Damn, has it been a year since I've reviewed The Infamous? That was my first review, and ever since, I haven't even managed to get to their next album. I've been avoiding a few artists throughout this blog, and at times, even when I review one of their projects, I often forget to continue my write up on their discography. Mobb Deep is one of them. A year and 2 months ago, I reviewed their second album, The Infamous, with no intentions of starting with Juvenile Hell. Now it's to a point where I'm desperate. Their work is so good that it's hard to stay away from it. So after a year of me not caring much for the Mobb, it's all back in action today!
After their success of what was The Infamous, Mobb Deep started to get critical acclaim for their work. Their hard work started to pay off, and many were already seeing The Infamous as such a groundbreaking album that it earned them a lot. Prodigy started to get the most credit, as he appeared on the posse cut remix of "I Shot Ya" with LL Cool J and a bunch of legends, while Havoc was recognized for his production and had some beats to spare. But during the 1995 Source Awards, things started going down, with Bad Boy & Death Row going at it, and at the same time, had 2Pac & The Notorious B.I.G. at it too, adding more spark to what was previously a minor East vs. West Coast feud. With the classic songs like "Who Shot Ya" and "Hit 'Em Up", it caused fans from both scenes to start taking sides. 2Pac then also started to beef with Mobb, causing them to release the diss "Drop A Gem On 'Em", months before his death. After his death, however on September 13, after heavy airplay of the diss, Mobb Deep took it from the radio to pay respects to Pac & his family, and would later release their first official single for their next album "Hell On Earth (Front Lines)" in October, leading to their long-awaited follow-up, Hell On Earth in November.
Hell On Earth, their second album released on the label Loud, was released in November 1996, and was preceded by the promo single "Still Shinin'", the Pac diss, "Drop a Gem on 'Em", and the title track. Released while the East/West Coast rivalry was still going on (until Biggie died), the album sees Mobb with a little darker side of them, with Havoc experimenting on a different production type, using more classic soul and piano samples. The album gathers features from Nas, Raekwon, Method Man and the Mobb's frequent collaborator Big Noyd. Due to the fact that it was recorded during the East/West feud, many saw the darker songs to be the subliminals to Pac and other West Coast MCs, but however, Prodigy manages to shout out Snoop Dogg, Tha Dogg Pound & Xzibit in the liner notes (and even Pac on "Still Shinin'").
HOE was met with positive reviews, and can be seen as the duo's best work either in front or behind The Infamous. It debuted at #6 on the Billboard 200, in its first week, and in April 1997, it was actually certified Gold. Not only that, this album was one that showed both Prodigy & Havoc at their prime, lyrically killing it together. This is probably my second favourite album from the Mobb, and honestly it's been long since I have fully touched this album. So things might change, and at an older age now (I was 11/12 when I first listened, I am now 14 turning 15 in a few months), will I find this better than The Infamous, or will it remain the same behind Infamous? It's time to find out!
1. Animal Instinct (feat. Twin Gambino & Ty Nitty)
At this point here, you realize that this ain't no Infamous. With this opening track, Havoc just has to say "Yo, yo, y'know how we did on The Infamous album, right? Aight, we gonna do it again son", and along with Prodigy, and their weed-carriers Twin Gambino (RIP Scarface, by the way) and Ty Nitty, just proves why this album is so damn GOOOOOOOOODDDD!!!!!!
2. Drop A Gem On 'Em
Even with the fact they dissed Pac with this song and got it off the airwaves after he died, they still managed to put it on the album 2 months later with a no-F***s-given attitude. Even if P got his facts about the shooting wrong, it still remains a good diss track. It remains an underrated gem, when talking about diss tracks. Yeah, everyone brings up "Who Shot Ya?", "Hit Em Up", "Takeover" and "Ether", but always leaves Mobb Deep in the dust as if they don't exist, especially when talking about the East vs West Coast rivalry. 19 years later, it still rings to a New Yorker's ears, but it's still sad that it's underrated as hell.
3. Bloodsport
Hardcore lyrics from Havoc & Prodigy over a freaking gritty beat. I mean, what else is there to say? It's East Coast rap at its finest!
4. Extortion (feat. Method Man)
Method Man is the next guest on this standout, and absolutely murders this track, While both Prodigy & Havoc had good verses, Meth's verse is a prime example to why Wu-Tang Clan ain't nothin' to mess with. He was quick to bite on this one!
5. More Trife Life
Havoc's solo is a sequel to The Infamous standout "Trife Life", which, like the first one, follows the paranoia of meeting up with an ex-friend and getting banged up by a rival gang. With a more darker instrumental, which makes the track even more entertaining, it's nice to see Hav tell a very interesting and dark story with this track. Even to this day, I still don't know if it's better than the first. But goddamn, this is amazing, showing off Hav's storytelling skills.
6. Man Down (feat. Big Noyd)
I didn't care as much for this song, but with affiliate Big Noyd on here (aka the unofficial 3rd member of Mobb Deep), who previously got shine from his verse on "Give Up The Goods (Just Step)", it's a song that I kinda regret sleeping on. Prodigy starts off with a killer verse, having some fire bars [We're blasting, you're collapsing heavily like my gold MAC-10, get imprisoned with them raps they have you relapsing]. Havoc's verse is decent, and it's like he can't really keep up with the instrumental until he concludes with his verse. But Noyd comes with a freaking fire verse that outshines both P & Hav. This song is fantastic! Mobb Deep & Noyd both kill this, and it's a very impressive song. One of my favourites on the album.
7. Can't Get Enough Of It (feat. General G aka Illa Ghee)
General G aka Illa Ghee is the next guest on this song, which, like "Man Down", I didn't care for. But if I'm being honest, it's a decent song. Hav starts off good, and Ghee does well with his verse too. However, P comes with a verse that shits all over this... wait a minute. Oh yeah, I forgot Hav had another verse, and he does WAY better than his starter verse, murdering the whole track with just a little verse. This is freaking great! Anyone who disagrees, well... screw you!
8. Nighttime Vultures (feat. Raekwon)
The Chef (who is the second Wu-Tang feature on this album, by the way) comes through on this album, making Havoc relegate to the hook, instead of having his own verse like the others. Prodigy kills this, with a verse that was actually a Hip-Hop Quotable on The Source magazine, and in comparison, Rae does come off a little weak. That doesn't mean he did a bad job, as he actually did sound alright. But this song is fire though, another one of my favourites!
9. G.O.D. Pt. III
This is not, and I repeat, NOT a sequel to the classic "Shook Ones (Part II)". Named after an affiliate of the Mobb, who pretty much named himself after the third installment of a classic film series, Havoc uses "Tony's Theme" from Scarface, along with the classic drum-loop of Little Feat's "Fool Yourself" (aka the same drums as A Tribe Called Quest's "Bonita Applebum") to create such a standout. Taking Bonita Applebum's drums and using it in such a dark and lyrical way? Freaking amazing! This song features what I'd call one of P's best verses of his career, with threats like: "You'll be running for dear life so far you might fall off the map/Fucking with P, you need the gat/At least you have the opportunity to bust back". Havoc also comes with such a killer verse, that it's hard to see who was better, as this is one of those songs that have verses remained in their Best Verse list. This song is FUEGO, and is just one hell of a standout!
10. Get Dealt With
The piano samples on this song is just on point! The instrumental is easy to lure you in as a victim, that you can ignore anything wrong with it, maybe Prodigy saying the word "face off", "face off" and "face off" in a span of 3 bars. Hav continues with a better verse though, making this one hell of a song!
11. Hell On Earth (Front Lines)
AWWWWWWW YEEEEAAAAAHHH!!!! The title track on the album ends up being the biggest standout and the best track on the album, and it's another song where Prodigy spits what could be his overall best verse ever, or... one of the best verses in hip-hop history. While Havoc came with a good verse, wait till the end for you to hear the greatness of Albert freaking Johnson. He just kills the hell out of that track (ba dum tss... get it?). While the beat is a little bland, it suits this track so much that I don't even mind. Just like how a hot beat can carry shitty lyrics, such a wonderful verse can sometimes carry an average beat. Such a classic song!
12. Give It Up Fast (feat. Nas & Big Noyd)
Havoc continues his use of turning classic film soundtracks into beats on this one, as he takes from King of New York. Nas starts this one off good, and Havoc & Prodigy both do their thing on this track, but with Noyd, why does it actually sounds like he's gonna have sex with a guy? Nah, I can't condone that. It's still decent though!
13. Still Shinin'
The following two tracks you are about to hear is pure freaking HEAT (*insert fire emojis*)! This was their promo single before "Drop A Gem On 'Em" and the title track dropped, and it still holds up today. Both P & Hav come with some fire, which make this song so amazing. The album comes back on the sick instrumentals after some average instrumentals on the previous track, and it remains my favourite beat on the album, banging out like no other. You don't even know how much I love this song!
14. Apostle's Warning
After an introductory verse from Havoc, Prodigy renegades the whole album, just like he did with the album's title track, and he even starts off with a sick Star Wars reference. Here, P's flow is intact and is so good to the fact that you bump your head for the whole 4 minutes. It's that amazing, being one of his best verses at his prime and making him to be remembered as one of the greats. It's easy to admit his newer music isn't that good (Albert Einstein was fire though), but anyone who disagrees with this being fire, screw you!
Whew, that heat! If you're looking for dark ass content and fire instrumentals, Hell On Earth is for you! It's a wonderful follow up to what was a classic, and Mobb Deep don't play any games with this one. There's no commercial tracks, no tracks with R&B singers, just pure dark shit. It shows both P & Hav at their prime, doing what they do best; P with his refreshing verses, and Hav with some dope production. Every song on the album sounds freaking fantastic, and flow very well with each other. The features are good, having a range from Method Man to Nas. HOE also shows P at his finest, on the album's title track, "G.O.D. Pt. III", and "Apostle's Warning", The chilling production of Havoc remains present on "Still Shinin'", "Get Dealt With" and "Give It Up Fast", which has the overall feeling being memorable. While the overall album IS FREAKING AMAZING, none of those songs are better than The Infamous, now that I think about it, especially "Shook Ones (Part II)". If I was to grade those albums, HOE is like an A and The Infamous is probably an A*. While Hav's production has improved, the overall album won't come close. Even if I was to listen to it before I die, The Infamous would shit over it. However, that shouldn't stop you from listening to this heat as HOE is Mobb's second best work, and is one of those albums that flow together like it's nothing. Buy this! It's sad how P & Hav can't rap like this anymore. While both 13 & Albert Einstein were great, I feel their overall music now sucks. They sound very underwhelming and they lack that special sound. So if you want that special sound, cop this shit NOW!
The Furious 5ive
Hell On Earth (Front Lines)
Apostle's Warning
Still Shinin'
G.O.D. Pt. III
Man Down
Honourable Mentions
Extortion
Nighttime Vultures
You should know every song on here is fantastic!
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