When it comes to authentic, ride-or-die hip-hop, few crews have as much resonance as Mobb Deep. Featuring two double-threat MCs who also produced â Havoc and the sadly-departed Prodigy â the crew changed the hardcore rap game in 1995 with their sophomore classic The Infamous, and went on to rule the dark corners of hip-hop for the second half of the 90s and well into the 2000s.
After multiple Mobb Deep platters in the â90s, Prodigy entered the 2000s as a solo artist with force, rolling over a stomping, piano-freaked backdrop laced by producer The Alchemist, with âKeep It Thoro.â It has held up over time, proving itself as an anthemic classic that the streets and clubs still respect.
Flaunting a smooth-but-menacing flow, Prodigyâs no-nonsense lyricism on âKeep It Thoroâ is prototypical modern age brag rap. Countless MCs have followed his flow, from Fabolous to Joey Bada$$. The song is short and sweet, clocking in at just over 3 minutes. There are no wasted verses, just hardcore rhymes that stay with you.
But âThoroâ was the tip of the iceberg on what proved to be one of the more coveted rap full-lengths of the era. The album boasted other charting singles, including âRock Dat Shitâ and âY.B.E.â (featuring B.G.), but it can be argued that the albumâs real gems are buried deeper.
âGenesis,â âWhat U Repâ (featuring Noreaga) and âThreeâ are all sinister yet pensive. âWanna Be Thugsâ and âDelt With The Bullshitâ are strong and evocative Mobb Deep cuts, featuring production and vocals by Havoc.
And alongside other standouts, perhaps the deepest cut of all â especially in light of Prodigyâs recent and way-too-soon passing due to complica- tions from Sickle Cell Anemia â is âYou Can Never Feel My Pain,â which details the health issues and challenges this talented MC and producer had been facing his whole life.
H.N.I.C. was Prodigyâs first solo album, but it is perhaps his best. Among
fans he will never be forgotten, for his skills, his storytelling and his
no-B.S. approach to the art of MCing.
Tracklist
A1. BARS & HOOKS (INTRO)
A2. GENESIS
A3. DRIVE THRU (SKIT)
A4. ROCK DAT SHIT
A5. WHAT U REP (FEAT. NOREAGA)
A6. KEEP IT THORO
B1. CAN'T COMPLAIN (FEAT. CHINKY & TWIN GAMBINO)
B2. INFAMOUS MINDED (FEAT. BIG NOYD)
B3. WANNA BE THUGS (FEAT. HAVOC)
B4. THREE (FEAT. CORMEGA)
B5. DELT W/ THE BULLSH*T (FEAT. HAVOC)
C1. TRIALS OF LOVE (FEAT. B.K.)
C2. H.N.I.C.
C3. BE COOL (SKIT)
C4. VETERAN'S MEMORIAL
C5. DO IT (FEAT. MIKE DELOREAN)
D1. LITTLES (SKIT)
D2. Y.B.E. (FEAT. B.G.)
D3. DIAMOND (FEAT. BARS N' HOOKS)
D4. GUN PLAY (FEAT. BIG NOYD)
D5. YOU CAN NEVER FEEL MY PAIN
D6. H.N.I.C.