Review Summary: the coldest but the realest
With Prodigy’s passing, like some of you, I spent a lot of time listening to this album and Hell on Earth (which is almost as good). I normally wouldn’t make a review of an album just because a rapper died, but an exception was made because A: This is arguably the best hip hop album ever made and B: It’s a lot more than just nihilistic and desolate. It’s wise and honest beyond its years, and was written by 2 street kids who weren’t old enough to drink.
I got introduced to this group in my teen years, hearing “Shook Ones Pt. 2,” saving it to listen to over the years as a mood booster, eventually adding “Survival of the Fittest” and the ones with the Wu members. But that’s not sufficient, because this is an album you have to listen in its entirety to truly appreciate, and after 10 spins on vinyl or Spotify, this album is the s***.
The mid 90’s was a difficult time to be a New York rapper. Hailed as the most lyrical region after Illmatic and the grittiest after Wu Tang’s debut, it was hard to stand out around so many talented emcees in your borough (Biggie dominating Brooklyn), you had to stand out for New York and ultimately hip hop in general. Tall order. After some less-than-stellar efforts, Prodigy and Havoc found a winning strategy: Just speak as honestly about problems where you came up. Strip Queens down to an almost impossible location for a pacifist to live long and create through the production an atmosphere of paranoia that's dreary all the while making it JAMMING.
Making a formula is easy enough, following through is a lot harder, and Mobb Deep did somehow. If you listen to Shook Ones long enough, you’ll realize that Prodigy’s not just showing off how coldly he will kill you if things go down, but also gives you advice on how to avoid it. Evidenced in “Up North Trip,” the duo tells you that living the high life could turn sour with a jail sentence, so be careful. This tough guy/tough love approach was fresh, because outside of Gang Starr, few groups at the time in New York would give the same advice, at least not throughout an entire record. Prodigy managed to educate and scare you at the same time on most if not all the songs. Havoc was more so the devil’s son who focused more on beats than his raps here (although he’s not far behind his partner).
So wisdom hidden in tough guy talk? What else? Mobb Deep decided to feature Wu-Tang and Nas (clearly their rivals) as a show of unity and also to bring more people into this destitute environment The Infamous invokes every time you hear it. Also, the duo broadcasted impressive storytelling abilities on songs like “Trife Life,” where if interpreted one way, ended in Havoc murdering Prodigy over his chain. I’ve heard a lot of chilling lyrics over the years, but shooting your rap partner? Best of all, the beat wasn’t gritty, it was quite upbeat.
And that’s the final point to make, songs like “Right Back at You” may sound hard, but the production, much like the culture of the burough of Queens, is so full of life that you can’t make a purely minimalistic album. So even after hearing Cradle to the Grave (and its scarily realistic intro), and being effectively “shook” the first time you finish the album, part of you would still demand, despite all that, that a re-listen is in order. Rest in peace, P, your work will never be forgotten.
