Video Breakdown: Pete Rock & CL Smooth’s “They Reminisce Over You” (Watch!)

When you talk about New York hip-hop and its Golden Age, you will not walk away without hearing the name Pete Rock and CL Smooth. The Mount Vernon duo made their mark on the hip-hop landscape with their hit "They Reminisce Over You (TROY)", a song for their fallen friend Troy Dixon of the Heavy D and the Boyz. Equally New York and golden age of hip-hop is the video to the song, which features a rich texture and film that perfectly fits the soulful feel of the song.



Pete Rock & CL Smooth and their specific moment in hip-hop can mostly be defined by a Jazz and Soul feel to it, mainly attributable to the heavy use of said genre samples in their songs. No one at that time created such a soulful and rich song using sampling like the two New Yorkers did with They Reminisce Over You. The sampling of the horns and drums in TROY provide the perfect backdrop for the visuals to the song, which are similarly rich, intimate and vivid. The song is as New York as it gets and it’s only right that the video capture this as well. Classic New York scenes such as rapping in a barber’s chair, hanging out the at the pool hall, and spending time on the block playing dice, give us the true late 80s/early 90s vibe of what life in urban New York was like. Additionally, shooting it on what looks like 16mm film (don’t quote me on this), make the visuals richer and less polished, contributing to the earthy and real life feel.

Most importantly, though, this video, unlike 90 percent of videos out today has, dare we say it, an actual story and narrative in it. It walks us through each little vignettes and seamlessly combines them with the performance footage of Pete Rock and CL Smooth. The old family pictures, juxtaposed with scenes of the characters interacting with their family, young children, significant others squabbling, and the vivid description of life in the inner city together all paint picture that add to the lyrics of the song making them even more life like than they already are on their own. They Reminisce Over You is an anthem for all fallen soldiers and its only right that the visuals do justice to these victims of crime and poverty. TROY is a classic song, and it is most definitely a classic video.