A passing of the torch, maybe? For years Mobb Deep has stood at the forefront as Hip-Hop’s marquee gangsta rap duo, even as the quality of their music declined over the years. While Queensbridge P was doing time in the belly of the beast, Chicago’s L.E.P. Bogus Boys began to make noise for themselves as a twosome to take heed to with ghetto tales of violence, drugs and hustling by any means necessary. Read the rest of this entry »

P and Hav are finally out of the blasted G-Unit deal. Let that soak in for a minute. Read the rest of this entry »

How many years has it been since anybody heard Prodigy spit a verse and had anybody cringing and say “Damn, P killed it!” Yeah I bet it’s been awhile. Read the rest of this entry »

With another month in the books, we open our playlists to share the songs that provided the fuel for August. Read the rest of this entry »

Crime gets organized as Count & Moonie snag Prodigy & Hav for a feature appearance on “Gangstaz Only,” which is set to appear on L.E.P.’s upcoming album Now Or Never. Check the audio as well as BTS clip for the forthcoming video below.

L.E.P. Bogus Boys Feat. Mobb Deep – “Gangstaz Only”

All the BS aside, Prodigy is one of my favorites and Mobb Deep is, in my ears, the greatest duo to grace the Hip-Hop stage. There’s no denying that P lost a couple steps over the years, but his paradoxical personality remains intriguing because I’ve never been able to understand how his thought process works. Read the rest of this entry »

Supreme will release four new t-shirt designs this week including two designed by skater/artist Lance Mountain and one of their classic photo op shirts featuring Mobb member Prodigy. Read the rest of this entry »

HHDX:

“When asked what fans can expect from Mobb Deep’s renewed relationship with Nas, following their “Dog Shit” release, Havoc said that fans can expect, “an album from it.”

‘We’re gonna do a Mobb Deep and Nas album. It hasn’t begun but we tipped the iceberg a little bit with the ‘Dog Shit.’ Read the rest of this entry »

Not too far removed from the bus returning him to the free world, Prodigy uses Twitter to uncuff a track full of thug love bars over Frank Ocean’s “Novacane.” Read the rest of this entry »

I’ll always have a soft spot for Prodigy (||). No matter how terrible, I’ll constantly listen to his new music with an open ear, just for old times sake. As a member of Mobb Deep, P helped make some of the greatest music Hip-Hop has ever seen and he created a formidable solo debut as well. Then circa 2001, Hov dropped “The Takeover” and it was all downhill from there. Mobb Deep’s next two albums released to a critical bloodbath and they re-upped with G-Unit to create 2006′s Blood Money.

The album completely exposed the QB emcee as a now sub-par lyricist armed with nothing more than shock value punch lines and a flow stiffer than the suspension of his Porsche he got as a signing bonus. As terrible as the album was, its first single “Put ‘Em In Their Place” still gets some iPod burn to this day. I have very little explanation for my defense. It’s ignorant as hell, P’s and Havoc’s raps are average at best and the beat is nothing spectacular. But Prodigy’s opening bars just wreck it.

“I was schooled by the hood, raised by the wolves
Trained by the pain, adopted by guerrillas
Gotta tank for a car, ice for a arm
Got tattoos for skin and stars for broads
Gotta buildin’ for a crib, Manhattan for a backyard
Skyscraper ladies, they f*ck me when they man gone”

Aside from these six lines, nothing about the song is repeat-worthy. Yet, I just can’t help pressing back as the beat fades out over and over again. If I start playing it, I don’t stop until I’ve heard it at least five or six times through. Why? I have no idea.

On paper, the track’s everything I ought to hate, especially since I despise 50 Cent and all things associated with him. The lyrics wear out already tired subjects like bank rolls and smashing heauxs. The production isn’t anything special either. But, for some reason, Prodigy’s first few lines make the record for me. Maybe it’s my overwhelming bias or I’m selectively tone deaf. Whatever the reason, “Put ‘Em In Their Place” is a track I’m not proud to say has remained in my iPod for over five years and will probably stay there for the foreseeable future.

Previously: Day 12 – A Song From A Band You Hate

Tony Yayo links up with Mobb Deep to deliver a few gully quotables on “Body Bag.” These are simple visuals for no-frills rap, just three professionals stepping to the microphone to spit. Yayo, while still far from an incredible emcee, is enjoyable here and Havoc comes strong as well. But it’s Prodigy, coming through with the anchor verse, who steals the track. Read the rest of this entry »

Fresh out the cell block to dusting off his writer’s block, the Infamous is back in the house once again to drop gems in the name of Frank Lucas’ alleged mentor. The Ellsworth Bumpy Johnson Story EP is Prodigy’s formal introduction to independence after serving nearly three years in the bing and he’s got the “home team” in his corner for a short and sweet familiarization to the outside. Read the rest of this entry »

With The Alchemist & Havoc on the boards, “Dog Sh*t” finds the Mobb officially back together again since P’s prison release. Nas pops up with a wicked verse to cap off the track. And yeah, it’s good to hear Prodigy but the star of the track may be Nasir. Read the rest of this entry »

Eleven days after Prodigy ditched his state issued six (or seven) digit identification number, the first evidence of audio normalcy presents itself. Like the song suggests, sometimes taking a “step back” is actually taking a “step forward” as both Hav and P sound re-energized, re-dedicated and in love with the art form over this soulful number from their brother-in-music, Alchemist. Read the rest of this entry »

Clap for Prodigy, a free man making his way home today. With Alchemist’s guarantee that he, Havoc and P will be in the studio sometime later this afternoon, Hip-Hop fans definitely have something to rejoice over as new music from the Infamous duo is on the horizon. In the meantime, here’s the video for “Genesis” from H.N.I.C., Prodigy’s underrated 2000 release. Read the rest of this entry »