Mecca and the Soul Brother

The cover of Pete Rock & CL Smooth's debut is a moody black-and-white night shot of the duo by a car, with their round gold logo glowing at the top like a seal or a medallion.

The duo from Mount Vernon, New York made the album that defined the jazz and soul sample sound of early-1990s New York. Pete Rock's warm horn loops and filtered basslines, paired with CL Smooth's calm, thoughtful rhymes, peaked on "They Reminisce Over You (T.R.O.Y.)," a tribute to their friend Trouble T Roy of Heavy D & the Boyz, who died in 1990.

Mecca and the Soul Brother was released on 9 June 1992. The understated, nocturnal cover fits a record often described as nostalgic and soulful, and "T.R.O.Y." remains one of the most beloved songs in hip-hop.