“You shook ’cause there ain’t no such things as halfway crooks,” a phrase that, even twenty years after it saw the light of day, recalls the pain, paranoia, and inhospitality of the ghettos and the street life associated with them. The duo Mobb Deep, made up of producers and rappers Havoc and the deceased Prodigy, had a record out in 1995, Juvenile Hell (1993), despite its young age. Their magnum opus, however, was still taking shape.
The acclaimed classic, which debuted at number fifteen on the Billboard 200, is inherently part of hip-hop’s golden pool. Together, the sixteen tracks form a timeless and unflinching journey through New York’s Queens. With an album this well-known, there’s no point in going into technicalities or historical facts; instead, let’s get to the reason why this particular record resonated with so many fans.
The beats were taken care of by the duo itself with the help of the legendary Q-Tip, also known as The Abstract, who helped produce three tracks. It’s important to mention that he was helping Mobb Deep not just with production but also as a mixing engineer. But don’t look for his unique sound on albums by A Tribe Called Quest. On this album, dirty melodies and grubby kicks, together with gunshots and the atmosphere of the strong, cold rain, paint a picture of the dark streets of an unwelcoming city.
The key aspect that makes the project so unique is the filminess of the album itself. Just the names of the tracks like The Start of Your Ending, Eye for a Eye, Cradle to the Grave, and Drink Away the Painperfectly put together scenes that you’ll witness as you listen to the album. Every single lyric, beat, and resulting track is absolutely plastic, as if the hectic scenes of the New York underworld cut from Abel Ferrara’s films were materializing in front of you. Whether you listen to Just Step Prelude,which thanks to the missing beat lets shine the tough yet still young and vulnerable voice of Big Noyd (which couldn’t come to the shooting of a back cover of the album because at the time he was in the middle of the court hearing), or the melodious Temperature’s Rising, you feel like you’re part of the story. The Infamous masterfully fill up probably the most important goal of art, evoking emotions, empathy, and understanding for people who might be completely different from you, but they still deserve at least a will to understand.
Both rappers are putting despair into all their lyrics, which won’t let you rest. Around the corner of every verse might be police, jail, drugs, or a rival gang. Mobb Deep keeps adding layers of injustice, betrayal, and violence on top of each other and then lets the little beam of hope shine through. Compared to the classics like Straight Outta Compton or Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers), with The Infamous, you can feel that rappers don’t have things completely under control. The album is made with such urgency that it feels like rappers made it just an hour before the world ends. Havoc and Prodigy took us on an unforgettable journey through their lives, which will stay in the golden fund of the genre forever.
Translated from Czech by Rado.
