Mobb Deep is called the most successful hip-hop project. Their record is sales of 3 million albums. The guys became pioneers in an explosive mixture of bright hardcore sound. Their frank lyrics tell about the harsh life on the streets.
The group is considered the authors of slang, which has spread among the youth. They are also considered to be the pioneers of the musical style, which quickly became widespread.
The background of the group, the composition of the members of Mobb Deep
The Mobb Deep group included Kejuan Waliek Muchita, who chose the pseudonym Havoc. So did Albert Johnson, who called himself Prodigy. The guys met when they were 15 years old.
Albert studied at the High School of Art and Design in Manhattan. The Johnson family had many talents who made a significant contribution to the development of music. Kejuan and Albert quickly found common interests. At 16, Johnson, under the pseudonym Lord-T, approached collaboration with Jive Records. The song "Too Young", recorded by him together with Hi-Five, became the soundtrack for the film "Guys Next Door".
Creation of the musical group Mobb Deep
After the initial success, Albert suggested to Kejuan that he start his own band. It happened in 1991. The guys originally called their team Poetical Prophets. Joint work began with the creation of demo recordings. The guys recorded a bunch of material, came to the office of the record company. Here they stopped passing artists with a request to listen and evaluate their work.
Of all the musicians, only Q-Tip, a member of the A Tribe Called Quest, agreed to do this. He liked it, which became the basis for introducing the young guys to their manager. The company refused to sign a contract with the group, arguing that the Prodigy had already successfully performed alone.
All they could do was to present the material to the press. Soon, The Source published a note in the "Unsigned Hype" section about emerging artists. Journalists were impressed by the work of the team. They helped promote the song "Flavor for the Nonbelievers". The composition was liked by the mass of listeners.
Change of name, signing of the first contract
The team changes its name in 1992. Now the guys began to work under the name Mobb Deep. In this form, they entered their first contract. It was 4th & B'way Records. Work boiled over. The guys immediately released the single "Peer Pressure".
It was supposed that he would present their work. The song was the beginning of the recording of the debut album "Juvenile Hell". His guys released in 1993. After that, Havoc "stayed" on the recording of the song of the Black Moon group.
Achieving real success
The group released their second studio album in 1995. It was the disc "The Infamous" that became the guide to the heights of fame. Here, for the first time, the guys combined gloomy music with explicit lyrics. Havoc has put a lot of effort into coming up with and perfecting the material.
The contribution to the promotion was made by Q-Tip, who never ceased to patronize young artists. The fresh album not only attracted a lot of fans, but also received high marks from music critics. Seeing the success, the guys began to work with even greater energy, trying to strengthen their position.
Bathing Mobb Deep in glory
The next album has already brought the group star status. The guys continued the harsh style of presenting texts and music. Each song told about the truth of street life. The album "Hell on Earth" in 1996 rose to number 6 in the country's main rankings. A breakthrough on the Billboard 200 provided the band with a good reputation. Mobb Deep turned out to be worth no less than the recognized masters of the genre.
A collection was published in the United States, including propaganda songs about a dangerous lifestyle. The goal was to change the attitude of the masses towards promiscuous and unprotected sex in order to prevent the spread of AIDS.
Mobb Deep songs appeared in the collection along with the creations of long-famous rappers: Biz Markie, Wu-Tang Clan, Fat Joe. Despite the narrow target orientation, the album included meaningful hits that can turn the mind. The well-known publication "The Source" dubbed this project a masterpiece, and added additional creative weight to all the performers of the songs.
The most notable projects at the start of a career
Mobb Deep in 1997 were noted in collaboration with Frankie Cutlass. The song was created by a team of famous musicians. For the guys, participation in this project was a sign recognition of their level. In 1998, Mobb Deep recorded a song that became the soundtrack to the sensational film "Blade". To record the video, the guys invited reggae dancer Bounty Killer.
In 1999, Mobb Deep broke the silence in the studio activities, and recorded the next album "Murda Muzik". Before the official release of the collection, many songs were "leaked" to the public. Such a move led to a delay in sales, but increased the popularity of the team. As a result, the collection took 200rd place on the Billboard 3. The album was named platinum. To promote the record, the guys used the single "Quiet Storm".
Prodigy solo activity
Despite participating in the team, Prodigy simultaneously swung at a solo career. In 2000, the singer released his personal debut album. The record "HNIC" was the result of collaboration with other artists. Here marked BG and NORE
The album was produced by The Alchemist, Rockwilder, Just Blaze. In 2008, the artist released his second compilation, HNIC Pt. 2". At this time, he was serving a sentence in prison for possession of a weapon. In 2013, the rapper released a compilation with The Alchemist. And in 2016, an EP with 5 tracks appeared.
Third Party Havoc Activities
Partner Prodigy also worked not only for Mobb Deep. Since 1993, Havoc has been actively involved in side projects. He writes lyrics, beats, performs songs, acts in videos of other artists, produces other people's work. One of the brightest works is called a song for Eminem. Later, Havoc began releasing solo albums.
In 2001, the band released their fifth album, Infamy. Critics noticed a major change in style. Simplicity and rudeness are gone. There was universality, which was called a commercial move. In 2004, the next album "Amerikaz Nightmare" was released, but it did not sell well. Mobb Deep gradually began to move towards disintegration. The album brought good success in 2006, but during this period there was a split in the relations of the participants. The group went on an indefinite hiatus.
Mobb Deep activities after hiatus
After a long silence, Mobb Deep first appeared together in 2011. They participated in the recording of the single "Dog Shit". The next time the guys worked together was only in 2013, singing on the single "Aim, Shoot" for Papoose. In March, they performed at the Paid Dues festival, and then went on tour to coincide with the band's anniversary.
The guys recorded their eighth album The Infamous Mobb Deep in 2014. On this creative activity of the group ended. In 2017, Prodigy died. He had been treated for sickle cell anemia for many years. In 2018, Havoc stated that he was going to release a new album on behalf of the group, which would be the final one. In 2019, he organized a tour in honor of the 20th anniversary of the band's brightest album "Murda Muzik". This is the end of the group.
