Mobb Deep

14 years is forever in the hip-hop lifecycle. Few hip-hop artist take claim to over a decade of consistency under their resume. Even fewer can claim to have been able to contribute classic material within that time span.

“Shook Ones Pt.2”…“Survival of the fittest”…”Hell On Earth…“Quiet Storm”…“Burn”…“Twisted”

To the average eye, they read like song titles. To the student of hip-hop culture, they read like chapters in the big book of hip-hop. Turn to page 2006 and you’ll find the story of one of hip-hop music’s most influential entities aligning with one of the biggest forces in music to release their most talked about project yet with Blood Money.

Blood Money marks the 7th release by Mobb Deep. This doesn’t include solo efforts like Prodigy’s critically acclaimed solo effort, H.N.I.C, in 2002 or their made-for-the-streets mix-tape album. It does however signal a new chapter in Havoc and Prodigy’s rise from New York City mainstays to international rap delegates.

Hip-Hop music has been good to Mobb Deep since both, Havoc and Prodigy, first met at New York City’s Arts and Graphics High School in Manhattan. Influenced by the golden era sounds of Run DMC, Rakim and The Juice Crew, Havoc and Prodigy put pen to pad under the name the Poetical Profits, but soon changed their name to reflect their reputation on the streets. Rolling ‘deep’ with a mob of trouble makers, the duos’ style of music reflected the harsh climate that was New York City in the early late 80’s/early 90’s and Mobb Deep was born.

What originally started out as a group soon became a movement; furthermore a sound. The movement started in 1993 with the release of their debut, Juvenile Hell. Powered by the single “Hit it from the Back”, a then-teenage Havoc and Prodigy stood apart from their more conscious counterparts by addressing a more aggressive style of hip-hop that echoed their tough upbringing on New York notorious Queens Bridge Houses. But it was their 1994 classic, The Infamous, which secured Mobb Deep’s stature as one of the most important acts in hip hop. Guided by classic records like “Shook One Pt.2”and “Survival Of The Fittest”, the album is perceived by many till this day, as “the 1st album” and established Havoc and Prodigy as the premier duo of the 90’s hip-hop scene. Two years later brought fourth, Hell on Earth, a million plus seller that placed Prodigy as one of the most influential emcees of his generation and Havoc as one of its most promising producers.

While Havoc flourished his production on classic albums by acts such as Nas (It was Written), Foxy Brown (Ill Nana) and the late Notorious B.I.G. (Life After Death), Prodigy was in the studio gearing up for the next Mobb follow-up over some of Hav’s works-in-progress. The unintentional separation resulted in 1999’s “Quiet Storm (White lines)”, the hit single off of the platinum-plus selling, Murda Muzik.

Going into the Y2K and beyond, Mobb Deep continued to release music that became the soundtrack to the streets on a worldwide scale. Albums like 2002’s, Infamy, and 2004’s Amerikaz Nightmare solidified Mobb Deeps stature as A-list hip hop product.Throughout the years, Mobb Deep’s music continues to influence many of today’s acts with their brutal depiction of street life and backdrops that paint the picture for the dark and sinister state of mind that comes with inner city life. One of those undoubtedly influenced by the “Mobb sound” is Queen’s resident, 50 Cent.

Since his re-introduction in 2001, 50 Cent has performed memorable freestyles over some of Mobb Deep’s key instrumentals. In 2002, 50 Cent’s use on “Bump That”- a Havoc solo record –was met with the kind of reception that prompted a remix that became yet another classic under the Mobb belt. 50 and the Mobb reunited again in 2004 on the unreleased cut “Clap Those Things” and again on the Havoc produced “Ain’t No Click” off Lloyd Banks platinum seller, Beg for Mercy. This was the beginning of what now seemed inevitable.

Four years into his success 50 Cent, along with G-Unit, continue to use Mobb Deep’s music as platform to unleash some of their most memorable music unto the streets. After fulfilling commitments to their previous label, the Mobb became free agents in 2004. The first call came from 50 Cent himself and within days, the most significant sound in 50’s style of music is now signed to G-Unit Records.

“We were like ‘that’s it.’ It was the perfect move.” recalls Havoc on the day 50 personally made the call. “We did crazy songs before we even inked the deal. It was a perfect fit.”

Blood Money will feature G-Unit member’s Young Buck (“Give It To Me”), Lloyd banks (“You Can’t Get With This”), Tony Yayo (“Night Rider”) and 50 Cent (“Pearly Gates” and “Creep”) over the Mobb’s signature sound: aggressive, mesmerizing and innovative.

For the first time in the respective careers the Mobb have gone outside the norm for production duties. Joining Havoc on Blood Money are G-Unit’s own Sha Money XL, Mobb affiliate, The Alchemist, up-and-comer Jonathan “JR” Rotem (50 Cent, Fabolous, Snoop Dogg) and legendary producer, Dr. Dre. The most sought after producer in music adapted to the Mobb’s haunting sound for the infectious “Nightmares”. “It was crazy.” says Havoc about finally working with the greatest hip-hop producer of all time, Dr. Dre. “You get to see a genius at work. He is actually making beats after all these years. Coming from producer’s stand point, that’s an inspiration to me.” It’s that inspiration that encouraged Havoc to create some of his best tracks to date as he provided Blood Money with 70 percent of the albums production.

Another track that sure to earn a strong word of mouth is the controversial, “Pearly Gates”, a track that find’s Prodigy unleashing some of his most powerful lyrics to date. “This is how I felt.” says Prodigy about the rhymes many will deem as blasphemy. “I’ve been through enough to where I’ve earned the right to speak what I spoke.”

With a loyal fan base already in place, the Mobb is looking to upgrade their audience with the association of G-Unit, one of the most powerful brands in hip hop today. “We made a mark in the game. As an artist, you want to be able to reach the furthest audience as you can. We put in hard work on our previous albums and still hit our core fan base. The difference this time around is that more people will hear this product this time.”

Contrary to popular belief, the Mobb sound will not be changing as they aim to take their music towards a wider audience. “This is not a new Mobb Deep.” declares Havoc. “For us to look at it is a re-introduction would mean that we’re erasing our past and erasing our history and that’s too important. We’ve built something that shows what it takes to be here for the long run. Some of our fans are aspiring artists. Mobb Deep is here for a reason: to show that you can be here for a long time.
Blood Money will solidify Mobb Deeps stature as hip-hop music’s premier duo