Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic
The Baltimore Sun	(favorable)
Robert Christgau
Entertainment Weekly	C+
The New York Times	(favorable)
RapReviews	(9.5/10)
Rolling Stone
Spin	(favorable)
Virgin Encyclopedia

Mecca and the Soul Brother is the critically acclaimed 1992 debut album from the Mount Vernon duo, Pete Rock & CL Smooth. The album contains their best known song, "They Reminisce Over You (T.R.O.Y.)." Mecca and the Soul Brother has been widely acclaimed as one of the greatest hip hop albums of all time. The album was mostly produced by Pete Rock and Executive Produced by DJ Eddie F of Heavy D & the Boyz (co-group member with Trouble T-Roy).

Mecca and the Soul Brother followed on the heels of the duo's EP; All Souled Out, released in 1991. Despite being a critical success, it had little commercial success in comparison to other noteworthy releases of 1992, such as Dr. Dre's The Chronic. The first single, "They Reminisce Over You (T.R.O.Y.)", a dedication to their deceased friend; Trouble T Roy (a dance member of Heavy D. & The Boyz), has gone on to become not only their signature hit, but also one of hip hop's most highly regarded songs.

Other topics on the album range from life in the ghetto ("Ghettos of the Mind"), the teachings of the Nation of Islam ("Anger in the Nation"), bootlegging ("Straighten It Out"), and love ("Lots of Lovin'").

Mecca and the Soul Brother brought considerable acclaim to the duo. They were often compared to the group Gang Starr, which also featured one MC, and a producer/DJ. Although the album garnered a great amount of acclaim, sales were slow. The group only grew more popular, however, and next appeared on the Menace II Society soundtrack, followed by Who's the Man?, and Poetic Justice, respectively before returning in 1994, with The Main Ingredient.

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Wikipedia