Nuff respect, but please explain how so ?
I copped both albums the first day they dropped. And haven't stopped playing either of them, since back then. Both are classic, but I still think Mecca is the better album. Pete said they were forced to make some of the joints they did on The Main Ingredient, and there's a stretch on the album where there's some reaches for radio that just didn't seem like the kinda sh*t Pete and C.L. would usually make.
Mecca was the album where they had full creative control and just made tracks that they wanted to. That's a no-skip, front to back project. So it's still my favorite from them, but The Main Ingredient is crazy too.
I think listening to both albums in 2022 Mecca sounds more of its time. It is a great album no doubt and it was extremely influential to the production game at the time. However, Pete Rock updated his sound on the Main Ingredient and it birthed the styles of so many great producers that came after think of guys like Kanye, Just, Dilla, Questlove, 9th and others. All these guys sight the Main Ingredient as a massive influence on them.
So they were forced to make some radio friendly cross over joints like Take You There and Searching but these tracks are great IMO. Crystal Johnson and Vina Mojica did there thing on these joints but I think they lacked a big feature to really cross over I mean imagine Mary J on either those joints. Much bigger chance of a hit.
I see it like this the high points on the Mecca are better Troy, Straighten it Out but as a complete body of work I prefer The Main Ingredient I also believe it will connect better with a modern audience.
Some nice songs that the Main Ingredient birthed
Dilla
Da Beatminerz
Diddy's Hitmen
De la Soul
