Mecca and the Soul Brother

C.L. Smooth and Pete Rock’s debut thumps hard with the bass turned up to 10, as chopped-and-distorted horn samples blast from one stereo speaker to the other. While Pete crafts jazzy boom-bap beats that reflect the tumult of New York City streets, C.L. rhymes about how to survive them on tracks like “Ghettos of the Mind.” On “They Reminisce Over You (T.R.O.Y.),” C.L. opens up about his childhood over a chiming saxophone sample, providing one of hip-hop’s most stunning moments.