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.
The Infamous
Mobb Deep Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Infamous all in your face, in your mouth
That's right, niggaz best to stay up in the house
Watch we getting our money, for the two thou'
Nigga, P back out in the streets, so what now?
Strictly for the ghettos and hoods in your town
Pableek got bundles of drugs in your town
Queen Bridge motherfucker, we'll blow your house down
We the big bad wolf that'll eat your food clown
I ain't gotta huff and puff you know my style
Calm as fuck, I just let my gun wild out
I got cash motherfucker, I could have you touched
But I rather be hands on with that son
Certain things, you just gotta perform yourself son
When I start busting I don't stop till I hitting, come on
Everybody got gangs, everybody got clicks
But they ain't like this the infamous
Everybody can't afford to live the lifestyle
Of the young, black and rich, the infamous
You ain't crazy, don't make me show you
Why they call us this the infamous
We own the streets, who basically control
This rap shit, G-unit
We got the most gangsta shit, the second most biggest projects
We sold the most crack, since '86
Don't handle a lot of pricks, we the most thug
You think you're dirty over there but we're more dirtier
We last more longer than them more songs than them
More money for us, more broads than them
We get the most love in the streets
I had the most tattoos ever since thirteen
P got the most now, our guns are the most loud
With enough bullets to down mostly the whole crowd
We drink the most Henny, yeah, me and Jake
We smoke the most weed and that's mostly the haze
Get the most of them the rules kicked on a nigga's face
Gotta be the most idiot nigga on the face
Of the Earth to ever let the thought cross your head
That we're not the most likely to pop off kid
Everybody got gangs, everybody got clicks
But they ain't like this the infamous
Everybody can't afford to live the lifestyle
Of the young, black and rich, the infamous
You ain't crazy, don't make me show you
Why they call us this the infamous
We own the streets, who basically control
This rap shit, G-unit
Right now, I change guns with the season
When I was young I bought Ninja Stars on Jamaica Ave
Hitting trees then, started hitting trees then
We ran the train on the girls and on my family dance schools
We was beasting, little young heaven
I had the rainbow knife, and when I got my first gun I was cheesing
I couldn't believe it, I had the power of life or death
In the palm of my hands, fiending
But quickly to be scheming if you choose to front on me
That leaves me with no choice but to start squeezing
And I hope they stop breathing
Because if they do pull through, in the hospital beds
They'll be squealing, talking to these D's man
They don't waste no time, they want answers
Even if you're still bleeding, homey, I'm on the fleezy
I ain't got no time neither I'm making money off of this, it's too easy
Everybody got gangs, everybody got clicks
But they ain't like this the infamous
Everybody can't afford to live the lifestyle
Of the young, black and rich, the infamous
You ain't crazy, don't make me show you
Why they call us this the infamous
We own the streets, who basically control
This rap shit, G-unit
The song "The Infamous" by Mobb Deep feat. 50 Cent is all about the strength, power, and reputation of the group. The lyrics boast about their influence on the streets, their ability to control the rap game, and their fearless approach to their enemies. The chorus emphasizes that not everyone can afford to live like them, as they are young, black, and rich.
The first verse talks about how the group is infamous and all up in people's faces. They warn others to stay away and watch them get their money. They assert their presence in the streets with drugs and weapons. They end the verse by boasting about "blowing houses down" with their power, rather than huffing and puffing like in the story of the big bad wolf.
The second verse goes even further with the group's claims to fame. They talk about how they have the most gangster shit, sold the most crack, lasted longer than others, and have the most tattoos. They are the most likely to pop off and won't hesitate to start busting when it comes to it. The verse ends by proclaiming that they own the streets and control the rap game, with G-Unit in tow.
The song is essentially an anthem for Mobb Deep and their crew, emphasizing their dominance and influence. The lyrics are aggressive and full of bravado, with no apologies for their lifestyle or choices.
Line by Line Meaning
Just when you thought it was safe to come out
The Infamous is here and they're not going away
Infamous all in your face, in your mouth
The Infamous are everywhere and they're not afraid to speak their minds
That's right, niggaz best to stay up in the house
You better stay inside if you don't want trouble
Watch we getting our money, for the two thou'
We're making money and we're not going to stop
Nigga, P back out in the streets, so what now?
Prodigy is back and he's on the streets again
Strictly for the ghettos and hoods in your town
Our music is for the people in the hood
Pableek got bundles of drugs in your town
Havoc has lots of drugs for sale in your area
Like crack, coke and dope, remember me now?
We sell all kinds of drugs and we want you to remember us
Queen Bridge motherfucker, we'll blow your house down
We're dangerous and we can destroy everything you have
We the big bad wolf that'll eat your food clown
We're ruthless and we'll take what we want
I ain't gotta huff and puff you know my style
I don't have to do anything to get what I want
Calm as fuck, I just let my gun wild out
I'm calm but deadly, and I'll use my gun when I need to
I got cash motherfucker, I could have you touched
I'm rich and powerful and I could have you killed if I wanted to
But I rather be hands on with that son
I'd rather do it myself and get my hands dirty
Certain things, you just gotta perform yourself son
Some things you have to do yourself to get it right
When I start busting I don't stop till I hitting, come on
When I start shooting, I won't stop until I hit my target
Everybody got gangs, everybody got clicks
Everyone claims to be tough in their own way
But they ain't like this the infamous
But no one is as dangerous as us, the Infamous
Everybody can't afford to live the lifestyle
Not everyone can live like us, young, black, and rich
Of the young, black and rich, the infamous
We're the young, black, and rich and we're the Infamous
You ain't crazy, don't make me show you
Don't doubt us, we're not crazy and we'll prove it to you
Why they call us this the infamous
We're called the Infamous for a reason
We own the streets, who basically control
We run the streets and we control everything on them
This rap shit, G-unit
We're G-unit and we're running the rap game
Right now, I change guns with the season
I switch guns depending on the time of year
When I was young I bought Ninja Stars on Jamaica Ave
I used to buy weapons like ninja stars when I was younger
Hitting trees then, started hitting trees then
I used to hit trees and I started smoking weed
We ran the train on the girls and on my family dance schools
We had sex with girls and we even did it in our family's businesses
We was beasting, little young heaven
We were reckless and young
I had the rainbow knife, and when I got my first gun I was cheesing
I used to have a knife and then I got my first gun and was happy
I couldn't believe it, I had the power of life or death
I was in disbelief that I had the power to kill someone
In the palm of my hands, fiending
I craved the feeling of power
But quickly to be scheming if you choose to front on me
I'll start plotting against you if you disrespect me
That leaves me with no choice but to start squeezing
If you leave me no choice, I'll start shooting
And I hope they stop breathing
And I hope I kill them with my gunshots
Because if they do pull through, in the hospital beds
If they survive, they'll be talking to the police
They'll be squealing, talking to these D's man
They'll talk to the detectives and snitch on me
They don't waste no time, they want answers
The police will investigate the crime quickly
Even if you're still bleeding, homey, I'm on the fleezy
Even if you're badly injured, I'll still run away
I ain't got no time neither I'm making money off of this, it's too easy
I'm too busy making money to worry about your problems
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
nas ahm
TRACKLIST
The Start of Your Ending (41st Side) 0:00
The Infamous Prelude 4:26
Survival of the Fittest 6:39
Eye for a Eye (Your Beef Is Mines)(featuring Nas and Raekwon) 10:23
Just Step Prelude 15:12
Give Up the Goods (Just Step)(featuring Big Noyd) 16:18
Temperature's Rising (featuring Crystal Johnson) 20:21
Up North Trip 25:21
Trife Life 30:19
Q.U. - Hectic 35:40
Right Back at You (featuring Ghostface Killah, Raekwon and Big Noyd) 40:26
The Grave Prelude 45:19
Cradle to the Grave 46:06
Drink Away the Pain (Situations)(featuring Q-Tip) 51:06
Shook Ones Pt. II 55:52
Party Over (featuring Big Noyd) 1:01:18
Stewie Da Bo$$
The Start of Your Ending (41st Side) 0:00
The Infamous Prelude 4:26
Survival of the Fittest 6:39
Eye for a Eye (Your Beef Is Mines)(featuring Nas and Raekwon) 10:23
Just Step Prelude 15:12
Give Up the Goods (Just Step)(featuring Big Noyd) 16:18
Temperature's Rising (featuring Crystal Johnson) 20:21
Up North Trip 25:21
Trife Life 30:19
Q.U. - Hectic 35:40
Right Back at You (featuring Ghostface Killah, Raekwon and Big Noyd) 40:26
The Grave Prelude 45:19
Cradle to the Grave 46:06
Drink Away the Pain (Situations)(featuring Q-Tip) 51:06
Shook Ones Pt. II 55:52
Party Over (featuring Big Noyd) 1:01:18
90sMusicc
Rest In Peace one of the greatest of all time 🙏🏾🌹
Lashun Cureton
One of the GREATEST ALBUMS EVER is an Understatement!! I just Inhaled THe Infamous..and you made me Remember the Reason you were & still are the greatest...peace & love
Christian Loola
90sMusicc what is your favorites tracks at this album and why ?
Derreck Fo'real
kyle Dyson i feel you
Aidan Murphy
Bagged Milk nah son don't speak on shit you don't know goes deeper than that if you knew what he was about
dano8801
One of the best hip hop albums of all time.
kylo rens queen
me too
TAYLEN DAY
For sure. I cant name a better one.
kylo rens queen
for real
kylo rens queen
right on