Halftimeonline.com's Hip Hop Icon Series: CL Smooth

Podcast Episode Summary

CL Smooth, a.k.a. the Mecca Don, came onto the scene in the early 90s with his partner and producer Pete Rock following Heavy D. and The Boyz as one of the landmark groups to hail from Mount Vernon, NY. He and Pete managed to put out an EP and two well received albums before CL hung up the mic while at his peak. It was their chemistry, Pete’s obscure jazzy beats and CL’s penchant for thought provoking rhymes that led to the creation of classics like Straighten it Out, Mecca and the Soul Brother, and what many have called the greatest hip hop song of all time They Reminisce Over You. After ten years out of the game, CL is back sans his former partner to close the final chapter with his album “American Me.” Unfortunately, there’s no love loss between he and Pete. So if you were expecting or hoping for a reunion you might as well give that up. Peep the interview as CL breaks down the relationship with he and Pete and discusses his past, present and future.