The Evolution of Mobb Deep

Follow the QB duo's long, tumultuous road to 2012.

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The Evolution of Mobb Deep - Mobb Deep has been one of rap's most long-lived and consistent groups for the past two decades — which makes today's events even more shocking. Early Monday morning (April 9), Havoc, one half of the legendary Queensbridge duo, lashed out at his bandmate Prodigy online, accusing him of being gay and challenging hiim to a fistfight. Hav later denied he sent the tweets, claiming his cellphone was lost. It's a perfect moment to look back on Mobb Deep's long, tumultuous road to 2012, filled with crime, beef and more. Click on to follow the evolution of Mobb Deep. —Alex Gale(Photo: Sony Music)

"Timeless" - "Thank God for the Mobb, we keep it alive," the fellas say triumphantly, alluding to the countless dramas that have threatened their bond over the years. There is optimism in the air as the rhyme partners announce their dedication to each other and the newly evolved rap game. Like any prideful veteran, The Mobb shows love to the newcomers they influenced while demanding respect for their contributions to the culture. (Photo Des Willie/Redferns)

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The Evolution of Mobb Deep - Mobb Deep consists of Prodigy, born Albert Johnson, and Havoc, real name Kejuan Machita. The two met as students at Manhattan's High School of Art & Design, and began making music and running the streets of Hav's native Queensbridge projects together. (Photo: Des Willie/Redferns/Getty Images)

The Evolution of Mobb Deep - MB, then known as the Poetical Prophets, signed a deal with Loud in the early '90s. After changing their name to Mobb Deep, they dropped their debut, Juvenile Hell, featuring the single "Peer Pressure" in 1993. The album failed to stand out critically or commercially.(Photo: Loud Records)

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The Evolution of Mobb Deep - MB, then known as the Poetical Prophets, signed a deal with Loud in the early '90s. After changing their name to Mobb Deep, they dropped their debut, Juvenile Hell, featuring the single "Peer Pressure" in 1993. The album failed to stand out critically or commercially.(Photo: Loud Records)

The Infamous: Where Are They Now? - On April 25, 1995, Mobb Deep released their landmark sophomore album, The Infamous. With shockingly grimy lyrics from Havoc and Prodigy over stark, dramatic beats from Hav, the album was a pillar of East Coast rap's street-focused mid-'90s golden age. Today, nearly 20 years after the album was released, BET.com takes a look back at the key players that made The Infamous an undeniable classic. — Alex Gale(Photo: Courtesy Sony Music)

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The Evolution of Mobb Deep - The Mobb's sound evolved by light years with their sophomore release, The Infamous. Led by P's razor-sharp rhymes and Hav's stark production, as heard on the timeless hit "Shook Ones Pt. II," the album is widely considered a defining document of hardcore East Coast hip hop.(Photo: Loud Records)

The Evolution of Mobb Deep - QB's finest followed up their gold-selling breakthrough opus with another banger, 1996's Hell on Earth, which debuted at No. 6 on Billboard behind the ominous single "G.O.D. Pt. III."   (Photo: Loud Records)

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The Evolution of Mobb Deep - QB's finest followed up their gold-selling breakthrough opus with another banger, 1996's Hell on Earth, which debuted at No. 6 on Billboard behind the ominous single "G.O.D. Pt. III."   (Photo: Loud Records)

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The Evolution of Mobb Deep - Back in the tense days of bicoastal rap beef, Mobb Deep teamed up with Capone-N-Noreaga to defend their home city with "L.A., L.A.," a response to Snoop and Tha Dogg Pound's "New York, New York."(Photos: Johnny Nunez/WireImage/Getty Images; Arnold Wells/WENN.com)

The Evolution of Mobb Deep  - There are different explanations for the origins of this beef — some say it was just another volley in the East-West rap wars, other reports suggest it stemmed from personal reasons — but Tupac and MB clashed as well. Pac famously lit into Mobb on "Hit 'Em Up," mercilessly dissing Prodigy for having sickle-cell anemia: "Oh yeah, Mobb Deep, you wanna f--- with us? ... Don't one of you n----- got sickle cell or something? ... You f--- around and catch a seizure or heart-attack / You better back the f---up before you get smacked the f--- up."(Photos: Tim Mosenfelder/Getty Images; Raymond Boyd/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)

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The Evolution of Mobb Deep  - There are different explanations for the origins of this beef — some say it was just another volley in the East-West rap wars, other reports suggest it stemmed from personal reasons — but Tupac and MB clashed as well. Pac famously lit into Mobb on "Hit 'Em Up," mercilessly dissing Prodigy for having sickle-cell anemia: "Oh yeah, Mobb Deep, you wanna f--- with us? ... Don't one of you n----- got sickle cell or something? ... You f--- around and catch a seizure or heart-attack / You better back the f---up before you get smacked the f--- up."(Photos: Tim Mosenfelder/Getty Images; Raymond Boyd/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)

The Evolution of Mobb Deep - Mobb cemented their legacy with 1999's Murda Muzik, their highest-selling album to date, highlighted by the inescapable "Quiet Storm."(Photo: Loud Records)

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The Evolution of Mobb Deep - Mobb cemented their legacy with 1999's Murda Muzik, their highest-selling album to date, highlighted by the inescapable "Quiet Storm."(Photo: Loud Records)

The Evolution of Mobb Deep - The first hint that things perhaps weren't all gravy in the Mobb was Prodigy's 2000 solo debut, HNIC. The album did feature production from Havoc, however.(Photo: Relativity Records)

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The Evolution of Mobb Deep - The first hint that things perhaps weren't all gravy in the Mobb was Prodigy's 2000 solo debut, HNIC. The album did feature production from Havoc, however.(Photo: Relativity Records)

The Evolution of Mobb Deep - Mobb clashed with yet another icon in 2001, when Jay-Z lashed out at them on his 2001 "Takeover," arguably one of the best diss tracks of all time. After Prodigy bad-mouthed Jay-Z in the press, Hov struck back in an unforgettable Summer Jam performance, blasting a pic of a preteen Prodigy in a glittery dance-school getup on a video screen, along with the line, "You was a ballerina, I got the picture I seen ya."   (Photos: Bryan Bedder/Getty Images; Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images)

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The Evolution of Mobb Deep - Mobb clashed with yet another icon in 2001, when Jay-Z lashed out at them on his 2001 "Takeover," arguably one of the best diss tracks of all time. After Prodigy bad-mouthed Jay-Z in the press, Hov struck back in an unforgettable Summer Jam performance, blasting a pic of a preteen Prodigy in a glittery dance-school getup on a video screen, along with the line, "You was a ballerina, I got the picture I seen ya."   (Photos: Bryan Bedder/Getty Images; Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images)

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The Evolution of Mobb Deep - The Mobb re-emerged after their tiff with Hov true to hardcore form, with the street heater "Burn" and their fifth album, Infamy.(Photo: Sony Music)

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The Evolution of Mobb Deep - The Mobb re-emerged after their tiff with Hov true to hardcore form, with the street heater "Burn" and their fifth album, Infamy.(Photo: Sony Music)

The Evolution of Mobb Deep - Mobb Deep surprised everyone when they signed to former rival 50 Cent then expanding G Unit empire in 2005. They released their 2006 album Blood Money under 50, and even got "G Unit" tattoos.(Photos: Bennett Raglin/WireImage/Getty Images; Mark Davis/Getty Images)

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The Evolution of Mobb Deep - Mobb Deep surprised everyone when they signed to former rival 50 Cent then expanding G Unit empire in 2005. They released their 2006 album Blood Money under 50, and even got "G Unit" tattoos.(Photos: Bennett Raglin/WireImage/Getty Images; Mark Davis/Getty Images)

The Evolution of Mobb Deep - Mobb's Fif-fueled comeback was put on hold when Prodigy was sentenced to three years prison time in upstate New York after being caught with a gun in Manhattan in 2006. P was finally released in March 2011, and the Mobb hit the ground running. In September, they announced they had inked a new deal for their Infamous Records imprint with RED Distribution.(Photo: Cohoes Police Department)

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The Evolution of Mobb Deep - Mobb's Fif-fueled comeback was put on hold when Prodigy was sentenced to three years prison time in upstate New York after being caught with a gun in Manhattan in 2006. P was finally released in March 2011, and the Mobb hit the ground running. In September, they announced they had inked a new deal for their Infamous Records imprint with RED Distribution.(Photo: Cohoes Police Department)

Prodigy My Infamous Life - While serving three years for a weapons charge, Prodigy of Mobb Deep took it upon himself to pick up the pen and write his autobiography — a bold move considering most rappers shy away from revealing too much about their personal lives. Prodigy took the opportunity to explain his upbringing, how his father's erratic behavior affected him and ultimately what led to his incarceration. In between the lines, he sheds light on his famous rap beefs (most notably the one with Jay-Z), which rappers get the side eye and his interactions with other Queens street legends.(Photo: Touchstone Publishing)

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The Evolution of Mobb Deep - A month after his release, Prodigy released a memoir, My Infamous Life: The Autobiography. The book detailed P's early days, Mobb's history, his arrests and his run-ins with other rappers, ruffling quite a few feathers in the process. (Photo: Touchstone Publishing)

"All A Dream," feat. The LOX - This is East Coast storytelling at its finest with The Mobb and The LOX linked up. Prodigy opens the song recounting an episode he thought up in his sleep, over a wailing sample intercut with chops of Biggie's "Juicy" line, "It was all a dream."(Photo: Sony Music)

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The Evolution of Mobb Deep - As you've seen, Mobb Deep has already endured several rap beefs, prison terms and Prodigy's sickle-cell anemia. But can it outlast Twitter? Many are questioning if the duo is on the verge of a nasty divorce after Havoc's Twitter page was filled with a series of messages dissing Prodigy. Hav later blamed the tweets on a stolen cellphone, but leaked audio of a phone call in which Hav repeats his Twitter disses is putting that story to the test. Stay tuned for the next step in the Mobb's evolution — if there is one.(Photo: Sony Music)