Little Brother's Phonte talks on Mobb Deep's latest.

Orizio · 02-05-2006 8:16pm #1

Truly classic.

6 pages in that other post and nobody's figured it out yet huh? Lemme break it down....

*sighs REAL deep*

Mobb Deep is gone. Club Mobb is what you have now. And you can either take it or leave it.

To me the last classic, dark, moody, make-me-wanna-open-fire-on-a-group-of-innocent-schoolchildren Mobb Deep single was "Quiet Storm." Hav and P were sharp as ever on the boards and on the mic respectively......and then.......

Enter Hov.

I'm sorry.....but I've never seen ANY emcee past or present be as VISIBLY affected by a dis as Prodigy was by that Summer Jam screen. All of a sudden, the same emcee who gave us countless quotables for 3 albums sounded as flustered and unfocused as ever. Hell, most of the time he wasn't even RHYMING..... Thus, we saw the beginnings of what I call "Club Mobb," a group that had had their street cred tested so many times (see: unfavorable incidents with TruLife and Keith Murray), that they figured '**** it.....let's take niggas to the club' and the results ranged from dope ("Burn"), to dope-once-it-grows-on-you ("Got It Twisted"), to horrid ("Hey Luv" feat. 112).

So what exactly happened?

Most people don't realize that the magic of Prodigy (and Mobb for that matter), lied in Prodigy's first bars. Literally......Prodigy has some of the most classic and memorable first bars in hip hop history, and that made for their best singles. Don't believe me?

"I got 'chu stuck off the realness....." -Shook Ones

"The saga begins.....we go to war/ I draw first blood be the first to set it off...." -Hell On Earth

"I put my lifetime in between the paper lines...." -Quiet Storm

"I break bread, r i b s, hunnid dolla bills...." -Keep It Thoro

Now as you listen to "Blood Money" try to find that bar. Dig through that album and search for that one line.....that ONE bar from Prodigy that made you and your mans rap along in unison like "I used to be in love with this bitch named E&J/ don't **** with her no more now I **** with Tanqueray" from "Drink Away The Pain."

You can't find it, 'cause its not there.

For better or worse depending on how you look at it, Havoc is now the best MC in Club Mobb. I take my hat off to him. Dude sounds hungrier than ever. And although P still has his moments (his verse on "Capital P, Capital H" is dope), for most of the album he's the same rambling, non-rhyming, unfocused guy that he's been for the past few years. He really sounds clinically depressed. It's sad.

So aside from its obvious artistic shortcomings, what does G-Unit have to do with people's hate for "Blood Money?"

Honestly......everything.

Like I told y'all so many times, even in regards to my OWN career.....in this game, PERCEPTION is reality.

And if people's general perception is that you cashed in 13 years of hard-earned respect for a Porsche...

AND you're rollin with the industry's hot new franchise boy (who DISSED you a year earlier, mind you)......

AND gave him total control of your album...

AND engaged in blatant cock-sniggling in interviews and on records by referring to him as Curtis Billion Dollar Budget Jackson.......

AND the only features on the record are G-Unit (no Noyd or any other QB niggas).......

Then what is the general consensus?

"Maaaaaan, them Mobb Deep niggas sold the **** out," that's what.

Now personally, I have no problem with an artist selling out, or cashing in (however you look at it)....but I understand the ramifications of it. And the fact remains that when you sell out: 1) it damn sure better be financially worth it so that you NEVER have to sell out again, and 2) your post sell-out records better be artistically ****ing BULLETPROOF. I mean, you better make the record of a lifetime or else there will be hell to pay.

And from the looks of things, Mobb may fail on both counts.

Cats are trashing the record left and right. Most die-hard Mobb fans have written them off by now. As dope as "Put 'Em In Their Place" is it ain't gon' get the 106 and TRL'ers, so those diamond numbers they were shooting for are looking more like Yayo's.

Not to place all the blame on 50, because truthfully, the songs he's featured on are among the best on the album. And I always thought "Outta Control" was dope, because it felt like a natural progression for Club Mobb.....it was the grown and sexy Club Mobb and it knocked. The same can't be said for "Give It To Me" and "Backstage Pass." They are club attempts that sound forced and honestly, are downright laughable.

I will always hold Hav and P near and dear to my heart, and they will always be viewed as hip-hop legends to me because of their first 3 albums (honorable mentions go to "H.N.I.C" and "Free Agents" tho). But I gotta call a spade a spade.

For longtime Mobb Deep fans, "Blood Money" pretty much confirmed our worst fears of what we thought a G-Unit/Mobb Deep partnership would bring forth:

Our boys done got rich and stopped trying.

http://www.thejustusleague.com/lawn/index.php?showtopic=23938

Dooom · 02-05-2006 8:30pm

Lol classic.
But none the less, Mobb's been going for over 10 years, and tbh I think it's gotten to a stage where they have families they need to feed. And street credit and respect isn't going to put bread on the table or fuel in the Porsche.

Everytime I hear their new stuff, I cringe and some part of me dies. But then I go back and flick through Hell On Earth, or Infamous and that little bit grows back again.
Granted they could've sold out to someone who isn't as much of a tool as 50, but this way they can get that mansion, and that second Porsche for the wife, and still have all their history that people love.

I just really hope they get that mansion and second Porsche soon, and not make us have to listen to any more duets with 50...

Orizio · 02-05-2006 9:18pm

I think its a fame thing rather then money though.Look they are going to be well off and they both have futures-they have got numerous record deals,they have put out a half a dozen plus albums and Havoc's production talents are always wanted.So they've got to have cash and should be well able to survive,if they can't survive then about 90% of the Hip-Hop world must be working MacDonalds during they day.They saw 50 was on top,wanted to be on MTV before they became even more commercially irrelevent and sold out(and I mean really sold out).

There must have been other options,they have a strong fanbase and a lot of recognized artists are going indie or making there own labels,where there is real potential for cash as you are getting the profits plus you keep your artistic licence.

Signing for 50 was bad enough though,but getting tattooes and basically acting like 50's bitch was always going to make Prodigy hated.Its their own fault at the end of the day,

*Sheds a tear and listens to GOD Part III*

Phonte sounds intelligent though.Couldn't have said it any better about the album and Mobb Deep.

Dooom · 02-05-2006 10:21pm

I agree with your points (Jesus H. Christ, they got tattoos?! That little bit of me died again), but the only thing that gets to me is the fame bit. They're both legends, no doubts there. But why would they have to go and sign with 50 of all people?
Call me a conspiracy theorist, but I don't buy it. It just doesn't make sense. Either that or I'm still in denial (Hell On Earth - first hiphop tune I ever heard. They've been my favourite group ever since).

Iirc, Prodigy did a solo album or two, and (haven't heard them, brother has them though) they're pretty damn good. Tbh, had they kept the way they were going, they could have floored 50. Then again, a lot of people could have aswell.

I think the memory that sticks with me most,is that MTV interview I saw with 50 before he did some red carpet thing. Tim Cash was interviewing him, then out comes Mobb. Followed by them embracing eachother, and much ass-licking on Mobb's behalf. It honestly did bring a tear to my eye.

It's always the good that die young.

Orizio · 02-05-2006 11:08pm

Spike wrote:

I agree with your points (Jesus H. Christ, they got tattoos?! That little bit of me died again), but the only thing that gets to me is the fame bit. They're both legends, no doubts there. But why would they have to go and sign with 50 of all people?
Call me a conspiracy theorist, but I don't buy it. It just doesn't make sense. Either that or I'm still in denial (Hell On Earth - first hiphop tune I ever heard. They've been my favourite group ever since).

Iirc, Prodigy did a solo album or two, and (haven't heard them, brother has them though) they're pretty damn good. Tbh, had they kept the way they were going, they could have floored 50. Then again, a lot of people could have aswell.

I think the memory that sticks with me most,is that MTV interview I saw with 50 before he did some red carpet thing. Tim Cash was interviewing him, then out comes Mobb. Followed by them embracing eachother, and much ass-licking on Mobb's behalf. It honestly did bring a tear to my eye.

It's always the good that die young.

The cracks were kinda showing with Murda Muzik though,which although bootlegged,wasn't touching the earlier two albums.Everything after that,including P's debut H.N.I.C.,was a bit inconsistent from P and you could see that his lyrics weren't really that great anymore.Seemed to be losing a bit of hunger as well,which happens to a lot of good MC's.In truth,his best verses were on others albums,not Mobb Deeps or his own,like his Jay-Z diss on Thun and Kicko on Mega's debut and the stuff he did on the overlooked QB's finest.

We'll prolly never know why he joined 50,and most importantly preceeded to act like a complete tit.I mean you don't see Banks,M.O.P. or Young Buck drooling all over 50 in public and yet there is P so enamoured by him you expect he has his very own '50 Cent' shrine at home that he prays to everyday.

He seeems to have fell for the money,lifestyle and fame and in the end the Hip-Hop community ain't going to forgive him or let him forget.At least Havoc can still put out some verses and is still a top class producer.P is like the worst of the worst now.

Makaveli · 03-05-2006 12:53am

Mobb Deep have become irrelevant. Kids today who buy records don't know or care who they are. By associating themselves with 50 Cent/G-Unit they got their names back out there again and will hope kids start buying their records again. That's it, plain and simple. It looks to me like a final cash in before Mobb Deep bite the bullet.

me and the biz · 03-05-2006 3:15pm

http://www.hiphopgame.com/index2.php3?page=mobbdeep

Read the part about 50's involvement...says alot.

Dooom · 03-05-2006 6:09pm

Ughh, that interview made me want to hurt people.

Best album to date? People are real excited about it? The best move so far? "We're going to keep coming like we always come"?

He's either taking the piss and Mobb are going to take off their rub-on G-unit tattoos and kick 50 in the ass and go back to the good 'ol days, or he's actually serious and he's just been walking about with his eyes shut and ears closed.

Orizio · 03-05-2006 7:37pm

I wouldn't expect them to saying anything else Spike.They always overhype their albums.

Now the fact that Sean Penn is in their film,now thats interesting... :eek:

me and the biz · 04-05-2006 1:33pm

It's a pity they didn't ask him about all the critism the album has got.

One of my favourite reviews of it so far:

Mobb Deep - Blood Money
Monday - May 01, 2006
J-23

Rating
2 out of 5

In the beginning Mobb Deep never really got the career they deserved, and now they may be getting the career they no longer deserve. After flying under the radar with their overlooked debut Juvenile Hell, Mobb Deep truly impacted with their bone-chilling The Infamous in 1995. The follow up Hell on Earth was basically just as good yet the sales of their NYC counterparts eluded them. After a few years off they returned in ‘99 with Murda Muzik, which looked to be on track for big sales and critical acclaim before it was railroaded by bootlegging. The result was a lackluster re-worked official release and disappointed sales. In hind site, it was only the beginning.

After Prodigy’s solo debut further indicated his eroding skills, Mobb Deep was sent into a total tailspin after Jay absolutely crushed them and they released the putrid Infamy. Fast forward a few years and Hav and P ink a deal with G-Unit. Havoc, always a talented producer and less a force on the mic, has become easily the better emcee. And P, whose already questionable credibility as a 5-foot-nothing tough guy is all but gone after the Summer Jam pics, has easily become one of the worst emcees with a name in hip-hop. But G-Unit, love’em or hate’em, usually has pretty dope production and save a few stinkers (Yayo, Beg For Mercy), has a good catalogue. So I was expecting their best album in years.

For many longtime fans, the signing with G-Unit was a nail in the coffin; being braggadocious tough talkers and signing with the man who inadvertently made you look like fools when telling Kiss I’ll do your little ass like Jay did Mobb Deep. Well, a lot of folks thought it made them look like bitches. Never mind the fact that you just knew the usual QB fam would be sparred for G-Unit guest spots. But I say **** it, just give me some good music and I’ll be happy.

I am not happy. I’m not gonna mince words here, this album is hot garbage. Straight up, its ****ing terrible. There are a few good beats (Put’em In They Place, Pearly Gates, In Love With The Mula), but the rest range from average to dull to absolutely insipid. And the subject matter? It makes the production seem like the Sistine Chapel of hip-hop. There is literally not one bar of any value found on this album. Yeah we get it Prodigy, you’re really tough and you’re going to beat up Jesus, God and everyone else in heaven. Wonderful, you’ll be lucky if JC doesn’t snatch your chain. They’re tough, they have lots of guns, lots of money, and lots of hoes. That’s all you need to know. It isn’t said any cleverer than that, in fact it rarely rhymes any more than that.

At least you’ve got the dope Outta Control Remix, too bad it’s a year old or so and already appeared on 50’s re-release. But the beat for It’s Alright is ill, well it was when it was called Tick Tock and P and Nas rapped over it on Alchemist’s 1st Infantry. Yeah well Daydreamin and Speakin So Freely are just like that gritty, dark old Mobb ****. Don’t mistake dark for narcoleptic. Oh well, at least 50 didn’t just try and save the album from flopping and appear on like 6 of the 16 songs or some ****. Oh, wait a minute...Sorry people, I’ve heard it all.

I’ve heard some other folks are giving this album really favorable reviews. Maybe they accidentally threw in The Infamous and reviewed that, or maybe they got a version of the album that shouldn’t be set on fire. Maybe, just maybe, they got passed some of that so-called blood money. I don’t know about all of that. What I do know is that this album is a disgrace to the group who has made some of hip-hop’s greatest songs. **** outta here with all this.

evil_seed · 04-05-2006 4:19pm

allhiphop.com gave is four stars

http://www.allhiphop.com/reviews/

Never liked Mobb Deep anyways

Orizio · 04-05-2006 4:59pm

The fact that the reviewer says "Curtis wins again" suggests that he is either stupid or a 50 fan and still stupid.He must have forgot about Yayo's album.And Buck's one.

Never liked Mobb Deep anyways

Are myself and Spike the only ones to think Mobb used to be one of the greats?

David19 · 04-05-2006 5:50pm

Orizio wrote:

Are myself and Spike the only ones to think Mobb used to be one of the greats?

Absolutely not

I don't think I'll ever get tired of some of their classic songs.

me and the biz · 04-05-2006 6:05pm

Orizio wrote:

The fact that the reviewer says "Curtis wins again" suggests that he is either stupid or a 50 fan and still stupid.He must have forgot about Yayo's album.And Buck's one.

Are myself and Spike the only ones to think Mobb used to be one of the greats?

hells no, pumped out numerous classics. Pee was one of favourite mc's. Still, whatever they put out now it can never take away from the classics they've put out in the past.

Dooom · 04-05-2006 6:24pm

me and the biz wrote:

Still, whatever they put out now it can never take away from the classics they've put out in the past.

Well said. No matter the crap they put out now, I just go back and listen to Keep It Thoro/Can't Get Enough Of It/GOD Pt. III/Still Shinin', and I'm happy.

Although it is a bit saddening that we'll never hear anything like those classics from them again.

And that's the last bit of moping I'll do. From now on, it's pure abuse hurling in 50's general direction.

Orizio · 04-05-2006 7:50pm

Well that will be a new and shocking departure for this forum Spike...

spacecoyote · 06-05-2006 10:00pm

Only have the infamous and hell on earth, and yes they are both classic albums, with some tracks that will always be recognised as classics.

unfortunately its just another case of a group selling out for a last shot at commercial fame and jumping on the G-G-G-G-Gravy Train. it does sicken me to my stomach, but to be honest doesn't surprise me in the slightest

Little Brother's Phonte talks on Mobb Deep's latest.

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