Hailing from … Read Full Bio ↴Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth is a rap group from the 1990s.
Hailing from "Money Earnin'" Mount Vernon, New York, this DJ-MC duo first made noise in the rap world on the 1991 EP, All Souled Out. It sold moderately well enough to justify Elektra Records clearing the way for 1992's Mecca & the Soul Brother LP.
As a producer, DJ Pete Rock (Peter Phillips) tended to prefer obscure soul and jazz sides for sample sources, frequently making use of horn-driven hooks. Lead vocalist C.L. Smooth (Corey Penn) tended to be philosophical in his raps, and he mostly avoided profanity. Their signature hit was “They Reminisce Over You (T.R.O.Y.)”, a dirge for fallen friends, specifically, Troy "Trouble T-Roy" Dixon, a dancer for fellow Mount Vernon, New York rapper and cousin of Pete Rock, Heavy D. (Dwight Myers).
1994's The Main Ingredient was the follow up, and they appeared on a string of guest appearances for remixes, soundtracks, and other works. Public Enemy, EPMD, Heavy D and Johnny Gill were among the artists they collaborated with, and they can also claim credit for producing (and performing on) Run-DMC’s 1993 comeback single 'Down with the King'. Despite all this, the duo failed to go gold on any of their own releases.
Separating in 1995 (shortly after a well-received Sprite TV commercial), they eventually reunited on a handful of cuts from Pete Rock’s solo recordings: Soul Survivor (1998), PeteStrumentals (2001) and Soul Survivor II (2004). They also went on a brief reunion tour as a warm up for their then-anticipated new album, which ended with a show at London's famous Jazz Cafe. Despite these intermittent collaborations, the pair has exchanged dismissive comments toward each other in separate interviews, disavowing plans for a full-fledged reunion.
Their compilation, The Best of Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth: Good Life, was released on Elektra in 2003.
In the Flesh
Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The broters I sparred, which only means the man got nothing to prove
On a power move made by the CL Smooth
Live 495 I arrive in person
Hard dialogue without a whole bunch of cursing
It's my perrogitive, so back up and live, fool
As long as they don't violate everything's cool, cause it's all good
Understood is the smoothest daddy with the roughest raps
Carry straps on strips for the trigger-happy pirates
Where ladies catch fits steady reaching for my privates
But hold, how I unfold my whole repotoire
Now here we are at home to make another superstar
With Rob-O and Deda with the P.R
But nevertheless it's CL Smooth
"In the flesh"
Rob-O's at the top of the list, so bust this
Stick to funk like Scotch, the top-notch vocalist
You don't stop, cause I can illustrate with the needle
Penetrating straight to the souls of many people
Is there any evil? On this path I'm innovating
Stil faking, put down your pads and stop waiting
See the year of the fly MC is here, so stand clear
I'm facing the Gods with no fear
Rob-O, East Coast, uptown
MCing the most and spreading the Mecca all around
Selecting the sound to make the party people hound
The DJ for more of what I say in '94
It's like that, so don't stop
It's like this, so God bless
Soul Brothers get down with no stress
Yeah INI's representing in the flesh
"In the flesh"
Even in the mirror, it just doesn't get any clearer
I hear a funky beat and I gotta get nearer
KABOOM! Stepping in the sound room mellow
A dangerous flavorous fellow, hello
Style and grace, the original's in this piece
In the place right along with the pace
Nevertheless, in the flesh no quest
The sex in the system, of course I'm fresh
I rest in the Villes, the skills is big
To a level of extravagence, the talent's all balanced
The extreme dopeness for the nation
D. is the inital, MC's the occupation
Five master hype, light the color of the skin
Once the beat roll, my goal is to win
My friend the best, the real side yes
I rest my case in your face in the flesh
"In the flesh"
Soul Brother supreme to catch wreck in the flesh
So check one two and a mic test
Now clear the room, I scoped you with the wide angle zoom
Trying to overstand my funk tunes
Coming soon, so chill, don't stress The Creator
I'll kick the funk loop from here to Cal Tjader
And cross the fader, and pack the lines on my paper
With rhymes so tough, who got the flavor?
Plus the knack to rock, I'm steady heating up the spot
The Chocolate Boy Wonder making heads bop
In slow motion, domes crack open like the pavement
Off some shit I made down in the basement
The funk ambassador, asking you to get with the pro-
Fessional, yo there's no question I can flow
Time to slide, you know the P.R. will provide
The real and still I feel the vibe, I'm in the flesh
"In the flesh"
The lyrics to the song In The Flesh, by Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth, are a mix of self-promotion, bravado, and an invitation to party. The song starts with a declaration that the performer is collecting "knockouts" and has nothing to prove. He is confident and in a power move, showing up in person to deliver "hard dialogue" without cursing. He is smooth and tough, thinking about "blowing the spot" but keeping his cool, as long as no one violates his boundaries. Throughout the song, different performers take turns rapping and describing their skills, their commitment to the music, and their impact on their audiences. They declare their presence "in the flesh" and announce their intention to spread their talent and influence across the nation.
The lyrics of In The Flesh are emblematic of the genre of hip hop that emerged in the 90s, characterized by a blend of music, dance, fashion, and language that reflected the experience of inner-city youth, especially black and Latino youth. Hip hop was a way for this group to express themselves, share their stories, create art, and generate a sense of community and solidarity. The lyrics of In The Flesh express the themes of dreams, hard work, determination, and pride that are central to hip hop culture. They also embody the spirit of competition and recognition that is often present in hip hop, as the performers take turns showing off their skills and trying to outdo each other.
Line by Line Meaning
Introducing funk from the yard, collecting strictly knockouts
Starting with an introduction to great music that always knocks us out
The broters I sparred, which only means the man got nothing to prove
I have sparred with several other artists, but that only means I have nothing left to prove
On a power move made by the CL Smooth
I am making a power move on this track, led by the CL Smooth
Live 495 I arrive in person
I arrive live and in person on 495
Hard dialogue without a whole bunch of cursing
I'm bringing the hard truth without having to curse excessively
It's my perrogitive, so back up and live, fool
It's my right to decide, so I suggest you back up and enjoy the show, fool
As long as they don't violate everything's cool, cause it's all good
As long as nobody crosses the line, everything's fine, cause it's all good
Understood is the smoothest daddy with the roughest raps
I'm the smoothest rapper with the toughest rhymes and that's understood
Am I thinking about blowing the spot? Perhaps
I might just blow up the scene with my skills, only time will tell
Carry straps on strips for the trigger-happy pirates
I carry weapons to protect myself from trigger-happy pirates
Where ladies catch fits steady reaching for my privates
I constantly have to deal with ladies trying to grab my private parts
But hold, how I unfold my whole repotoire
But wait, let me showcase my entire set of skills
Now here we are at home to make another superstar
Here we are at home, ready to produce another gifted artist
With Rob-O and Deda with the P.R
My team consists of Rob-O, Deda, and P.R
But nevertheless it's CL Smooth
But regardless, it's always CL Smooth leading the way
Rob-O's at the top of the list, so bust this
Rob-O is at the top of his game, so check out his skills
Stick to funk like Scotch, the top-notch vocalist
He sticks to great music like Scotch, making him a top-notch vocalist
You don't stop, cause I can illustrate with the needle
I'll never stop, cause I can illustrate emotions with my music like a needle on a record
Penetrating straight to the souls of many people
My music goes straight to the soul of numerous people
Is there any evil? On this path I'm innovating
Does any evil exist? Well, I'm innovating on this path
Still faking, put down your pads and stop waiting
Stop pretending, put down your writing pads, and start taking action
See the year of the fly MC is here, so stand clear
The time for talented MCs is now, so make way for us
I'm facing the Gods with no fear
I'm facing even the toughest challenges with no fear whatsoever
Rob-O, East Coast, uptown
Rob-O, hailing from the East Coast and uptown
MCing the most and spreading the Mecca all around
I'm MCing like crazy and spreading the greatness of Mecca all around
Selecting the sound to make the party people hound
I'm selecting music that will make party people go crazy
The DJ for more of what I say in '94
The DJ wants more of my music in 1994
It's like that, so don't stop
That's just how it is, so keep going
It's like this, so God bless
This is how it is, so God bless you all
Soul Brothers get down with no stress
Soul Brothers just get down with no stress involved
Yeah INI's representing in the flesh
Yes, INI is here representing live
Even in the mirror, it just doesn't get any clearer
Even when I look in the mirror, things just aren't crystal clear
I hear a funky beat and I gotta get nearer
When I hear great music, I feel the need to get closer to it
KABOOM! Stepping in the sound room mellow
KABOOM! I enter the sound room in a relaxed manner
A dangerous flavorous fellow, hello
I'm a tasteful artist with a bit of a dangerous edge, hello
Style and grace, the original's in this piece
I bring style and grace, and originality to every piece I perform
In the place right along with the pace
I'm right here in this moment, in sync with the rhythm
Nevertheless, in the flesh no quest
Regardless, here I am in person, no questions asked
The sex in the system, of course I'm fresh
My music stimulates the system, and of course, I'm always fresh
I rest in the Villes, the skills is big
I relax in the Villages, cause I've got some big skills to showcase
To a level of extravagence, the talent's all balanced
I balance my amazing talent up to a level of extravagance
The extreme dopeness for the nation
I offer the nation some extraordinary, incredibly dope music
D. is the inital, MC's the occupation
D. is my initial, and my occupation is being an MC
Five master hype, light the color of the skin
I possess unparalleled enthusiasm and energy, regardless of skin color
Once the beat roll, my goal is to win
My goal is to win as soon as that beat starts playing
My friend the best, the real side yes
My friend and I are the best, and always keep it real
I rest my case in your face in the flesh
I just won the argument, and I'm telling you face to face, live
Soul Brother supreme to catch wreck in the flesh
I am the supremely skilled Soul Brother, ready to wreck the house in person
So check one two and a mic test
So, let's do a mic test, 1-2, check, check
Now clear the room, I scoped you with the wide angle zoom
Now everybody clear the room, cause I've got my eyes on you with a wide angle zoom
Trying to overstand my funk tunes
You're trying to get to the heart of my funky music
Coming soon, so chill, don't stress The Creator
My music is coming soon, so relax and don't stress The Creator
I'll kick the funk loop from here to Cal Tjader
I'll make the funk loop extend all the way to Cal Tjader (famous jazz musician)
And cross the fader, and pack the lines on my paper
I'll make music across various genres and also pack my pages with rhymes
With rhymes so tough, who got the flavor?
My rhymes are incredibly strong, who can compete with my flavor?
Plus the knack to rock, I'm steady heating up the spot
I've got the talent to rock the mic, and I'm steadily heating up the venue
The Chocolate Boy Wonder making heads bop
I, the Chocolate Boy Wonder, am making heads bounce to the beat
In slow motion, domes crack open like the pavement
In slow motion, people's minds explode with amazement
Off some shit I made down in the basement
I made this killer music in my basement and now everybody loves it
The funk ambassador, asking you to get with the pro-
As the ambassador of funk, I ask you to join the professionals and get with the program
Fessional, yo there's no question I can flow
I'm a professional, and my ability to flow cannot be questioned
Time to slide, you know the P.R. will provide
It's time to leave now, but rest assured that P.R. will always provide great music
The real and still I feel the vibe, I'm in the flesh
I'm here in person, you can feel the vibe, and it's still genuine
Lyrics © Royalty Network Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: COREY PENN, PETE PHILLIPS, R. ODINO
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Can Oz
The fact that Biggie Smalls witnessed and bugged out while Pete Rock crafted this specific beat in his presence in his holy basement is the epitome of hip hop.
Jamaine Dodds
That's a great story...
oldies
@Cold GenuineDraft CL rhymes on one of these tracks about how no other MC can take his DJ
Can Oz
@Cold GenuineDraft he just cooked it up in his presence that's all i know
Trent Yates
Imagine if biggie was on this?
Alfred Henry
@Shades Alvarez Thanks for the link, Doc!! Anything spoken by PR is golden. I love that he was born...please take note of what he says about Hip Hop. In a word, DOPE.
A_ Tree
I wanna personally thank these two for keeping me sane during the worst, most depressing times of my life. Such amazing music
robert bibong
This album should be rated in the top 10 hip hop classics albums
Sam M.
Indeed brother 💗💗💗
Me You
This album is the only album at the time it came out 1994 was able to satisfy my level of expections for what an amazingly produced hip hop album from NYC should sound like after hearing A Tribe Called Quests' Midnight Marauders album from 1993