The more i think about it, C.L. Smooth was a Trash ass rapper

Kid McNamara

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Planned on entering this thread to set some misinformed cat straight.

Only thing is, I've been saying the same thing since hearing Mecca and the Soul Brother (song).

 

Awesome Wells

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Nah, when I got older I started to realize that I didn't understand half of what he was saying. Haha.

I was a kid when I copped all of their albums, so I just rolled with it. But last year, Pete explained a lot about CL's lyrics and how that's how dudes in the Vernon rhyme. He decoded some of the stuff too, and said that CL rapped for their inner circle, so a lot of people might not get what he was saying. I remember Rae saying the same thing about Ghost back in '96. Now when I listen, I can hear what they mean by that. Either way, CL is my dude. I love that cat's work with Pete. Way too many classics.
 
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Nah, when I got older I started to realize that I didn't understand half of what he was saying. Haha.

I was a kid when I copped all of their albums, so I just rolled with it. But last year, Pete explained a lot about CL's lyrics and how that's how dudes in the Vernon rhyme. He decoded some of the stuff too, and said that CL rapped for their inner circle, so a lot of people might not get what he was saying. I remember Rae saying the same thing about Ghost back in '96. Now when I listen, I can hear what they mean by that. Either way, CL is my dude. I love that cat's work with Pete. Way too many classics.


Pretty much... A lot of his shyt was esoteric, just like a lot of Wu Members like you mentioned
 

keond

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Mood music, mood lyrics. He reminds me of Q-tip in that regard

i've been playing "searching" over and over for the past month or so

Qtip wasn't a lyrical beast like Kane or Biggie but he had charisma and quotables. He also was a GOAT producer. I cant compare the two, but i will agree about the mood music aspect. I guess back in the day i was blinded by the atmosphere of the music rather than focusing on what CL was saying, because when i go back to listen, he is just rapping in circles
 

EndDomination

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C.L. Smooth wasn't an elite MC, but if you dive too far into a lot of 90s hit's lyrics you'll realise they're just talking about "whatever," melodically over a smooth-ass beat.
His verse went smoothly with the song, regardless of what he was talking about, it was introspect into his life.
A lot of other rappers do that too, Busta Rhymes sure as hell did and he's Top 15 :mjlol:
 

The_Sheff

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CL Smooth is one of those cats where the whole time you listening to him on the track you kinda wish it was someone else. The production he was getting was too good to be used on him.
 

KravenMorehead™

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Qtip wasn't a lyrical beast like Kane or Biggie but he had charisma and quotables. He also was a GOAT producer. I cant compare the two, but i will agree about the mood music aspect. I guess back in the day i was blinded by the atmosphere of the music rather than focusing on what CL was saying, because when i go back to listen, he is just rapping in circles

Down south nikkas are gonna say the same shyt about future in 10 years :pachaha: i just noticed that.

But yeah, he doesn't have those lines that hit you either emotionally or quotables, it's like he was just coasting. He wasn't irreplaceable other than you just favoring his voice over the track. All you can say is "dude did his thing."

The funny thing is Pete rock's instrumentals are the equivalent of CL's raps, chill and ambient, for NY cats playing ball or chess in the park, or at a late night lounge. It was great for it's time. Nowadays cats want every artist to do everything on the mic but back then everyone had a lane...



2016 EDIT: :smh:
 
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