Pete Rock and CL Smooth-The Main Ingredient 20 Year Anniversary Appreciation Thread

[phonthought3000]

my fave album, listen to it, without skipping a tune, Pete's production was flawless, and CL da Gawd, flowing like water.

CL like AZ, and LL, they have that effortless smooth flow, their vocals just becomes one with the beat.



^^^This joint right here, damnnnnn

This chick I usta talk to a few years back usta always say CL and LL sound identical......at 1st I was like but as time went on i kinda could hear the similarities in voice tone and flow....it's like picturing LL's Mr Smith album but instead of Trackmasters Pete gave him these beats

 

[Big Mel]

I love that beat, and CL's flow was nice on it.

What's not to like about it

Beat sux and the chorus is bozo status.

 

[ℒℴѵℯJay ELECTUA]

Take you there brings back solid and great memories...I remember exactly at a time when that was playing at a friend's bbq..just buzzing with my friends and cousins...crazy. some lil bytch dropped kool aid on my Jordan's, so I put ketchup on her outfit...

 

[patscorpio]

this was the best beat on the whole album to me

 

[frush11]

Beat sux and the chorus is bozo status.

To you, not to me

 

[Big Mel]

To you, not to me

step ya game up, schlitz.


hey hey hey!

 

[frush11]

step ya game up, schlitz.


hey hey hey!

Opinions breh, you have yours, I have mine.

 

[Big Mel]

Opinions breh, you have yours, I have mine.

Are you African?

 

[Newark88]

I guess I'll be the voice of reason in here. cats in the streets ain't fukk with this album that tough. too many girl records. luckily the heads mined the album for the crack contained within garnering it it's current cult status. 'Check It Out', 'Its on You', 'Worldwide' etc.


i recall cats straight forgetting their copies at my moms house and shyt totally indifferent.

Yea I mean Mecca and The Soul Brother was Jeep Wrangler, AC Legend, Bubble Lex style music. I remember being about 14/15 riding shotgun in my man's (who was 17) all black AC and all we were riding around to that summer of 92 was MATSB and Ron G tapes. So Mecca will always have a sentimental place in my heart. When Main Ingredient came out, I fukked with it but not as hard as I do now.

 

[Big Mel]

Yea I mean Mecca and The Soul Brother was Jeep Wrangler, AC Legend, Bubble Lex style music. I remember being about 14/15 riding shotgun in my man's (who was 17) all black AC and all we were riding around to that summer of 92 was MATSB and Ron G tapes. So Mecca will always have a sentimental place in my heart. When Main Ingredient came out, I fukked with it but not as hard as I do now.

Me too actually. It's like Midnight Marauders to me in that It's become more important to me over time but initially didn't knock me out like their predecessors.

 

[DANJ!]

I guess I'll be the voice of reason in here. cats in the streets ain't fukk with this album that tough. too many girl records. luckily the heads mined the album for the crack contained within garnering it it's current cult status. 'Check It Out', 'Its on You', 'Worldwide' etc.


i recall cats straight forgetting their copies at my moms house and shyt totally indifferent.

True.

This was also after that big shift in late '93-'94... that wave made those acts who were just poppin' a year or two before take the backseat... Pete and CL being one of 'em. It was a great album, but I do recall it not being an in-demand favorite like Mecca was. You would think with that album being as hot as it was, the follow-up would've been met with equal enthusiasm, but nah. Same happened with dudes like Black Sheep, Brand Nubian, Showbiz & AG, Das EFX... not that the follow ups matched the ones before it, but I don't even remember there being much of a buzz for them shyts before they dropped. The new era was here, and they were considered part of the old days... crazy to think about.

 

[Big Mel]

True.

This was also after that big shift in late '93-'94... that wave made those acts who were just poppin' a year or two before take the backseat... Pete and CL being one of 'em. It was a great album, but I do recall it not being an in-demand favorite like Mecca was. You would think with that album being as hot as it was, the follow-up would've been met with equal enthusiasm, but nah. Same happened with dudes like Black Sheep, Brand Nubian, Showbiz & AG, Das EFX... not that the follow ups matched the ones before it, but I don't even remember there being much of a buzz for them shyts before they dropped. The new era was here, and they were considered part of the old days... crazy to think about.

Yep. I actually chose the King Just album over 'Goodfellas'. L-O-L. That exemplifies your post to a tee.


And in Brand Nubian's case, 'Everything Is Everything' wasn't very good. Black Sheep too. The Das Efx album was weird in that everyone i knew who bought it, loved it but it didn't thrust them back into commercial success.

 

[DANJ!]

Yep. I actually chose the King Just album over 'Goodfellas'. L-O-L. That exemplifies your post to a tee.


And in Brand Nubian's case, 'Everything Is Everything' wasn't very good. Black Sheep too. The Das Efx album was weird in that everyone i knew who bought it, loved it but it didn't thrust them back into commercial success.

Right... those albums weren't even that good, but it's like even if they were, they woulda still flown under the radar cause that new Wu/Nas/BIG/BCC/Jeru wave crushed. It's like if Whodini had come out in '88 and had to compete with Rakim, PE, NWA, Kane, KRS, and EPMD... just a whole nother thing goin' on that doesn't include them, even tho they were on fire just two years prior...

the Das joint wasn't bad, but I think they also suffered from that rampant biting that went on. Got to a point you didn't even care to hear Das themselves after the whole rap game jacked their shyt. The BN joint was too all over the place, the Show & AG joint was solid but had nothing standout about it, the Black Sheep shyt was weak as water.

 

[Newark88]

True.

This was also after that big shift in late '93-'94... that wave made those acts who were just poppin' a year or two before take the backseat... Pete and CL being one of 'em. It was a great album, but I do recall it not being an in-demand favorite like Mecca was. You would think with that album being as hot as it was, the follow-up would've been met with equal enthusiasm, but nah. Same happened with dudes like Black Sheep, Brand Nubian, Showbiz & AG, Das EFX... not that the follow ups matched the ones before it, but I don't even remember there being much of a buzz for them shyts before they dropped. The new era was here, and they were considered part of the old days... crazy to think about.

Right, now lets not get it twisted. Pete Rock was still one of the hottest producers out at that time. It's just the combo between him and CL wasn't ringing off as hard as 2 years prior. But fall of 94, it was all about Ready To Die. Actually, I was bumpin Keith Murray's debut and Red's Dare Iz A Darkside over Main Ingredient at the time.

 

[Big Mel]

Right... those albums weren't even that good, but it's like even if they were, they woulda still flown under the radar cause that new Wu/Nas/BIG/BCC/Jeru wave crushed. It's like if Whodini had come out in '88 and had to compete with Rakim, PE, NWA, Kane, KRS, and EPMD... just a whole nother thing goin' on that doesn't include them, even tho they were on fire just two years prior...

the Das joint wasn't bad, but I think they also suffered from that rampant biting that went on. Got to a point you didn't even care to hear Das themselves after the whole rap game jacked their shyt. The BN joint was too all over the place, the Show & AG joint was solid but had nothing standout about it, the Black Sheep shyt was weak as water.

Man it's funny you bring up Whodini because that actually did happen to them in 1987 when they dropped that corny 'Open Sesame' album. I bought that tape and it sounded so out of touch and stupid given what LL, Rakim, BDP & even Heavy D or Salt N Pepa were making.