Mobb Deep Reps Queens With The Infamous To Kick Off Red Bull Tour

When the Mobb Deep boys graced the Webster Hall stage Sunday to discuss their iconic second album The Infamous, the audience – some cheering, some shouting “Mobb Deep!” – eventually grew silent. A mixture of Queens representers, others from the outer boroughs and even a couple of adventurous fans from LA showed their respect for a duo who ultimately paved the way for a number of street hip-hop artists. Of course Prodigy and Havoc are humble, reluctant to name any names, but the crowd’s shout-outs of potential Mobb Deep listeners (The LOX, Clipse, 50 Cent, Capone-N-Noreaga) means their influence is rooted in more rappers than they believe.

“At the time, there was nothing like Mobb Deep,” Prodigy said. “We were real unique to what we were bringing. The lyrics. The lifestyle. Everything we was bringing to the table was unique.” Havoc added: “It was flattering, they were from the hood too so you can’t knock nobody hustle. From day one we wished them all the best. I always hoped it worked for them.”

Read the rest of Mobb Deep’s history and making of The Infamous after the jump.

To start off the Red Bull Music Academy’s New York: Five Out of Five World Tour, P and Hav sat down with host Sacha Jenkins, running through a series of questions about their lives before rap, documenting the Queensbridge Housing Projects warzone-like atmosphere, exploring the origins of the “Dunn Language” and reminiscing on key tracks off The Infamous.

“[The Dunn Language] really came from Queensbridge period.” Prodigy said. “Queensbridge is the biggest projects in America – 96 buildings – and it just got a lot going on out there. There so many styles and slang, it was like a breeding ground for uniqueness.”

It was enlightening to learn of Mobb Deep’s come up to success, an arc that began with countless travels by train to the cheapest studio in Coney Island, and ascending into an unstoppable force of evocative beats, gritty rhymes and clear-cut narrations of street life. While they dropped many gems from their past, such as Hav’s talent for graffiti and fine art, in which P said, “Hav is incredible with it. We was in the crib one day, and he drew my face perfectly with a pen just making dots.” One that shined the most was the involvement of Q-Tip from the innovative A Tribe Called Quest in the making of The Infamous.

At the time, when many rappers wanted to chase dreams of living the high life, Mobb Deep felt their sound represented the environment of the blocks. After scanning the addresses of record labels on the back of cassettes, one that caught their attention was Def Jam Recordings. They patiently waited for three days standing outside of Def Jam. They were waiting for somebody like Q-Tip to take a chance on what the young teenagers had to offer.

The rest is history. Years later during their production of The Infamous, P and Hav reached out to Q-Tip, who blessed them with quality drum patterns, tweaked their beats, and provided an overall quality that only A Tribe Called Quest member could deliver.

Jenkins focused on a few tracks featuring Q-Tip, namely “Temperature’s Rising” and “Drink Away The Pain (Situations).” Others were Prodigy’s rant on “The Infamous Prelude,” which many hip-hop connoisseurs have analyzed, and the East Coast connection of Nas and Raekwon seen in “Eye For An Eye (Your Beef Is Mine).” Samples from these songs were revealed by Havoc, who said during his process of making so many beats, he often would overlook the sample’s name. Prodigy also talked about telling a story with his lyrics, whether they were true or fictional accounts, it brought an unconventional style for Mobb Deep.

When the duo was ready to hit the stage for their performance, the crowd was already so hyped up from the ounces of water thrown after Lloyd Banks’ impressive set. Mobb Deep was introduced by the great Marley Marl, before performing a hard hitting playlist that surprisingly went beyond their realist product to date. This only fueled the crowd’s excitement more. The crowd ate up every verse Prodigy and Havoc spat. They rapped along, tried to stretch their hands for a quick dap by either rapper and just went crazier after every dramatic gun cock and gunshot sound effects from the DJ.

By the time Mobb Deep concluded with “Shook Ones Pt II” everybody was singing word for word its lyrics as they ripped through the track. When P and Hav exchanged verses by putting their arms around each other they looked to be having a lot of fun. This moment felt like a statement of growth in New York’s hardcore lyricism. To witness Mobb Deep still together and rocking shows after hearing the history of The Infamous, fans can only hope that Hav’s words earlier about the album’s significance continues to touch aspiring rappers.

“It represents the struggle; the hunger; the will. Make a better situation for yourself – get up out the projects.” Havoc said. “Make a better living for your family. But to make it out of here, it’s nothing short of a miracle.”