CL Smooth keeps it real about Pete Rock, Hip Hop culture shifting, and his brotherhood with DMX

On this week’s episode of “Drink Champs,” N.O.R.E. and DJ EFN were joined by revered rapper CL Smooth. Trending Coming up in Mount Vernon, New York, CL Smooth met Pete Rock in high school and together, they began pursuing what would become a legendary run in Hip Hop. Rock ascended as the duo’s premier beat-maker, while CL stood tall as the group’s voice and MC. Under the tutelage of established acts like Heavy D & The Boyz, Rock and Smooth earned their own record deal via Elektra, released a couple of EPs, and dropped their debut album, Mecca and the Soul Brother, which was led by well-received singles like “They Reminisce Over You (T.R.O.Y.).” Over the next couple of years, the dynamic pairing worked their way up on a commercial level with collaborations like “Down with the King” alongside Run-DMC, appeared on soundtracks for Black movie staples such as Menace II Society, and went on to release their sophomore album, The Main Ingredient, by 1994. The group started to grow apart toward the latter half of that decade, but CL still popped out with a guest feature run that linked him with AZ and Raekwon, on top of releasing his...