Mobb Deep – Quiet Storm ft. Lil’ Kim

Prodigy and Havoc make form the hip-hop duo Mobb Deep. Both members are originally from Queensbridge, which is a Long Island City, New York. Perhaps their most well-known works are from the seminal album The Infamous and the smash song Shook Ones Pt. II that went along with it.

1991–1994: Formative Years

While attending Manhattan’s esteemed High School of Art & Design, Prodigy and Havoc crossed paths. The pair, who came from comparable upbringings, made their debut in the rap scene in 1992. Mobb Deep tried to use rapping about 1992 as a way to communicate their experiences growing up in harsh surroundings with gang violence, drug use, and poverty as commonplace. Prior to becoming Mobb Deep, Havoc and P were two young rappers known as Poetical Profits. This is the demo tune that was featured in the Source’s Unsigned Hype column, which is how the world first learned about them. Later, the song would appear on their debut album, Juvenile Hell.

“Taste 4 The Unbelievers” (preview version) Juvenille Hell, their debut album, was released in 1993. During the period when A Tribe Called Quest, De La Soul, and Brand Nubian, with their Afro-centric stylings and jazziness, dominated East Coast hip hop, their music style rejected popular conscious hip hop and instead captured the harsh reality of New York City in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Many were shocked by the album’s aggressive content because Prodigy and Havoc were both still in their teens when they made their debuts. Despite the album’s poor reception by the general public, it demonstrated the duo’s undeveloped talent—the special fusion of Prodigy’s poetic delivery with Havoc’s somber beats. Due to their distinctive sound, Loud Records signed the pair, and they started work on their second album, The Infamous, in 1995. This album helped the pair become well-known in the Hardcore hip-hop scene.

1995–2000: Ascent to Achievement

The Infamous went on to become one of the most important hip-hop albums in the East Coast hardcore rap scene after its debut. The pair, who were still quite young, propelled themselves to the top of the hardcore rap industry with their straightforward accounts of life on the streets. Similar to their previous lyrical production, Mobb Deep depicted the hardships of residing in Queensbridge, New York City. It was also evident in their production as Havoc, who produced the duos’ songs nearly solely throughout their careers, was responsible for the beats, which were frequently direct and hard hitting. In addition, Shook Ones Pt. II, the successful single, was hailed as one of the best rap songs of all time. In 1996, they released Hell On Earth, their third album, which debuted at number six on the Billboard album list. In addition to putting them at the top of the hardcore rap industry among other modern East Coast rappers like Notorious B.I.G., The Wu-Tang Clan collective, Jay-Z, and fellow Queensbridge associate, Nas, the album maintained their depiction of tough street life.

The group released the eagerly awaited Murda Musik album in 1999. The album swiftly went platinum despite widespread bootlegging (almost thirty songs of unpublished material leaked onto the internet) and numerous delays. The successful hit Quiet Storm helped the album debut at number three on Billboard. Soon after, in 2000, Prodigy—who had previously worked with producers and other artists, including The Alchemist—released his eagerly anticipated solo album H.N.I.C.

2001–2004: Reduction

Rapper Jay-Z came out against the duo when Murda Muzik was released, which increased media attention. Jay-Z dissed Prodigy in a re-recorded version of his freestyle song “Takeover,” which he performed at the 2001 Hot 97 Summer Jam concert. He also disclosed pictures purportedly taken in 1988 showing Prodigy in a dance leotard. Infamy was subsequently released by Mobb Deep in 2001. With tracks like Hey Luv, the group shifted from the raw, minimalist, stripped-down beats of their hardcore beginnings to more commercial fare on the album, which signaled a significant stylistic shift. Many devoted followers were unhappy by this change as they did not want to see them depart from their original sound and accused them of “selling out.” While this style shift allowed Mobb to reach a wider audience, many reviewers and fans believe that Prodigy’s fight with Jay-Z destroyed Mobb Deep’s reputation as a gangster and hurt record sales (most glaringly when one compares Infamy, which barely made it to gold, to Murda Muzik, which sold platinum). Prodigy, undeterred, stated that his lengthy battle with sickle cell anemia and his feud with Jay-Z had altered his perspective.

The group parted ways with Loud Records in 2003, and they went on to find a new label and produce The Murda Mixtape, which had the phrase “Free Agents” on the cover. After the pair was signed by Jive Records later that year, the duo released Amerikaz Nightmare in 2004. However, the general rap public felt that this was a poorer album from the two, which led to low sales and the duo’s eventual dismissal from Jive.

From 2005 to the present

It was revealed that the pair had signed with G-Unit Records in the spring of 2005. Many were taken aback by this as 50 Cent had made a subtle jab at them on the song “Piggy Bank.” As Havoc said 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,'” the two made it clear that this was not the case. That concludes it. 50 Cent is related to the duo because he was raised in Jamaica, Queens, which is close by, and he has produced multiple tracks with Havoc. The Mobb and 50 Cent pledged their allegiance to one another by getting tattoos, which deepened their bond beyond commercial dealings. 50 has “Mobb Deep” inked on his wrist, and Prodigy has “G-Unit” inked on his right hand. Prodigy and Havoc, who had previously gotten very little financial support, were each handed brand-new Porsches upon joining G-Unit.

As of right now, they’ve recorded Blood Money, which was made available on May 2, 2006. G-Unit members Tony Yayo, Lloyd Banks, Young Buck, and 50 Cent are all featured in it. With this, their seventh release, the team has shot to fame in the hip-hop industry. It is hoped that G-Unit, one of the most well-known hip-hop artists, can assist Mobb Deep in gaining new fans. Havoc said, “As an artist, you want to be able to reach the furthest audience as you can,” shortly after the agreement. Even with our hard effort on our prior releases, we were able to reach our core audience. The distinction is that this time, the work will be heard by a larger audience. Despite this, a lot of the Mobb’s devoted longtime followers are dubious because they think Mobb Deep will adopt G-Unit’s popular crossover sound.

Method

Early on, Havoc’s production of Mobb Deep—a dark, aggressive, grimy sound with haunting melodies—won them praise from critics for representing “street” in a way that few or none had done before. Fans were also drawn to Prodigy’s lyrical qualities due to his tendency to begin verses with attention-grabbing lines, write catchy rhymes that prominently reference Queensbridge slang, and deliver his lyrics in a rambling but understandable manner.

Prodigy was the featured MC of the pair for a while, with Havoc seeming more concerned with production than lyrics. This went on until The Alchemist was brought in to provide a few beats for each album, at which point Havoc appeared to start focusing more on his ability to speak, gradually creating his own sound. Following their feud with Jay-Z, Prodigy modified his delivery and style, rhyming less and speaking more slowly, while Havoc gradually increased his contribution to the rhyme scheme. The grim, gritty styles of the QB duo changed significantly after being on independent labels like LOUD and then a larger label JIVE. This was much to the dismay of mainstream fans who never fully recovered from the Jay-Z beef, were thrust into the spotlight, and never recovered the status of the best kept secret after releasing the street wood effort of Infamy. Their career appears to have suffered since signing with G-Unit, as seen by Blood Money, their debut album released through the label, which only sold about 110,000 copies in its first week and peaked at number three on the Billboard 200.