90's Jams #91: Pete Rock & CL Smooth "They Reminisce Over You (T.R.O.Y.)" (1992)

NBA Street Vol. 2 for XBox kinda played this song to death, but for a good reason... "T.R.O.Y." somehow just evokes images of intense summertime basketball, like a deleted scene from some early 90's Spike Lee joint. The built-in nostalgia from the intro sample also helped turn this into one of the truest summer bangers. CL Smooth animated an otherwise badass family tribute with his lyrics, but the real magic of "T.R.O.Y." lies within Pete Rock's production. In its wikipedia entry, Pete Rock is cited from an article where he said he was touched by "such a beautiful bassline" which became the sample, and the drums are as close to jazz as one could ask for, since the snare placement in each measure pretty much never repeats itself.