1992–1994: Early Career
Prodigy and Havoc met one another while attending the prestigious High School of Art & Design in Manhattan. Coming from similar backgrounds, the duo broke into the rap game in 1992. Growing up in hostile environments that included the prevalence of poverty, drugs, and gang violence, Mobb Deep attempted to express their life experiences through rapping circa 1992. Before Havoc and P were known as Mobb Deep they were a couple of teenaged rappers known as Poetical Profits. The world first heard of them via the Source's Unsigned Hype column and this is the demo track that was quoted in that feature. The song would later see the light of day on their debut LP Juvenile Hell.
"Flavor 4 The Non Believers" (demo version) They released their first album, Juvenille Hell, in 1993. At a time when East Coast hip hop was dominated by the jazziness of A Tribe Called Quest and De La Soul, and the Afro-centric stylings of Brand Nubian and Public Enemy, their style of music eschewed the popular conscious hip hop of the time, and reflected the harsh climate of New York City in the late-1980s and early-1990s. Because both Prodigy and Havoc were still in their teens at the time of their debut, many were surprised by the violent nature of the album. Although the album was not well-received by the public, it displayed the raw talent of the duo; the unique chemistry of Prodigy's lyrical delivery combined with Havoc's melancholy beats. Through this unique style, the duo were signed by Loud Records, and began recording their sophomore album, The Infamous, in 1995, which would establish the duo in the Hardcore hip hop community.
1995–2000: Rise to Success
Following its release, The Infamous became perhaps one of the most influential hip hop albums of the East Coast hardcore rap genre. Still at a young age, the duo powered themselves to the top of the hardcore rap scene through their straight forward narration of street life. As with their first lyrical production, Mobb Deep portrayed the struggles of living in New York City's Queensbridge. Their production also was noticed as the beats were often hard hitting and direct, a testament to Havoc, who produced the duos' tracks almost exclusively throughout their careers. Furthermore, the hit single Shook Ones Pt. II, received acclaim as one of the greatest rap songs ever. Their third album, Hell On Earth was released in 1996, debuting at number six on the Billboard album chart. The album continued their portrayal of harsh street life, while further pushing them to the forefront of the hardcore rap scene, along with contemporary East Coast rappers such as Notorious B.I.G., The Wu-Tang Clan collective, Jay-Z, and fellow Queensbridge associate, Nas.
In 1999, the duo released the highly anticipated Murda Musik album. Despite extensive bootlegging (nearly thirty songs of unreleased material leaked onto the internet) and countless delays, the album debuted at number three on Billboard and quickly went platinum —further highlighted by the popular single, Quiet Storm. Shortly afterwards, Prodigy released his long awaited solo album H.N.I.C (2000), in which the rapper collaborated with other artists and producers (including The Alchemist).
2001–2004: Decline
Some time after the release of Murda Muzik, rapper Jay-Z, spoke out against the duo, leading to an increase in publicity. At the Hot 97 Summer Jam show of 2001, Jay-Z performed the freestyle, "Takeover", which he later re-recorded for the The Blueprint LP, dissing Prodigy. He also revealed photographs allegedly of Prodigy wearing a dance leotard in 1988. Mobb Deep subsequently released Infamy in 2001. The album marked a major stylistic change that saw the duo move away from the raw, minimalist, stripped-down beats of their hardcore roots, towards more commercial fare with such songs as Hey Luv. This transition fostered accusations of "selling out" — upsetting many long-time fans who did not wish to see them veer away from their original style. Although this stylistic adjustment opened up Mobb's audience to a wider variety, many critics and fans credit Prodigy's feud with Jay-Z with damaging Mobb Deep's gangster image and record sales (most evident when comparing the platinum-selling Murda Muzik to Infamy barely reaching the gold status). Not to be fazed, Prodigy noted that his lifelong bout with sickle cell anemia and his beef with Jay-Z had changed his outlook.
In 2003, the group split with Loud Records and released The Murda Mixtape which proclaimed "Free Agents" on the cover, addressing the group's split with Loud and search for a new label. Jive Records signed the duo later in the year and subsequently released Amerikaz Nightmare in 2004, which was seen by the general rap audience as a weaker release by the two - resulting in poor sales and the subsequent dropping of the duo from Jive.
2005–2017
In the spring of 2005, it was announced that the duo signed with G-Unit Records. This came as a surprise to many, as 50 Cent aimed a sly diss at them on the "Piggy Bank" track. The duo made it known that this was not the case as Havoc stated in an interview, "Mobb Deep isn't gonna change and when we first got here 50 was like, 'Listen, I want y'all to keep doing what you been doing.' That's it." 50 Cent has a connection to the duo, as he grew up in nearby Jamaica, Queens and also has used Havoc as a producer for several different beats. The relationship became deeper than business as the Mobb and 50 Cent got tattoos to pledge their loyalty to each other. Prodigy has the words "G-Unit" tattooed on his right hand and 50 has "Mobb Deep" tattooed on his wrist. Upon signing to G-Unit, both Prodigy and Havoc were given new Porsches, for two artists who have received very little monetary compensation in the past.
They recorded their album, titled Blood Money which was released on May 2, 2006. The album featured G-Unit members 50 Cent, Lloyd Banks, Tony Yayo, and Young Buck. This marks their seventh release and has vaulted the duo into the hip-hop spotlight. As one of the most recognized names in hip-hop at the time, it was expected for G-Unit to help Mobb Deep attract a new fanbase. As Havoc stated shortly after the deal, “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.” Despite this, many of the Mobb's longtime fans were skeptical as G-Unit is known for their mainstream crossover music, and feared that Mobb Deep will conform to this style. The album was released to mixed reception mainly from fans, regarding it as one of the duo's weakest albums.
In 2007, Prodigy was sentenced to serve three-and-a-half years in prison for illegal possession of a firearm. Originally facing a mandatory sentence of 15 years in prison, Prodigy struck a deal with the prosecution, and pleaded guilty in exchange for the shorter prison sentence. He would later be released from prison in March 2011, with Mobb Deep releasing their first official project in five years, Black Cocaine, eight months later. To celebrate the 20th anniversary of their 1995 album The Infamous, the duo released their final album The Infamous Mobb Deep in 2014, featuring a second disc of unreleased songs and remixes from the 1994-95 sessions of The Infamous. They would also put out their overall final project, an EP called Survival of the Fittest in 2015, which featured an all new ESPN remix of the classic 1995 single as well as a few brand new songs.
On June 20, 2017, Prodigy died at the Spring Valley Medical Center in Las Vegas, Nevada, due to complications related to his sickle-cell anemia.
Technique
Early on, Mobb Deep gained their critical acclaim for a dark, dynamic, grimey sound with haunting melodies--Havoc's production--that to many represented "street" in a way not done by many or any before. Additionally, Prodigy's penchant for starting off a verse with an attention-grabbing line, writing compelling rhymes based heavily on Queensbridge slang, and a rambling but clear delivery appealed to fans on the lyrical aspect.
For some time, Prodigy was the star MC of the duo, Havoc sounding less focused on the lyrical aspect and more on production. This continued until The Alchemist was brought in to do a few beats for each album, after which Havoc seemed to begin concentrating more on his verbal prowess, slowly developing his own style. After the beef with Jay-Z, Prodigy changed his style, rhyming words less and slowing down his delivery, while Havoc increasingly contributed more to the rhyme end of the duo. After being on independant labels, such as LOUD, and then a larger label JIVE, styles from the grimy, gritty styles from the QB duo changed greatly, much to the despair of the mainstream fans, never fully recovering from the Jay-Z beef, they were forced into the limelight, and after releasing the street wood effort of Infamy, never reclaiming the status of the best kept secret. Signing with G-Unit seems to have worsened their career and Blood Money, their first album released on G-Unit, only sold approximately 110,000 in its first week, coming in at #3 on the Billboard 200.
Low
Mobb Deep Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I gotta go, the wife and kids
Don't want to leave it, you already know
We so in love but what can we do
My wife is your best friend
How the fuck did we let this
Thing get so far gone there's no way we could fix it
Baby boy on the way, if she only knew that's mines
But nah nigga this real life and it hurts
Missing you or lying to her I don't know what make it feel worse
And me putting her first makes me feel like shit
I hate seeing you cry, wipe away your tears
Fuck it I'm a just leave her but what about our kids
Don't want to break their hearts let's wait a few more years
Oh god I swear to god I wish that we could just bounce
Don't even pack no bag just break the fuck out
How can we love when we love
If this love is never supposed to be
Living lies that the truth could see
So now tell me love, can we love
If we know this love can't be this way
Let's keep this love low
My feelings for you got me feeling foul
How we even get here
Feeling funny being in here, my homey used to live here
When he died a part of me died
Seeing you have to suffer
Just wanted to comfort not turn into lovers
That shoulder you could lean on, I know shit got you stressin'
The kids asking for daddy, they keep asking the question
Came around to check up on ya'll, I know my homey do the same
Guilt like a motherfucker, how we get into this thing
That love shit is real, is all that wrong
People looking at us like we crazy
Now we spend nights on the phone all night long
Got so much in common this shit is crazy
It's more than just physical 'cause mentally you stimulate me
And if I ain't up on it baby you just educate me
And vice-versa, that's what we both in search of
Want to love and get it, somebody that we could nurture
Is it wrong?
The lyrics of "Low" by Mobb Deep explore the theme of a secret and forbidden love affair between two individuals who are unable to be together due to various reasons, including being married to other people. The lyrics are filled with emotions of guilt, longing, and confusion as the writers try to navigate through their feelings about their situation. The song tells a story of two people who are madly in love but are unable to be together because of the complexities of their lives.
The first verse starts with the singer of the story having to leave his lover because he has a wife and kids. He expresses his hesitation to leave his lover because of how much he cares for her. He admits that his wife is her best friend, which makes their situation even more complicated. The second verse is about the female protagonist in the story, who is dealing with the guilt and confusion of having an affair with her best friend's husband while she is married herself. She is unable to be with the person she loves and is left to deal with the consequences of her actions.
The chorus of the song emphasizes the pain and confusion that the characters feel. They question whether their love was ever meant to be and wonder if they can continue to love each other knowing that they can never be together. The final verse explores the love that the two characters share, and how they have developed a strong emotional bond through their experiences. They question whether what they are doing is wrong and whether it is possible for them to nurture their love.
Line by Line Meaning
Secret love, that's what this is
This relationship is a secret love affair.
I gotta go, the wife and kids
I have to leave to go back to my wife and kids.
Don't want to leave it, you already know
I don't want to leave this relationship, but you already know that.
We so in love but what can we do
We are in love, but there is nothing we can do about it.
My wife is your best friend
My wife is your best friend.
How the fuck did we let this
How did we let this relationship progress to this point?
Thing get so far gone there's no way we could fix it
The relationship has progressed to a point where it is beyond repair.
Baby boy on the way, if she only knew that's mines
I have a baby boy on the way with my wife, but you don't know that.
Shit is like a daytime soap or movie on Lifetime
Our situation is like a TV show drama.
But nah nigga this real life and it hurts
This is real life, and it hurts.
Missing you or lying to her I don't know what make it feel worse
I don't know whether missing you or lying to my wife makes me feel worse.
And me putting her first makes me feel like shit
Putting my wife first makes me feel terrible.
I hate seeing you cry, wipe away your tears
I hate seeing you cry, let me wipe away your tears.
Fuck it I'm a just leave her but what about our kids
I'm going to leave her, but I'm worried about our kids.
Don't want to break their hearts let's wait a few more years
I don't want to break my kids' hearts, so let's wait a few more years.
Oh god I swear to god I wish that we could just bounce
I wish we could just leave this behind and start over.
Don't even pack no bag just break the fuck out
Let's just leave without packing anything and get out of here.
How can we love when we love
How can we love each other when we shouldn't?
If this love is never supposed to be
If this love is not meant to be.
Living lies that the truth could see
We are living a lie that the truth could reveal.
So now tell me love, can we love
So can we love each other under these circumstances?
If we know this love can't be this way
If we both know that this love cannot continue like this.
Let's keep this love low
Let's keep this love affair a secret.
My feelings for you got me feeling foul
My feelings for you make me feel guilty.
How we even get here
How did we get ourselves into this situation?
Feeling funny being in here, my homey used to live here
I feel uncomfortable being here since my friend used to live here.
When he died a part of me died
When my friend died, a part of me died too.
Seeing you have to suffer
Seeing you suffer breaks my heart.
Just wanted to comfort not turn into lovers
I only wanted to comfort you, not start a love affair.
That shoulder you could lean on, I know shit got you stressin'
I was there for you to lean on when things were tough and stressful for you.
The kids asking for daddy, they keep asking the question
The kids keep asking for their father.
Came around to check up on ya'll, I know my homey do the same
I came to check up on you and the kids, just like I know my friend would have done.
Guilt like a motherfucker, how we get into this thing
I feel guilty about what we have gotten ourselves into.
That love shit is real, is all that wrong
Love is a real thing, but is what we are doing wrong?
People looking at us like we crazy
People are looking at us like we are crazy for doing this.
Now we spend nights on the phone all night long
Now we spend all night long talking on the phone.
Got so much in common this shit is crazy
We have so much in common, it's unbelievable.
It's more than just physical 'cause mentally you stimulate me
Our connection is more than just physical, you stimulate me mentally too.
And if I ain't up on it baby you just educate me
If I don't know something, you can always teach me.
And vice-versa, that's what we both in search of
And you can do the same for me, that's what we are both searching for.
Want to love and get it, somebody that we could nurture
We want to love someone and take care of them, someone we can nurture.
Is it wrong?
Is what we are doing wrong?
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: KEJUAN MUCHITA, MATTHEW SAMUELS, SEVN THOMAS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Lex Carrera
Secret love, that's what this is
I gotta go, the wife and kids
Don't want to leave it, you already know
We so in love but what can we do
My wife is your best friend
How the fuck did we let this
Thing get so far gone there's no way we could fix it
Baby boy on the way, if she only knew that's mines
Shit is like a daytime soap or movie on Lifetime
But nah nigga this real life and it hurts
Missing you or lying to her I don't know what make it feel worse
And me putting her first makes me feel like shit
I hate seeing you cry, wipe away your tears
Fuck it I'm a just leave her but what about our kids
Don't want to break their hearts let's wait a few more years
Oh god I swear to god I wish that we could just bounce
Don't even pack no bag just break the fuck out
How can we love when we love
If this love is never supposed to be
Living lies that the truth could see
So now tell me love, can we love
If we know this love can't be this way
Let's keep this love low
My feelings for you got me feeling foul
How we even get here
Feeling funny being in here, my homey used to live here
When he died a part of me died
Seeing you have to suffer
Just wanted to comfort not turn into lovers
That shoulder you could lean on, I know shit got you stressin'
The kids asking for daddy, they keep asking the question
Came around to check up on ya'll, I know my homey do the same
Guilt like a motherfucker, how we get into this thing
That love shit is real, is all that wrong
People looking at us like we crazy
Now we spend nights on the phone all night long
Got so much in common this shit is crazy
It's more than just physical 'cause mentally you stimulate me
And if I ain't up on it baby you just educate me
And vice-versa, that's what we both in search of
Want to love and get it, somebody that we could nurture
Is it wrong?
Adam Gordon
God damn this beat is dope AF 💯 and Prodigy killed it 🔥🔥 R.I.P. ✊🏾
LA Sinfo Records (La Sinfonia)
This beat is dope! dope lyrics!
Eric e
Yes sir
Paul Boyd Jr.
Greatest duo of all time
Andrew Flood
DOPE ASS SONG BY MOBB DEEP R.I.P PRODIGY !!!
Carlos Carrera
this is what hip hop is missing these days
The Real Ace Wone
Still love this jam!
Devontae' Pratt
hey luv P2 this was good could've took em back to the mainstream R.I.P P #Mobbdeepforever🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
Lex Carrera
Secret love, that's what this is
I gotta go, the wife and kids
Don't want to leave it, you already know
We so in love but what can we do
My wife is your best friend
How the fuck did we let this
Thing get so far gone there's no way we could fix it
Baby boy on the way, if she only knew that's mines
Shit is like a daytime soap or movie on Lifetime
But nah nigga this real life and it hurts
Missing you or lying to her I don't know what make it feel worse
And me putting her first makes me feel like shit
I hate seeing you cry, wipe away your tears
Fuck it I'm a just leave her but what about our kids
Don't want to break their hearts let's wait a few more years
Oh god I swear to god I wish that we could just bounce
Don't even pack no bag just break the fuck out
How can we love when we love
If this love is never supposed to be
Living lies that the truth could see
So now tell me love, can we love
If we know this love can't be this way
Let's keep this love low
My feelings for you got me feeling foul
How we even get here
Feeling funny being in here, my homey used to live here
When he died a part of me died
Seeing you have to suffer
Just wanted to comfort not turn into lovers
That shoulder you could lean on, I know shit got you stressin'
The kids asking for daddy, they keep asking the question
Came around to check up on ya'll, I know my homey do the same
Guilt like a motherfucker, how we get into this thing
That love shit is real, is all that wrong
People looking at us like we crazy
Now we spend nights on the phone all night long
Got so much in common this shit is crazy
It's more than just physical 'cause mentally you stimulate me
And if I ain't up on it baby you just educate me
And vice-versa, that's what we both in search of
Want to love and get it, somebody that we could nurture
Is it wrong?
TheSaudoffdaauthor
banger!!!!