Today in Hip-Hop: Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth Drop ‘All Souled Out’ EP

On this day, June 25, in hip-hop history...

1991: On June 25, 1991, New York duo Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth made their artistic debut with their All Souled Out.

The Elektra Records signees had spent many years in the industry producing for artists during the Golden Age of hip-hop, mainly Heavy D & The Boyz and Public Enemy. But in 1991, the two well known and experimental producers jumped from behind the boards to give rhyming a try. C.L. Smooth handled all the rapping on the six track EP with the exception of "The Creator" which features Rock and became the standout hit from the project. As the precursor to their debut album, 1992's Mecca And The Soul Brother, Pete Rock and CL Smooth aimed to introduce their jazz and soul influenced flow. They sampled riffs and trumpet runs from old school Aretha Franklin, James Brown, Lou Donaldson and more while exhibiting a laid back flow on modern day topics.

A strong artist intro to the rap game, Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth went on to drop two well respected albums, Mecca And The Soul Brother (1992) and The Main Ingredient (1994) before separating over creative differences at the height of their popularity in '95. Moved by the death of hip-hop pioneer Guru, Pete Rock and C.L. Smooth ended their fifteen year spat in 2010 and have started working on new music again.

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