The oldheads have really been eating recently. I mean, when was the last time so many '90s hip-hop legends released albums in such a short amount of time, and when was the last time they were all generally considered quite good? Ever since the year 2000 hip-hop has been moving on from these acts, and until recently they've been shells of their former selves, dropping mediocrity and occasionally straight rubbish. But take a look at 2025 (and 2024 as well) - we have new records from Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, Slick Rick, LL Cool J, the Wu-Tang as a group, Redman, Clipse, and now a (sort of) posthumous album from Mobb Deep; and the kicker is, all of them have been well received. Of course, it's the greatest of all time himself who's responsible for like half of these - Nas' record label Mass Appeal has been running a series recently called "Legend Has It...", and it's doing very well for a lot of artists, whom most people had presumed to be well past the point of making anything that might be considered enjoyable (I mean, did you hear Ghostface Killah's Set the Tone album?). I'll try to get to all of these at some point, but for now I'll be discussing the latest, as it's probably the one I'm most intrigued by.
After Albert "Prodigy" Johnson's tragic passing in 2017, I think many people assumed that was the end of Mobb Deep - they'd only released one album within the last 10 years anyway, and how could they possibly move without their star rhymer, the man who had once spit some of the greatest verses of all time on albums such as The Infamous and Hell On Earth? Well, turns out that his partner in rhyme Havoc, who even since Mobb Deep slowed down has never really let up with his output as a solo act, had quite a few unreleased P verses in the vault, enough to make a 15 track project with anyway. And I can't front, I'm very excited for this. Mobb Deep as a duo haven't released a truly great project for a very long time, but seeing all these other older artists rise up and create their best music in decades is giving me quite a bit of hope that this effort might be a truly great send off for one of the greatest duos of all time.
And hey, worst comes to worst, at least there's some new Nas verses on here for me to enjoy. I'll never get sick of those.
1. Against The World (prod. Havoc)
I understand that about three quarters of this record is produced by Havoc, with the rest given to The Alchemist - I'm surprised that man had the time to help out, what with the million other projects he's doing this year. Jesus Alc has a crazy work effort. As for this track though, it's all down to Hav, and already things are looking up, because this instrumental is absolutely lovely, sounding decidedly non-threatening, but smooth and beautiful instead, giving the pair a slower tempo to rock their rhymes over - the track feels like a far more mature take on the Mobb Deep formula, and in 2025 that's a very good thing. Arguably my favourite part of the track, however, is the refrain, where P threatens us for no apparent reason, just like the good old days. I almost got a tear in my eye listening to this - Prodigy is always sorely missed. Dope stuff.
2. Gunfire (prod. The Alchemist)
A much more in character moment for the group comes on track 2, where Alchemist's aggressive and brilliant instrumental (teamed with some record scratches, which are always appreciated) forces Hav and P to perform their tough guy raps, which they do so amicably. This one is short, sweet, and exactly the sort of thing I would want from Mobb Deep at this point in their career. Nice!
3. Easy Bruh (prod. Havoc)
Probably the weakest track so far, but it still isn't bad. Sure, the hook is pretty dreadful, and random misogyny isn't exactly what I'm looking for from these two in their elder years, but other than that there's not much to dislike. "Straight from the bottom of the barrel / now I'm sitting pretty like the king and pharaoh" aren't exactly "Shook Ones" level bars, but the rapping here is entertaining enough, and it's clear the pair are both still skilled at their trade (where they weren't in 2001, or whenever that terrible Infamy album came out) - P being the standout vocalist on this track. The beat is also pretty good, sounding like something from an early Wu album, only hollower and colder if that's possible. Not bad, lads, not bad at all.
4. Look At Me (feat. Clipse) (prod. Havoc)
Almost certainly the most anticipated track on this record, what with Clipse being one of the biggest hip-hop acts out right now (and deservedly so, given what they dropped this year). And this one lives up to the hype, being a collaboration that exhibits just how incredibly talented these 20+ year old duos still are at their craft. I'd probably have liked it even more if Hav and P did a back and forth just like the Clipse verse, and then both acts were on here for longer (perhaps only repeating the hook once), but that's just a small nitpick - this is as good as I expected and more, and Havoc's production continues to shine. This isn't "Right Back At You" by any means, but how close it comes to that classic certainly speaks volumes. Banger collaboration.
5. The M. The O. The B. The B. (feat. Big Noyd) (prod. Havoc)
Yes, that really is what they named the song - and yes you'd better believe the gimmick carries into the horrible, horrible chorus on here that damn near threatens to ruin the entire track. Who's idea was that?? Thankfully, Havoc's beat is about ten times as menacing as anything else on here thus far, which is pretty good going, and while Big Noyd seems to forgoe rhyming during the first half of his verse, P and especially Havoc impress with their performances. Shame about that goddamn hook, then.
6. Down For You (feat. Nas & Jorja Smith) (prod. Havoc)
Would it be a shock if I said this might be the best song on the album so far? Because this shit is seriously good. Havoc trades in the usual icy, thuggish instrumentals for a dramatic yet sensual concoction, that works wonders for Jorja Smith's vocals - and she absolutely kills this hook, with a beautiful performance that helps this track really stand out among the rest. Not to mention, Nas absolutely kills it, as is to be expected of him at this point. As for Havoc and P, they're pretty good too, although it should be clear at this point in the album that they haven't quite aged as gracefully on the mic as some of their contemporaries. Still, this one was great.
7. Taj Mahal (prod. The Alchemist)
One of the singles for this album, and you can see why, as this easily has one of the catchiest beats thus far - Alchemist really works the sample to perfection, creating a menacing yet very memorable atmosphere that sounds dope as fuck to put it lightly. Meanwhile, I reckon these are some of the best performances on the whole album from our hosts, with P impressing particularly on his verse, sounding as menacing as ever. This is another highlight - things seem to really be heating up at this point.
8. Mr. Magik (prod. Havoc)
Another great track? This LP is only getting better and better. The first verse on this song is arguably the best P has delivered on the album up to this point, there's a back and forth segment on here which inevitably sounds great, and this instrumental is fantastic, being soft but eerie at the same time. What more could you possibly want? I'm loving this one.
9. Score Points (prod. The Alchemist)
Surely I'm not the only one who slowly developed a big ass grin as the weird guitars at the beginning slowly transitioned into that dope ass piano loop. I should have known Alc wouldn't let me down. And aside from Havoc making a reference to Covid, something we as a collective human race should all be doing our best to forget, I really enjoyed the performances across this track as well, except for the hook, where P sounds like he's about to nod off in the booth. Still, I can't say many of these hooks have impressed me so far, so it's not like it was much of a disappointment. The lyrics on here were nice as fuck, and I find it incredible how, quite the opposite of their prime days in the mid '90s, Havoc and Prodigy have become some very calm and collected vocalists, who on the mic are more like crime bosses now, not mere street dudes trying to stay alive. They really did come a long way, and the calmness of each MC shows how confident they are with their position in the genre. I'm really loving this album so far, in case you couldn't tell.
10. My Era (prod. The Alchemist)
However, I can't say I was as impressed by this one. Sure, Alchemist's skeletal beat is pretty good, and Prodigy doesn't do bad either, but the chorus that consists of naming '90s rappers and groups with no flow or direction isn't very well done, and Hav's verse is full of issues. "Body you on IG live / N***as soft for real, for real, like key lime pie" - oh dear; this verse is certainly not the man's finest hour. Still, I'd probably take this over anything off of Infamy, so that's certainly something.
11. Pour The Henny (feat. Nas) (prod. Havoc)
Talk about a return to form. After a minor misstep in the last track, "Pour the Henny" is in strong contention for best song on the album, and it isn't the Nas feature that determines that (although he certainly does his thing on here). The main attraction on here is that P verse, which sounds as though it was written from beyond the grave, and is enough to make even the toughest thug cry, as Prodigy tells of how you shouldn't mourn him, as his life was as wonderful as can be - shit, by the time Nas starts rhyming you'll be too moved to even listen anymore. This is easily one of the best songs here, the perfect dedication to Prodigy and an incredibly powerful moment overall. Incredible.
12. Clear Black Nights (feat. Raekwon & Ghostface Killah) (prod. Havoc)
Arguably the song I was most excited for going into this project is this collaboration with the two Wu-Tang members who seem to still be going strong on the solo tip to this day, with both of them having released projects already for this "Legend Has It..." series (surely a Run the Jewels album will come out of this as well). Havoc's beat here is simply beautiful, being a bit more loose with the variation compared with a lot of other beats on the record, especially when we get to Rae's verse, and unlike on "Right Back At You", both Rae and Ghost get to spit full verses of their own on this joint. This is just dope hip-hop made by legends of the game, and I'm all for it. Nice stuff.
13. Discontinued (prod. Havoc)
On one of the more simplistic instrumentals of the evening, Prodigy takes the idea of "brag rapping" even further by talking about how even he is confused at just how his life managed to get so good, while Havoc drops another decent performance. There's a missed opportunity here to sample the classic line "if he doesn't discontinue his bullshit he might be dead" from their older track "Cradle to the Grave", but otherwise this was decent. Nothing to write home to about, but decent.
14. Love The Way (Down For You PT2) (feat. Nas & H.E.R.) (prod. Havoc)
While the instrumental here seems to be the exact same as that on the original version of the song, the vocals are all completely different - well, except for the openings of Hav and Nas' verses, which started with the same exact lines, and then slowly blended into completely different passages, which I thought was an interesting and clever twist. Just like the original, this song stands out for having a fantastic hook, and just like the original, it feels very unique among all the other tracks surrounding it. I'm really feeling this one.
15. We The Real Thing (prod. Havoc)
Really not a fan of this beat, which is a shame considering this'll likely be the final Mobb Deep track I ever hear. Still, it's not like the rest of the album doesn't make up for it - this has certainly been a great experience.
While Infinite is not a perfect album, it's about as good of a send off as we could have asked for from one of the most important and legendary duos in hip-hop history. These are some of the best tracks these guys have made together in years, and given how most posthumous albums turn out that's quite the feat. Take The Infamous and Hell On Earth out of the equation, and this could be their best offering as a duo ever. Now, there are some things about this album that let it down - the choruses for example, about two of which on the whole record are bearable. Seriously, some of these hooks are nightmarish, especially on that track with Big Noyd that I can't be bothered to type out the name of - that one in particular really does ruin an otherwise stellar track. And the other thing is that Havoc and Prodigy do show some signs that they aren't young and hungry MCs on here, whether that be for better or for worse, and on some occasions it feels like their lyrical skills are dwindling - and when you compare the lyricism and deliveries on here to, say, those on one of the Nas x Hit-Boy tapes, it's clear that it is lacking at times. Just listen to Havoc's weirdly poor verse on "My Era" for proof. But I'm just nitpicking. On the positive side, these guys still sound pretty good - and my God are these beats nice. After Havoc's skills dwindled behind the boards on some of the collaborative records in the 2000s, it seems here that he's finally re-learned what he does best, and offers a selection of music that is reminiscent of the duo's prime work, while also sounding suitable in the modern era. Not to mention, whenever The Alchemist chimes in things inevitably heat up too. In general, this album is great, and if you're a fan of Mobb Deep I'd definitely give it a listen. It certainly isn't a modern classic, but for my money this exceeded any expectations that should have been placed on it, and is an incredibly fitting tribute to Prodigy's life, and Havoc's talents as well of course. Let's just hope this successfully washes the tastes of The Hegelian Dialectic 2: The Book Of Heroine firmly out of everyone's mouths. Thanks for reading!
Best Track: "Pour The Henny"
Worst Track: "We The Real Thing"
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