Pete Rock & CL Smooth

Mecca and the soul brothers

Pete Rock, born Peter Phillips, and CL Smooth, born Corey Penn, met at Mount Vernon High School and shopped demos until Elektra signed them to a production deal through the Untouchables management run by Eddie F of Heavy D and the Boyz. Pete Rock built tracks from obscure soul and jazz records and horn hooks; CL Smooth's conscious style mostly avoided profanity and drew comparison to the Native Tongues. Their debut EP All Souled Out came out on June 25, 1991, with "The Creator" as the single before "They Reminisce Over You (T.R.O.Y.)" on April 2, 1992.

Mecca and the Soul Brother followed on June 9, 1992, recorded at Greene St. Recording in Manhattan, produced by the duo with Nevelle Hodge and Large Professor, and reached 43 on the Billboard 200 and 7 on the R&B chart. It was a slow seller beside The Chronic, but AllMusic and the Rolling Stone Album Guide gave it five stars, and Rolling Stone ranked it 130 on its 2022 list of 200 greatest hip-hop albums. Guests include Heavy D, Grand Puba and Deda. The Main Ingredient (November 8, 1994, Elektra) reached 51 and was overlooked at release, though AllMusic's Stanton Swihart later called it far more focused. They also contributed to the soundtracks of Who's the Man?, Menace II Society and Poetic Justice in 1993.

They announced a split in 1995, and Pete Rock and CL Smooth went on to solo records: Soul Survivor (1998) and PeteStrumentals (2001) for Pete, American Me (2006) for CL. They reunited tentatively in 2010, performing at the Brooklyn Hip Hop Festival in tribute to Guru, and toured in 2016 for the 25th anniversary of All Souled Out. Good Life: The Best of Pete Rock and CL Smooth came out in 2003 and the EP The Basement Demos in 2009.