Mobb Deep "Infinite" (Album Stream)

Mobb Deep returns with Infinite, the duo’s final studio album via Mass Appeal. The project unites unreleased vocals from Prodigy with new production from Havoc and longtime collaborator The Alchemist, extending the sound that defined Queensbridge and reshaped New York rap. Across the record, guests add texture without diluting the core: appearances include Nas, Clipse, Jorja Smith, Ghostface Killah, Raekwon, Big Noyd, and more. Lead-up singles “Against the World,” “Taj Mahal,” “Down for You,” and “Look at Me” set the tone — grim, cinematic, and precise — before the full album’s release. Infinite closes one of hip-hop’s most influential stories with intention — both tribute and continuation — affirming why Mobb Deep’s voice still cuts through. Rest in Peace to the legend, Prodigy - Havoc paid an excellent tribute to P with this release. Listen to the LP below...

Mobb Deep "Murda Muzik" (Retail vs. Bootleg, 1999)

Those who think they've heard it all from Mobb Deep, think again. Building on their powerful opus that earned them 4 1/2 mics the first time The Source got its hands on it, the Mobb has taken the expression, "They murdered that shit!" to a whole new level. Memorable joints that remain part of the previous musical massacre include the gritty "Allustrious," the Eightball-assisted, boisterously in-ya-face "Where Ya From" and the highly emotional "Streets Raised Me." And while the absence of "Mobb Comin' Thru," "F#ck That B!tch" and "Pile Raps" is no doubt noticeable, the drama-inspiring, horn-laced "Spread Love" quickly reassures that Hav and P knew exactly what they were doing when making their final cuts. To aid them in their murda spree, the Mobb enlisted some notable co-defendants. Lil' Cease pops up on the keyboard-sprinkled "I'm Goin' Out," and Raekwon sets up shop on the slightly bounce-flavored (but still unmistakably Mobb) "Can't F#ck Wit," on which the time-tested Shaolin-QB connection reminds MCs to stop talking shit and "see me when you get a record deal." And just when you thought "Quiet Storm" was the epitome of murda raps, the remix raises the stakes once again, as Lil' Kim joins the Mobb in bringing the "re-e-e-eal hip hop" to the people. But the true gem of the added joints has to be "It's Mine," featuring Nas Esco, himself. The Scarface-inspired bassline and drums harder than public school lunch rolls should make it an instant QB favorite. Overall, the 19 tracks (out of the nearly 30 tracks recorded for for their fourth album) that make up the newest installment of Murda Muzik should remove any irrational doubts about Mobb Deep's status as the sanctioned soothsayers of seriously sanguineous slang. Revisit it below...

When discussing the Bootleg Version of Murda Muzik, here's what they had to say back in 1999: "We leaked some of that shit ourselves. It was some ghetto street promotion for us," says Prodigy. 'It [the bootleg Murda Muzik] probably went gold on the streets. It worked out for the better.'" I'd agree. You can compare the tracklists for the retail version of Murda Muzik and the bootleg version below to see what tracks you might've missed. I remember coppin' one of the bootlegs at a damn car wash out in Queens on Woodhaven Boulevard. It was definitely reminiscent of the Nas "I Am..." situation, which later became a lot of the tracks for his "The Lost Tapes" release [and that other album we don't talk about much]. There was a ton of quality music on the streets in Queens at that time. Rest In Peace to Prodigy, one of our culture's most talented MCs. Read more below...

Mobb Deep "The Infamous" (Spin Magazine, 1995)

Just after premiering as a full-grown MC, Mobb Deep's Prodigy busts a little rap criticism. His unrhymed, two-minute screed on track two ends with "To all the rap ass n!ggas with ya half-assed rhymes / Talk about how much you get high / How much weed you smoke / And all that crazy space shit that don't even make no sense / Don't even speak to me." In other words: Keep it real. It's no faint praise to say that Mobb Deep actually makes that shopworn admonition mean something. In the mikes and notebooks of Prodigy and partner Havoc, the phrase "keep it real" functions a little like that old Journalism 101 bromide "show, don't tell." And if any one quality runs through 'Bridge albums from MC Shan to Nas, it's that unhurried, no-frills verisimilitude; an allergy to purple prose, spiraling metaphors, and crazy space shit that don't make sense. Instead, what we get is state-of-the-art East Coast reportage: drug-selling, police-fleeing, and homie-dying vignettes, all told with vivid detail and a deadpan thousand-yard flow. Formerly the teen duo Poetic Prophets, Prodigy and Havoc make it amply clear that they've packed a lot more street living and skill-honing into their 20 years than most peers. The album review in Spin continues and revisit the The Infamous below...

After asserting, "Every day of my life since 11/2/74 / On the street makin' nonstop cream galore," they drop specifics like "I'm from Hempstead / It's close to the shacks in Park South." An almost Ivy League confidence in birthright, experience, and rhymemanship renders these understated verses so undeniable: "Temperature's Rising" draws pathos from a rhymed phone call to an on-the-lam brother; "Trite Life" recalls a subway ride to an old girlfriend's borough, with a six-member crew along for protection; and the instant classic "Eye for a Eye" lays out a loyalty oath with stellar verses by Nas and Wu-Tang Clan's Raekwon the Chef (who rhymes "cornea" with "up on ya" -- not to be tried without a Staten Island accent). And just when you're ready to dismiss abstract rhyming as the stuff of sissies, producer Q-Tip hijacks "Drink Away The Pain" with characters like his n!gga Tommy Hilfiger and some trick named Donna Karan, laying out a staggering, verse-long morality play about materialism. If only to clock a stunning panoply of mike skills, The Infamous... is indispensable. Which is not to say that it doesn't sound great, too. While the pat line on '90s rap sonics is that on the East Coast form follows function, these beats are hardly utilitarian, mixing warm, old Quest-style Blue Note whispers, gritty snares, and stark keyboard chimes like Satie or Bill Evans with an MPC-60. Hearing Havoc and Prodigy testify is a little like following 14-year old Jim Carroll through the hold-ups, shooting galleries, and poetical gymnastics in The Basketball Diaries. You have to wonder what they'll be like when they're old enough to drink. - Spin Magazine (August, 1995).

Mobb Deep "Juvenile Hell" (April 13, 1993)

On their debut, Havoc and Prodigy tell the listener in all sorts of overconfident manners that there are few people out there who can mess with Mobb Deep. In fact, they do so in 14 different ways on Juvenile Hell. Mostly produced by Mobb Deep themselves, this album is rawness at an unrelenting pace, with an undeniable, relentless, and often irrational energy. The intro cut sets the mood as a warning, set to a "Queens brand" production. The tempo is kind of fast, but the bassline rolls to easily facilitate a strong head nod. The sampled horn stabs help to remind you that, after all, it's still music. Over this beat Prodigy cautions: "It's called Juvenile Hell; you won't survive long." In the first few songs, Mobb acquaints the listener with the life of a "frustrated and confused young juvenile" living in Queens. Juvenile Hell is hardcore, but not void of musical pr creative effort and accomplishment; it's really cool, serious, and 100 percent hip-hop. Highlights include "Flavor for the Non Believers," "Peer Pressure," "Stomp Em Out" (featuring Big Noyd), and "Hold Down the Fort." When Juvenile Hell was initially released, it didn't do so well in the stores. Perhaps it was the excess of threats and proclamations making up Juvenile Hell that kept buyers away in 1993, or maybe it was the label's inability to market this virulent project correctly. In any event, it's an album worthy of historical note. - AllMusic. Revisit Mobb Deep's debut album, Juvenile Hell, from 1993 below...

Rest In Peace, Prodigy...

J-Love "Mobb Misses" (Mixtape, 1998)

J-Love released the original Mobb Misses mixtape on cassette in 1998, boasting that Mobb Deep was "a group so ill there unreleased songs are bangin!" Facts. A second installment was released in 2001, then I think both mixes were later redone, along with additional mixes reppin' Prodigy and Havoc individually, too. In true Infamous Mobb Deep fashion, the mix tape includes tracks featuring affiliated artists like Big Noyd, Cormega, ACD, Tragedy, Large Professor, Ty Nitty and also Nas, Foxy Brown and Onyx. Some of my favorites are "Cop Hell", "Young Luv", and "Perfect Plot," among others. The loss of Prodigy is still heavy on our minds and hearts, but there's so much incredible music to go back and celebrate year after year. Dig into Mobb Misses below or break out your walkman and a copy of the cassette... I'll update the link as needed if it goes down (again). Rest In Peace, Prodigy.

Styles P & Havoc "Wreckage Manner" (Album Stream)

Wreckage Manner is the collaborative project between Mobb Deep’s Havoc and The Lox’ Styles P. Entirely produced by Havoc, Wreckage Manner includes the previously released single “Nightmares 2 Dreams” ​​​alongside nine other songs that find The LOX wordsmith and Mobb Deep producer at the peak of their powers. In tandem with the release, Havoc shared some thoughts about working with Styles P. “Making this piece of work reminded me of working with P (the late, great Prodigy of Mobb Deep),” he said in a statement. “Styles is an artist that I was a fan of over the years, so making this project was truly a pleasure.” “Authentic, vibrant, quote-worthy, raw uncut hip hop,” Styles added. “Get ready for the ride!!!” We still mourn the loss of Prodigy, but I'm glad that Styles P and Hav were able to come together and make this art happen. I hesitated for several weeks to click play, may have been jaded by some negative reviews but after listening, I think it's a solid album. Dig into Styles P and Havoc's collaborative project, Wreckage Manner, below...

Mobb Deep "Hell On Earth" (November 19, 1996)

Queensbridge, New York's ice-pick-packing duo Mobb Deep (Havoc and Prodigy) has returned with a third album, Hell On Earth (Loud-RCA), that, believe it or not, is even darker than 1993's acclaimed Infamous. The raw elegance and jazzy-bop beats provided by A Tribe Called Quest's Q-Tip last time have been replaced by eerie, suspenseful bass lines and simplistic but jarring drum kicks, entirely self-produced. Grim tales like "Bloodsport," "Extortion," "Get Dealt With" and "Man Down" are violent narratives on the dangers of street life, detailed with the intense passion of young men who will do whatever it takes to survive in their troubled surroundings. This disc is not for the faint of heart... - CMJ New Music Monthly (January, 1997). I've posted the enhanced CD, press kits, album reviews and much more for this album. I regrettably didn't burn my copy of the album sampler before passing it off to someone else, that was a major oversight on my part. Either way, dig in the archives for a lot more and run this incredible winter album back, over... and over again. RIP, Prodigy!

The Infamous back in the house once again...

Mobb Deep "The Infamous" (New York Daily News, 1995)

It's a telling tale for rap duo Mobb Deep. Out of the rugged, raw South Queensbridge Houses, Prodigy and Havoc come to the world of hip hop with a message of survival in the 'hood. They do not arrive with candy-coated tales of living large. They deliver narration that spins tales of survival as they roll through the urban jungle. Their defense: it's their reality. "I've seen people get killed, my best man. Young kids is murderers, going out there and killing kids for selling crack on their corners," says 20-year old Prodigy, aka Chaka Johnson. "It's nothing, like, spectacular about it. You can say, 'Dag, he's 20 years old -- how could he go through that?' A lot of us do. There are a lot of 20-year olds just like me -- they just don't know how to put it in words." So Mobb Deep did it for them. Barely legal and with an album already to their credit, Mobb Deep enter with their sophomore album, "The Infamous," an ice-cold portrait of life in the darkest corners of NYC. Mobb Deep's truth comes to the music via the South Queensbridge Houses, where Havoc grew up. Havoc still lives there, and vows to stay. Prodigy's mom sent him to live with his grandmother on Long Island at age 15 after he was arrested for selling drugs near his childhood home in the Lefrak City complex. Prodigy first spotted Havoc -- description identical, save a couple of inches -- jacking up a guy twice his size in the lunchroom at Manhattan School of Art and Design. "He was real little back in the day -- a shortie," recalls Prodigy. "A little short n!gg@ beatin' on some big n!gg@. I saw him the next day, told him he was wrecking that kid nasty-like. "After that, we would be rhymin' with each other. Everybody was, like, 'Y'all need to get together and form a group.' We battled everybody in school -- we was the illest." Their first album, "Juvenile Hell," came in 1993. Though its only single "Shook Ones Part 1," still has hard-core rap enthusiasts nodding their heads, paltry sales, sloppy business practices and a lackluster push from their label sent the album nowhere -- fast. Cont'd...

Havoc admits the culprit was the duo's misguided illusion of dollar bills and quick fame -- an immature business sense that sent the high school dropouts back to Queens empty-handed. "The bottom line is that we wasn't on top of our game," Havoc once confessed. "We wasn't handling our business the way we was supposed to. We [were] young." Now, armed with G.E.D.'s and a few extra years in the business under their belt, Mobb Deep find themselves in the middle of a Mobb Deep craze -- their songs all over the charts, their videos all over music television and 500,000 people across the country listening to their tales of life in the 'hood. A cursory listen tells you their music is everything your mother forbade you to hear. It's just what conservatives, parents groups and the likes of presidential candidate Sen. Bob Dole have been bashing. But Prodigy repeats what most defenders of gangsta rap have already said: They're just rapping about what they see on the streets. "I feel that Bob Dole and Bill Clinton make me like this. How can they complain when I write songs about what they put me through? Ironically, it's not only the streets that are putting Prodigy through it. He has a serious case of sickle-cell anemia, a blood disease that dehydrates him and threatens his bone strength. He already has a bad hip that he must have replaced. "My leg is f***** up," Prodigy says. "But that doesn't affect my performing." Prodigy says they study the Koran, the Bible, and even quotations from Mao Zedong, sharing views with their project counterparts. "You got to keep it to the street. Keep the phat beats, but knowledge -- read up on books, talk about everything," Prodigy said. "Right now, we got 500,000 ears, so we're going to make some use of that." - New York Daily News. July 23, 1995. R.I.P., Albert "Prodigy" Johnson!

Donnie Propa "Straight From The Crate Cave" (Mobb Deep Edition)

Here's the latest mixtape from one of UK's finest DJs, Donnie Propa. Following the success of his Straight From The Crate Cave series highlighting the work of the D.I.T.C. Crew, Rawkus Records, Pete Rock, and separate releases for Jeru The Damaja, J. Dilla, Masta Ace and more; Donnie Propa has compiled a new Straight From The Cave mix for those poetical prophets out of Queensbridge/LI named Mobb Deep! The infamous duo of Prodigy and Havoc have made some of the most influential records to come out of Queens dating back to the mid-90s. Donnie Propa's all-vinyl mix takes you on a journey through many of those classics, dig into it below, and Rest In Peace, Prodigy! I'd tell you to cop the cassette, but I'm sure they'll be sold out by the time you see this!

Mobb Deep "Hell On Earth" (November 19, 1996)

Mobb Deep are out to shit on those who spit on them. Havoc, the outfit's Napoleon-size producer/poet, grew up, like Nas, Marley Marl, and Roxanne Shante, in New York's surreal Queensbridge Housing Projects. Prodigy is his suburban-reared rapping other half, the good cop to Havoc's bad one as Hell on Earth, the duo's third album, pursues retribution like Charles Bronson in the Death Wish flicks. If the subject matter is somewhat limited to this "I'm gonna get you first, sucka" motif -- reflected in ditties like "Blood Sport" ("This ain't rap / it's blood sport / Your life cut short") and "Get Dealt With" ("My live n!ggas in the back / Got the gats blowing out of your back") -- well, Mobb Deep's big payback always sounds bitchin'. It was the subtle keyboard clamor of 1994's "Shook Ones Pt.2," sedating you and stimulating you at once, in a guileless high, that solidified Mobb Deep's position as the East Coast's reigning drama lords. Hell on Earth pursues a similar percussion-and-bass gumbo of sound. Straight-ahead war drums pounce out conversations with light strings, electric pianos, ancient videogame sound effects, and, on "Nighttime Vultures," pissed-off-buzzard shrieks. Very occasionally, you'll hear a longing for sanctuary inside Mobb Deep's insanity. "Dreams of growing old with my son," beams a warm Prodigy on "Apostle's Warning," his voice shimmering with earnestness. Havoc, more typically, concocts a love-triangle hostage situation in "More Trife Life," warning one of his soldiers "don't never go see a bitch." We don't know if Havoc lives or dies. What matters, according to the Thugster's Handbook, is that his manhood remains in check; that in the face of doom Havoc flexes his middle finger. - Spin (1/97). Revisit this classic WINTER album below...

Original album review in Spin and Hell on Earth advert below...

Mobb Deep "Murda Muzik" (August 17, 1999)

The high-profile album that is hyped and delayed beyond expectation only to fail to live up to the fanfare is an all too common tale in hip-hop. Such is not the case with Murda Muzik, the fourth joint from Queensbridge alchemists Mobb Deep. Unquestionably one of the most anticipated rap releases of the year [1999], Havoc and Prodigy's basement-born collision of ominously minimalist breakbeats and insightfully infamous poetics have never sounded so mature and defined, particularly on the tracks such as "Allustrious" and "Quiet Storm." Even the album's newest cuts impress, particularly "Can't Fuck Wit" with Raekwon and "It's Mine" with fellow Queensbridge product Nas. Cop that! - CMJ (9/99). Man, I remember coppin' a  bootleg of Murda Muzik at a neighborhood carwash! in the spring of '99, lol. That's how much this project was leaked, bootlegged and highly anticipated! The production was incredible, adding The Alchemist's production to Hav and P's already gritty soundscapes, and also featured vocals from Big Noyd, Cormega, Lil' Cease, 8 Ball, Kool G Rap and, of course, Lil' Kim on the smash remix to "Quiet Storm." People don't talk about Murda Muzik as much as they do The Infamous or Hell On Earth, but the replay value is nearly as intense, so revisit this classic below - released on this day in 1999! Dig up the bootlegs, too, for some extra tracks! lol.

Below is a review in Spin Magazine + the Platinum Party flyer...

Mobb Deep "The Infamous" (25th Ann. Expanded Edition)

In commemoration the 25th anniversary of Mobb Deep’s The Infamous, Sony Music has released a digital-only expanded edition of the groundbreaking East Coast rap masterpiece. The Infamous – 25th Anniversary Expanded Edition includes bonus tracks “Shook Ones, Part I” (Original Version), and Infamous sessions mixes of “The Money (Version 2)” and “Lifestyles Of The Infamous,” now available digitally for the first time. A deluxe 12″ vinyl 25th-anniversary edition will be available later this year featuring the original album in its entirety and a variety of rare mixes, alternate takes and unreleased tracks recorded in 1994 during the making of the album. “When Prodigy and I started on The Infamous album, all we wanted to do is to make good music - give the world a glimpse of our lives - put out an audible image of Queensbridge so that people could hear what we see every day. I guess we were successful because 25 years later, many believe that this record is one of the greatest hip-hop records of all times," said Havoc. R.I.P., Prodigy... listen to the classic album below.

Mobb Deep "The Infamous" (25th Anniversary)

"The Infamous", Mobb Deep's spooky second set, ships April 25, and on it group members Havoc and Prodigy sound cold like an Eskimo's toes, insane, pained, and badder than turned milk. The pair's hard-edged rhymes form a series of technicolor postcards from the hell they roam - throughout New York's Queensbridge Housing Projects - packing high-caliber chrome, "It's similar to Vietnam," says Prodigy on "Survival Of The Fittest," which issues some phat, frisky fierceness. Over more blunted bounce that is cut with cool, cinematic clatter, the duo takes listeners into their wild world - a sphere where cash rules, paranoia pervades, homies die, and moms cry. As they do whatever to maintain or - even more - reign as swanky ghetto celebs, they wreak more havoc than a cyclone. Their credo: protect ya' neck, stand by your crew, and get the next man before he gets you. The dynamic Mobb Deep duo sound captivatingly ill on "The Infamous." (Billboard 4/8/95). For me, I've spoken on Mobb Deep and The Infamous album numerous times over the years (reviews, promo, articles, mixes, etc), but celebrating it's 25th Anniversary without Prodigy here in the physical just feels different, ya know? Much love to Havoc who has been holding it down, keeping P's legacy strong and continuing to celebrate the life one of our culture's greatest eMCees. For a full summary greater than any/all the posts I could ever do on the album, check Dart Adam's 25th Anniversary Retrospective on Mobb Deep's The Infamous, HERE. Enjoy the original promo stickers/lyrics from the LP above and below. 4/25/95: 25 years passed in an instant! R.I.P., Prodigy! 

Mobb Deep "Juvenile Hell" (Press Kit, 1993)

"Coming with jeep-crushing drum beats and ill jazz/funk samples, Mobb Deep is the latest rap export from 4th & B'Way's stable of stars. On their debut album, Juvenile Hell, the MC duo of Havoc and Prodigy bring the flavor. Over hardcore tracks produced by DJ Premier, Large Professor, Paul Shabazz & Slick, and Keith & Dale, they spout spirited rhymes that explore the interior and exterior of urban life. Mobb Deep has spent the last couple of years hangin' in project hallways, bonding with homies, sipping 40s of malt liquor, and knocking suckers out to get a rep. They've now emerged from this street-savage upbringing, telling it like it is in ten songs that'll have ya doin' the freaky-deke at any blazing jam. "We want people to dance to our music, but we also want them to flip the coin and peep what we're sayin'," says Prodigy. It can be said without fear of contradiction that growing up in the ghetto can be cool and messed up at the same time. While, thanks to everyday mental trauma, it can make you stronger in the mind, it can also place you six-feet under. "I think we're a couple of the most strong-minded people in the world," says Havoc of he and his partner."

"Survivors of outdoor bloodbaths and other vestiges of boulevard brutality, as well as active participants in the more joyful activities on the asphalt landscape, Mobb Deep has arrived in Planet Hip Hop with songs like "Peer Pressure," "Me And My Crew" and "Hit It From The Back" that transport the listener to where they come from. Havoc, who is from Queensbridge Queens and Prodigy, a Hempstead Long Island native, met in 1990, when they were students at New York City's High School of Art and Design. "I was in the 10th grade," recalls Havoc. "He was in the 9th. We both used to battle in the lunchroom. One time we went against each other, and because we were real short - we're both just over five feet - everybody said we'd look good together. So we collaborated, and it worked out." The pair began cutting demos. Then, after performing in a number of talent shows, tracking a phat promo for WBLS New York's weekend rap show, and getting ink in The Source "Unsigned Hype" column, they got a rep. Later, Mobb Deep (whose name represents how they roll with their crew) found themselves in the middle of a label bidding war. "It took a while for things to happen for us," says Prodigy, 'but we're happy with the way things turned out'." - 1993

The Alchemist x Mobb Deep "Built To Last" (Mix)

The 'Built To Last' Radio Show is hosted by Corrado and I Joe, each Thursday from 8-9pm on Radio campus FM in Toulouse, France. The latest mix in their series of tributes to classic emcees and producers is this Infamous Mobb Deep set, featuring production from Alchemist. One of the best combinations in rap history, the chemistry that Alc, Hav & P had in the studio was near unmatched. You definitely wanna dig into the tags and listen to all the other quality mixes from Built To Last. Rest in Paradise, Prodigy: Hip-Hop misses your voice and perspective in music. Dig into it below...

Mobb Deep "The Infamous" (Review, Elements 5/95)

"Gunshot! Lighta! Daaamn! I can't say enough about this album. I just feel lucky to have peeped it early. Ever since "Peer Pressure" and "Hit It From The Back" on their last album, I knew these "official Queensbridge murderers" were on some other shit. As for "The Infamous," expect more of the raw from Prodigy and Havoc. If you liked "Shook Ones" Pt.1 & 2 then you'll love the rest of the tracks on this sophomore release from the Mobb. "The Infamous" is nothing short of phenomenal rhyme skills on rugged tracks with that undeniable New York vibe. Every track is right and exact but look out for "Your Beef Is Mine" featuring Nas and Raekwon The Chef..." Cont'd below...

"On the Abstract produced "Give Up The Goods" the Mobb flips some ill shit over the same sample used in LL's "Pink Cookies" remix. The second single, "Survival of the Fittest," is very reminiscent of "Shook Ones Pt.2" but nonetheless captures the true essence of Mobb Deep's outlook on every day life. Q-Tip also lends his production skills and makes a guest appearance on "Drink The Pain Away." Other tracks getting honorable mention are "Cradle To The Grave" and "Temperature's Rising" but to me "Trife Life" is the straight up shit. Don't sleep on this one - beg, borrow, or steel the ducats for "The Infamous." Definitely one of the best albums of 95. The Mobb comes equipped for warfare beware..." - Elements, May 1995 (CiTR - U of BC). R.I.P. Prodigy. "The Infamous" (4/25/95)

Prodigy "Thief's Theme" x "Stay Chiseled" Freestyles

June 20, 2018 is the one year anniversary of the death of Mobb Deep's Prodigy. To commemorate his creative partner's untimely passing, Havoc has shared two "unreleased exclusive freestyles," as with DJ Absolut. "Thief's Theme," originally a single from Nas's 2004 album Street's Disciple, features both members of Mobb Deep, while Prodigy is solo on "Stay Chiseled," which appeared on Large Professor's 2002 album First Class. Listen to both below, via Fader. Rest In Peace, Prodigy!

J.Rocc Presents: Sade & Mobb Deep "Thug Ballads"

Only a mastermind and skilled technician like J.Rocc of the World Famous Beat Junkies could come up with the idea AND execute a mashup of tracks from Mobb Deep and Sade. The blending of Sade's melodies and Mobb Deep's dunn language is incredible to hear. For the most part, it comes off effortless, although not quite flawless. I won't tease you with which tracks are used, go ahead and dig into J.Rocc's Thug Ballads mash-up mix below, which also comes up with 6 fine instrumentals (Update: the bandcamp link is now an exclusive-only, so I included a Mixcloud link instead). Dig below...

Mobb Deep "Beats, Songs & Rhymes" (Vol.1, Mixtape)

This is volume 1 of Dope As Funk "Beats, Songs & Rhyme" series, where they mix songs sampled by the artist, instrumentals and all classics. They featured Mobb Deep, the Queensbridge duo of Prodigy and Havoc, whose dark sinister beats and rhymes epitomized the sound of New York in the mid-to-late 90s. From the original samples to the classic cuts and some slept-on gems, this mix is a dope run through The Infamous Mobb Deep's classic catalog. It was originally released some years back, but check it out below! Images above are from Queensbridge in 1995 via Delphine Fawundu.

Mobb Deep "G.O.D. Part III" (The Source, 10/96)

"Winter just wouldn't be the same without Mobb Deep. And as the cold weather draws upon us, all hoodie-wearing, bubble-goose loving, boots-having heads can rejoice: the QB kids are back with another soundtrack for hardcore shuffling. "G.O.D. Father Part III" is the first shot from Mobb's upcoming sophomore project. Wanna know what it's about? Prodigy puts things quite directly: "...slice that cat / you get splashed from back of ya head to ass crack / You searching for signs of the end? Well I am that / Will bring apocalypse to this game called rap / Not a game but quite serious and yo in fact / You be runnin' for dear life so far you might fall off the map ..." No matter how much the critic's side of me may grumble about n!ggas talking hard-core shit to overdose levels, the chilling nature of Mobb Deep's stark poetics always drives the relevance back home and leaves me hungry for more." Check out the dope visuals for the track and continue reading below.

"The duo also continue to do their thing behind the boards, flipping the beat last heard beneath the Fugees' "Killing Me Softly" into a string-clad, bass driven menace. Indeed, while the greater majority of hip-hop's so called hard-rocks run around like the caricatures they've become, Havoc and P have elevated their formula and maintained the integrity that keeps the hard-core sh!t true. The Mobb still got it locked - nine seven to the year two-g." - The Source (October, 1996).