C.L. Smooth

Corey Brent Penn Sr. (born October 8, 1968), known by his stage name CL Smooth, is an American rapper.

He is best known as the vocal half of the hip-hop duo Pete Rock & CL Smooth.

Corey Brent Penn Sr. was born on October 8, 1968, in New Rochelle, New York to a mother who was still in high school and a father who was largely absent after his birth.

His main caregivers were his grandmother, who worked as a pediatric nurse, and his grandfather, who worked as a dry-cleaning presser.

After the duo Pete Rock & CL Smooth split in 1995, Pete Rock produced (and remixed) tracks for dozens of other acts and released instrumental solo albums, while CL Smooth remained musically inactive.

Since their split, the two managed to Reconcile their differences only long enough to record five tracks over the course of ten years, namely "Da Two," "Back On Da Block," "Fly 'Til I Die," "Appreciate," and "It's A Love Thing."

During this period, CL Smooth mostly declined to appear on other artists' albums, with the exception of "Only the Strong Survive" with DJ Krush in 1996.

In 2004, there was talk of a reunion and a new album.

This, however, was thwarted by another fallout.

Starting around the year 2006, CL Smooth began making guest appearances slightly more frequently.

Among the artists to whose songs he has contributed guest vocals are AZ ("Magic Hour"), Raekwon ("Silk", also featuring Sauce Money), Nujabes ("Sky Is Falling"), JR Writer (the remix of "Mesmerize"), and Supafuh ("Act of Faith").

As of 2022, his most recent guest appearance was on the song "The Masters" by the Canadian rapper-producer duo of Ghettosocks and DK.

CL Smooth released his debut solo album, American Me, in 2006.

To promote the album, Shaman Work released a promotional mixtape compiled by DJ J Period called Man On Fire in late April 2006, featuring 36 minutes of freestyles and a remixed version of the track "Impossible".

He was also featured on the DJ Jazzy Jeff album The Return of the Magnificent on the track "All I Know," which was also featured in the video game NBA Live 08.

Around the same time, he released a single called "Perfect Timing", featuring Skyzoo.

In October 2010 Smooth and Pete Rock headlined the Clean Energy Tour.

The tour had six shows all over California, and focused on voter mobilization leading up to the November 2010 midterm elections.

CL Smooth has developed an interest in, and become an activist in opposition to, climate change.

He was a vocal opponent of Proposition 23.

In February 2019, CL Smooth released a single entitled "Just In Town", featuring and produced by Fleezy E and Wayno Da Producer for Da Watchmen.