The lethargic flow he's sported of late appears in droves here, and it does his monotone voice no favors. track, mostly for the songstress's vocal similarity with Ashanti and the Irv Gotti-like production.Īt age 37, P reasonably sounds grizzled, a little tired, and a bit jaded. The best is the second Esther duet "Gangsta Love," which is reminiscent of an old Murder Inc.
When Mobb Deep first started recording love songs on "Infamy" it was a bit awkward for the sheer griminess of the duo, but nowadays it's even more forced, because let's be honest, there aren't a whole lot of women buying Prodigy records in 2012. Day26's Willie Taylor guests on the slow "My Angel," followed by "Co-Pilot," an uninspired and forgettable Wiz Khalifa duet.
3," always a tough sell for Prodigy given his definitively rough demeanor. There are a number of smooth tracks aimed at the female set throughout "H.N.I.C. "Get Money" is plain awful, with a simplistic excuse for a beat and horrific guest verse from a Drake impersonator named Boogz Boogetz. Unfortunately, "Make It Hot" isn't the only song that plays like a Young Money throwaway. When your bitch is the baddest bitch, how could you notįeel like you're Dom Perignon in the spot" Sat up in the box, that's where I got strong atĬame back home took the ice off the watch The streets goin' crazy for that new Mobb, ah Yeah, my coke 'bout to drop, the hood go'n cop Check the intolerably irritating "Make It Hot":Ĭouldn't be better, you could say it's Thanksgivin'
His frequent recycling of classic rap and R&B hooks indicates laziness, and his lyrics are a snoozefest. Although the producers are relatively big names, they fail to supply anything even approaching their best work, which is a shame because P could use the help. among others, comprising a minimalist sound composed largely of tinny, gritty soul and funk samples and winding, dusty violins. 3" closely resembles the recent batch of Prodigy albums spanning 2007's "Return of the Mac" through last year's "The Ellsworth Bumpy Johnson EP": Alchemist and Sid Roams provide a few beats, with assorted contributions from Ty Fyffe, Young L, and S.C. 3" more than six years after the last Mobb Deep LP is equally comical and depressing in that nobody considers him the Head Nigga In Charge anymore. That P titled his latest solo offering "H.N.I.C. Things looked bad when a vengeful Jay-Z projected a childhood ballet photo for a sold out Giants Stadium at 2001's Summer Jam, but that proved the tip of the iceberg as a struggling Mobb Deep signed for an ill-fated stint at G-Unit, the end of which roughly corresponded with a lengthy prison bid for the sickle-cell anemic. Young Prodigy stopped short of both celebration and despairing, and I can't help but feel that his older self struggles with the same conundrum, now the veteran of a rap game in which his artistic renderings of the lifestyle provided him a comfortable living but also exposed him as his personal life publicly deteriorated. On the classic Mobb Deep records, P endeared himself to untold millions with bleak street narratives that neither glorified nor condemned his wicked ways, balancing a keen, observant eye with inward-looking reflection to speculate as to what it might all mean. A year after 1999's "Murda Muzik" scaled the charts, Bandana P enlisted the support of an almost entirely Queensbridge-bred cast of MCs, solicited beats from the Alchemist, Rockwilder, Just Blaze, Ric Rude, Bink, and old pal Havoc, and enjoyed the fruits of the boroughs' widespread well-being with a commercial and critical success.
Released at the height of New York's rap dominance, a time when Gotham rappers dominated airwaves well beyond Hot 97's range and album sales enjoyed a pre-iTunes crest, it was quite indicative of the scene's marketability that a solo album from Mobb Deep, by no means a household name, could reach gold sales in a month. Chris Brown & Wiz Khalifa)ġ4 - Bandz a Make Her Dance (feat.The original "H.N.I.C." was the product of a nurturing environment. Big Sean & Young Jeezy)ġ2 - Talkin' Bout (feat.