The Rundown: Mobb Deep, The Infamous Mobb Deep
A track-by-track look at Havoc and Prodigy's latest.
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The Rundown: Mobb Deep, The Infamous Mobb Deep - After beefing through 2012 and reconciling in 2013, Havoc and Prodigy are back with The Infamous Mobb Deep. The collection, their eighth studio album -- a double disc -- features 17 new tracks with features from Snoop Dogg, Mack Wilds and The LOX; and 14 tracks of unreleased material from the recording sessions of 1995's The Infamous, their revered sophomore LP. Read on for a track-back-track look at The Mobb's new songs.(Photo: Infamous Records)
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"Taking You Off Here" - Havoc and Prodigy get straight to the action over a sinister intro complete with all of the grit and bravado that made them legends in the 90's. The topic is warfare as The Mobb exchanges intricately crafted bars over a thumping Golden Era-esque production.(Photo: Tim Mosenfelder/Getty Images)
Photo By Photo: Tim Mosenfelder/Getty Images
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"Say Something" - "I am not normal, let me be the first to warn ya," announces Havoc over Illmind's bouncing synths. The Mobb's chemistry explodes as they trade intricate flows. Prodigy follows up spitting flawlessly, dropping simple couplets that unfold with multiple meanings to those familiar with The Mobb's past.(Photo: Johnny Nunez/WireImage)
Photo By Johnny Nunez/WireImage
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"Get Down," feat. Snoop Dogg - A pulsing party track featuring The Mobb's West Coast contemporary Snoop Dogg. The triple O.G.'s get down with clever bars that will expand your vocab while your head bobs. "I'll leave you naked in the streets like a hedonist," threatens P.(Photo: Bryan Bedder/Getty Images)
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"Dirt" - True to its name, this is the epitome of NY grime. "We had no choice but to keep it trill, they sizing us up," Mobb Deep claims over the classic early 90's-sounding track.(Photo: Johnny Nunez/WireImage)
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"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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"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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"Low," feat. Mack Wilds - Mack Wilds offers a breezy, romantic departure from the abrasive sound that makes up most of The Infamous Mobb Deep's storied catalog. The unexpected collaboration blends the best of old school and new school NYC.(Photo: Bryan Bedder/Getty Images)
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"Murdera" - The heat back up on this track as Havoc relentlessly spits braggadocio over another Illmind gem. "Good in any hood, I blend like an earth tone," he spits.(Photos from left: Allen Berezovsky/Getty Images, Terrence Jennings/PictureGroup)
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"Check the Credits" - Illmind provides an eerie backdrop for some of P and Hav's most inventive flows on the project. The song embodies the spirit of the original Infamous album. "We stars, stare at us/ We are them n---as check the motherf---in' credits," they declare on the chorus.(Photo: Tim Mosenfelder/Getty Images)
Photo By Tim Mosenfelder/Getty Images
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"Gimme All That" - Piano keys plunk along steadily as the The Mobb sends out a warning to potential marks. "You a good kid, Theodore Huxtable/ I really do this s--t," explains Prodigy. (Photo: Rob Kim/Getty Images)
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"Legendary," feat. Bun B & Juicy J - A change of pace from the onslaught of bangers, The Mobb invites Bun B and Juicy J to join them on this laidback Boi-1da beat, ready-made for cookouts and summertime drives. While Bun deems himself a "street legend that came up with a pen," Prodigy brags on the Mobb's own legendary status. "We got our lane mastered, yeah we got it locked,” P announces, before Juicy shuts everything down with his intoxicating flow: "We gon catch a body, you gon catch a tombstone,” he raps, in a tone that's both playful and believable. (Photo: Bryan Bedder/Getty Images)
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"Lifetime" - The bleak reality of the trappings of success hits them hard over this understated Alchemist track, causing The Mobb to wonder, "why the f--- we still doin this s--t?" Ironically, the quality of their lyrics answers that question clearly.(Photo: Johnny Nunez/WireImage)
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"My Block" - Montreal producer Kaytranada adds a twist to The Mobb's grimey sound with funky flutes. Hav and P go in with the same gutter bars fans have always expected: "A staple in the hood like the liquor store, and the church... Paint a better picture call me H Banksy."(Photo: Mike Coppola/Getty Images for BET)
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"Henny," feat. Mack Wilds, Busta Rhymes and French Montana - This one's not entirely new, as The Mobb calls on fellow New Yorkers Busta Rhymes, French Montana and Mack Wilds to reimagine one of their most distinctive hits, "Burn" from 2001's Infamy.(Photo: Rick Davis / Splash News)
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