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

"They Reminisce Over You (T.R.O.Y.)"
Peterockcls theyremin 101b.jpg
Single by Pete Rock & CL Smooth
from the album Mecca and the Soul Brother
Released April 2, 1992
Format LP single
Recorded 1991
Genre Golden age hip hop, jazz rap
Length 4:45
Label Untouchables/Elektra
Writer(s) Pete Rock & CL Smooth,
Producer(s) Pete Rock
Pete Rock & CL Smooth singles chronology
"The Creator"
(1991)
"They Reminisce Over You (T.R.O.Y.)"
(1992)
"Straighten It Out"
(1992)

"They Reminisce Over You (T.R.O.Y.)" is a song by Pete Rock & CL Smooth, inspired by the death of their close friend Troy Dixon (better known as "Trouble" T. Roy of Heavy D & the Boyz) in 1990. The song was the lead single off their debut album, Mecca and the Soul Brother, released in 1992, and later became a staple of classic early 1990s hip hop. The song peaked at #58 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #1 on the Hot Rap Tracks chart.

Pete Rock in a 2007 interview with Village Voice:

I had a friend of mine that passed away, and it was a shock to the community. I was kind of depressed when I made it. And to this day, I can't believe I made it through, the way I was feeling. I guess it was for my boy. When I found the record by Tom Scott, basically I just heard something incredible that touched me and made me cry. It had such a beautiful bassline, and I started with that first. I found some other sounds and then heard some sax in there and used that. Next thing you know, I have a beautiful beat made. When I mixed the song down, I had Charlie Brown from Leaders of the New School in the session with me, and we all just started crying."

Over a saxophone and bass sample of Tom Scott's cover of "Today" by Jefferson Airplane, CL Smooth unravels fond memories of his own childhood, being the son of a young teenage mother, her father and four siblings, and the love he feels for other family members in working class Mt. Vernon. The chorus' ad libs are provided by Pete Rock. The 12 second intro is sampled from the 1971 song "When She Made Me Promise" by The Beginning of the End. The b-side of the 12" pressing is "The Creator", which is taken from the group's 1991 EP, All Souled Out.


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