
| Year | Album | Peak chart positions |
|---|---|---|
| U.S. R&B | ||
| 1991 | All Souled Out
| 53 |
| 2009 | The Basement Demos
| — |
| Year | Single | Chart positions | Album | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| U.S. Hot 100 | U.S. R&B | U.S. Rap | |||
| 1992 | "Straighten It Out" | — | 65 | 7 | Mecca and the Soul Brother |
| "They Reminisce Over You (T.R.O.Y.)" | 58 | 10 | 1 | ||
| "Lots of Lovin'" | 108 | 66 | 1 | ||
| 1994 | "I Got a Love" | 117 | 69 | 20 | The Main Ingredient |
| "Take You There (featuring Crystal Johnson)" | 76 | 67 | 33 | ||
| 1995 | "Searching" | — | — | — | |
| International | |
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| National | |
| Artists | |
