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.
The Main Ingredient
Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
One two, check it out
Got my man CL
Can't forget my man, Cee-Lo
Can't forget money earnin', Mount Vernon
Can't forget New Roch'
Can't forget Westchester
Can't forget umm CL, hit me off
Feel the funk by the rap czars in sports cars
Comin atcha now you listen at the feet of a master
Caution, not Wheel of Fortune, here's a portion
Of untamedness, approachin famous, for miscellaneous
The track get crackin though, unexplainable
When I ground a jewel, sound is simply uncontainable
Release my soul, but never make the mistake
And play me like a stone cold fruitcake man
Cause you can never fathom G the dough we want so
My flow's the steadiest, to never leave us penniless
Come on down to the very necessary legendary
Well the more the merry stickin women type of villian
The evidence relentless, I ride to see you magnatized
Mecca to begin you're locked in no doubt
The label better push this, so we can pay the rent
You can season the pot well, but here's The Main Ingredient
The Main Ingredient y'all
The Main Ingredient
Yo, The Main Ingredient y'all
The Main Ingredient
Yo, The Main Ingredient y'all
The Main Ingredient
The Main Ingredient y'all
Yo, The Main Ingredient, kick it CL
I know you wonder what kind of way is that to think:
Put all the wackest rappers on a boat and let it sink
Don't blink; next thing you see you spot is taken
No Jax I'm Fakin' soldiers took the whole reservation
On a scale of one to ten, we move rather swiftly
Want a dimepiece but we'll settle for an eight-fifty
Don't blow mine, your trump card is exposed to pages
Now your beginning's already at the final stages
Pumpin like 12 gauges from a shotgun blast
I never saw people run so fast, aight?
Stay up all night, then sleep all day
Makin big Lucci and would have it no other way
In conjunction, with the function, as stated
Orchestrated by the Soul Brother nickel plated
Tell the judge you were foolish, and try to be lenient
Cause you never had the The Main Ingredient
The Main Ingredient
Hit the third verse off kid
This cap is peeled layin joints like a minefield
When dynamite's my rhythm this is East coast terrorism
The Vernon-ville's Mecca Don, formin Voltron tactics
Let off three verses and the crowd panics
Get em all, the kingpin of the Player's Ball
Now every tramp in your camp's going AWOL
My Lucci situation is A Daily Operation
On the strip, I refine you like Tales From the Crypt
Right here's the real shit, and all that other's counterfeit
Funk to let you know exactly what you're dealin with
P-R slash, C-L smash, love to spend cash
For proper livin, slidin up in wealthy women
Stick your hand in my pants, and grab the mic's no crime
Cause like Sisters With Voices, it's about time
For you to respect my whole foundation precisely
Be obedient, to The Main Ingredient
Yo, The Main Ingredient
The Main Ingredient
Yo, The Main Ingredient
The Main Ingredient
Check out the funk y'all
Mic Check, one two
CL Smooth, and Pete Rock
Comin back, for ninety-four
Can't forget
Get on, to get on
It's time to get on, peace to I-n-I
Yeah, can't forget Baby Pah
Can't forget the whole roster
One two
Check it
It's The Main Ingredient y'all
The Main Ingredient y'all
The Main Ingredient, y'all
The Main Ingredient, bust it
The song "The Main Ingredient" is a classic track that tells a story of how the artists, Pete Rock and CL Smooth, are at the top of their game and how they came to be legends. In the first verse, they name drop various locations and people that have contributed to their success, and then segue into boasting about their rap prowess. They warn other rappers to not underestimate them and to not try to play them. In the second verse, CL Smooth talks about how they are on a mission to eliminate wack rappers and how they have already taken down some competition. He then talks about their daily grind of making money and being successful. In the final verse, Pete Rock raps about his domination in the rap game and how no one should underestimate him.
One interesting thing to note about the song is the use of references to various locations. Pete Rock and CL Smooth are both from Mount Vernon, New York, and the song mentions several other locations in the area. The title of the song is also a reference to a popular cooking show at the time called The Main Ingredient.
Another interesting fact is that the instrumental for the song was not originally intended for this track. It was actually a beat that Pete Rock had made for a song called "Death Becomes You" by rapper (and frequent Pete Rock collaborator) Heavy D.
"The Main Ingredient" was included on the duo's second album of the same name, which was released in 1994. The album was well-received critically and commercially, peaking at number 13 on the Billboard 200 chart.
The song's producer, Pete Rock, is known for his use of soul and jazz samples in his productions. For "The Main Ingredient," he sampled a song called "Daydream in Blue" by an obscure British band called I Monster.
The song has been sampled and referenced by numerous artists over the years, including Jay-Z, Nas, J Dilla, and Kendrick Lamar.
The music video for the song features Pete and CL driving through various locations in a classic Cadillac convertible.
Despite its success, "The Main Ingredient" was not quite as popular as the duo's biggest hit, "They Reminisce Over You (T.R.O.Y.)," which was released two years prior.
The song has been ranked as one of the greatest hip-hop tracks of all time by various publications, including Rolling Stone and Pitchfork.
The chords for "The Main Ingredient" are not available as the instrumental is primarily sample-based.
In conclusion, "The Main Ingredient" is a classic track that showcases the rap skills and production chops of Pete Rock and CL Smooth. The song's use of location references and samples from obscure British bands makes it a unique and memorable piece of hip-hop history.
Line by Line Meaning
One two, one two y'all
Let's get started, everybody listen up
Got my man CL
I have my partner, CL Smooth, with me
Can't forget my man, Cee-Lo
Let's give a shoutout to our friend Cee-Lo
Can't forget money earnin', Mount Vernon
We can't forget where we come from - Mount Vernon, where we made money
Can't forget New Roch'
We also won't forget New Rochelle, where we've spent a lot of time
Can't forget Westchester
And Westchester, another location that's important to us
Can't forget umm CL, hit me off
And of course, we can't forget CL Smooth, who's going to start us off with some rhymes
Feel the funk by the rap czars in sports cars
Listen to the beat created by the masters of hip-hop as we cruise in our fancy cars
Comin atcha now you listen at the feet of a master
As we deliver this song, you should pay attention to our skill and talent
Caution, not Wheel of Fortune, here's a portion
Be careful - this isn't a game show like Wheel of Fortune, this is a small part of our larger work
Of untamedness, approachin famous, for miscellaneous
Our lyrics are wild and uncontrolled, and we're on the brink of becoming famous for many different things
The track get crackin though, unexplainable
The beat starts to pick up, and it's hard to describe how good it is
When I ground a jewel, sound is simply uncontainable
When I deliver something great, the sound is too big to be held in
Release my soul, but never make the mistake
I put my heart and soul into my music, but don't think you can take advantage of that
And play me like a stone cold fruitcake man
Don't try to cheat me - I'm not a fool
Cause you can never fathom G the dough we want so
You can't even imagine how much money we're trying to make
My flow's the steadiest, to never leave us penniless
My rapping style is reliable and will always ensure that we won't be broke
Come on down to the very necessary legendary
Get ready to hear the amazing and indispensable rap that we produce, which will become legendary in time
Well the more the merry stickin women type of villian
We enjoy the company of lots of women, our reputation may be somewhat dubious
The evidence relentless, I ride to see you magnatized
Our evidence of skill is overwhelming and we will draw you in and captivate you
Mecca to begin you're locked in no doubt
We're starting something huge and you're going to be along for the ride
The label better push this, so we can pay the rent
Our record company needs to promote our work well so we can pay the bills
You can season the pot well, but here's The Main Ingredient
You can put a lot of time and effort into your music, but ours is still the best
I know you wonder what kind of way is that to think:
You may be wondering why we think this way
Put all the wackest rappers on a boat and let it sink
We think that the bad rappers should be left to drown, or pushed aside to make way for us
Don't blink; next thing you see you spot is taken
Don't look away, because if you do, we'll take your spot
No Jax I'm Fakin' soldiers took the whole reservation
We're not joking, we can be savage when it comes to our work, and we'll take over everything if you're not careful
On a scale of one to ten, we move rather swiftly
We work hard and make progress quickly
Want a dimepiece but we'll settle for an eight-fifty
We want the best women, but we're happy to take what we can
Don't blow mine, your trump card is exposed to pages
Don't try to outshine me or reveal your secrets, because I'll find out
Now your beginning's already at the final stages
Your end is already in sight
Pumpin like 12 gauges from a shotgun blast
My rhymes are strong and explosive, like a shotgun blast
I never saw people run so fast, aight?
My rhymes are so good that they make people run away in awe
Stay up all night, then sleep all day
We work long hours perfecting our craft, and then take it easy and rest
Makin big Lucci and would have it no other way
We're making lots of money, and we're not going to give up this lifestyle
In conjunction, with the function, as stated
We're working together to make our music as excellent as possible
Orchestrated by the Soul Brother nickel plated
Our music is carefully crafted and put together with precision by the Soul Brother
Tell the judge you were foolish, and try to be lenient
If you get caught doing something stupid, just admit it and hope for mercy
Cause you never had the The Main Ingredient
If you're not successful, it's because you don't have what it takes to make it big
This cap is peeled layin joints like a minefield
I'm starting off strong and explosive, like a minefield
When dynamite's my rhythm this is East coast terrorism
My rhythm and beats are powerful and will rock you like an explosion
The Vernon-ville's Mecca Don, formin Voltron tactics
I am the leader of Vernon, and I use complex tactics to achieve my goals
Let off three verses and the crowd panics
I'm so good at rapping that the audience can hardly handle it
Get em all, the kingpin of the Player's Ball
I'm good at getting whatever I want, especially when it comes to women
Now every tramp in your camp's going AWOL
I'm stealing away all the women from other men, and they can't help but follow me
My Lucci situation is A Daily Operation
I make a lot of money every day, and it's a continuous process
On the strip, I refine you like Tales From the Crypt
My skills are so good that I can even make things better that seem beyond repair
Right here's the real shit, and all that other's counterfeit
What we produce is the real deal, and everything else is just a cheap imitation
Funk to let you know exactly what you're dealin with
We produce great music that is funky and unique
P-R slash, C-L smash, love to spend cash
Pete Rock and CL Smooth make great music together, and love to spend money
For proper livin, slidin up in wealthy women
We want to live well, and enjoy the company of wealthy women
Stick your hand in my pants, and grab the mic's no crime
You're welcome to try and steal my spotlight, but it won't work, just like sticking your hand in a pants pocket won't find you a microphone
Cause like Sisters With Voices, it's about time
It's time for our music to be heard and enjoyed, just like the group Sisters With Voices
For you to respect my whole foundation precisely
You need to recognize and appreciate the foundation of my success and talent
Be obedient, to The Main Ingredient
Pay attention to our music and do what we say
Lyrics © THE ROYALTY NETWORK INC., Royalty Network
Written by: COREY PENN, PETE PHILLIPS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind