They Reminisce Over You (T.R.O.Y.)


"They Reminisce Over You " is a song by Pete Rock & CL Smooth, inspired by the death of their close friend Troy Dixon in 1990. The song was the lead single off their debut album, Mecca and [the Soul Brother], released in 1992, and later became a staple of early 1990s hip hop. The song peaked at #58 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #1 on the Hot Rap Tracks chart. The song contains a sample from "Today" from the album The Honeysuckle Breeze by Tom Scott and the California Dreamers, originally performed by Jefferson Airplane.
They Reminisce Over You is frequently ranked among the greatest hip-hop songs of all time and a classic of Hip Hop's golden era.

Background and Composition

Pete Rock has stated that the song was inspired by death of their friend Troy Dixon in 1990. Dixon had fallen off a stage while on tour in Indianapolis with Heavy D & the Boyz. While he initially survived the fall, he died later at the hospital. The incident had deeply affected both Pete Rock and CL Smooth and inspired them to write the song in his memory.
Pete Rock in a 2007 interview with The Village Voice:

Legacy

"They Reminisce Over You " has since appeared on lists such as Q Magazines "1001 Best Songs Ever", Spin Magazines "Top 20 Singles of the 90s", and The Source's "100 Best Rap Singles Of All Time". It was voted #6 in About.com's Top 100 Rap Songs. It was also number 90 on VH1's 100 Greatest Songs of Hip Hop. Pitchfork included the song at #35 on their Top 200 Tracks of the 90s.
Rolling Stone magazine ranked the song #12 on its list of "The 50 Greatest Hip-Hop Songs of All Time." It was also ranked #430 on its "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time" in 2021.
In 2012, Lupe Fiasco's song "Around My Way (Freedom Ain't Free)" from Food & Liquor II: [The Great American Rap Album Pt. 1] used the same sample from "Today" that "They Reminisce Over You" did. In response, Pete Rock said he felt "violated." Fiasco further references the song in the title of the final track of Tetsuo & Youth, "They.Resurrect.Over.New."

Track listing

  1. "They Reminisce Over You "
  2. "They Reminisce Over You "
  3. "The Creator "
  4. "The Creator "
  5. "Creator"
  6. "Creator"