The Making of Mobb Deep's "The Infamous"
By Insanul Ahmed | Apr 25, 2011 | 4:17 pm | Permalink
Although they are now considered a legendary group, leading into the release of their second album, The Infamous, it was far from a given that Albert “Prodigy” Johnson and Kejuan “Havoc” Muchita would enjoy such long and fruitful careers. Their first album, Juvenile Hell, had been a commercial flop, although it did yield a minor hit, “Hit It From The Back,” and led to them being dropped by their first label, 4th & Broadway. Prodigy even admits in his new autobiography, My Infamous Life, that him and Havoc didn’t really take the songwriting and producing process serious for their debut. It’s understandable given that both were teenagers at the time.
Besides, if it was the impetus for what was to come, then it was definitely a good thing. While only producing three songs on Juvenile Hell, the group produced a majority of The infamous, carving out a unique and unmistakable sound. Dark, moody, brooding, and sinister, the music was apocalyptic and Havoc and Prodigy’s unyielding and unremorseful lyrics painted a very bleak picture of what life was like growing up in Queensbridge (yeah, we know Prodigy is from Hempstead, Long Island, but it’s obvious he spent a lot of time in QB). It may have been unnerving to think that a duo so young could entertain such cold-blooded thoughts, but given the overwhelmingly positive response, the realness seemed to resonate.
The album contained huge smashes with “Shook Ones, Pt. II,” and “Survival Of The Fittest,” and disseminated their unique dunn slanguage all over the world. Last week the focus on was Prodigy with our exclusive Q and A, the release of the H.N.I.C.’s Complex-sponsored project, The Ellsworth Bumpy Johnson EP, and our excerpts from his book, but given that today is the 16-year anniversary of this classic album dropping, we wanted to talk to those who were involved in The Making Of The Infamous. It’s the real...
As told to Noah Callahan-Bever (@N_C_B), Toshitaka Kondo (@ToshitakaKondo), and Insanul Ahmed (@Incilin).
Tru Talk April 25th, 2011 at 06:37 PM
cool article
Dank April 25th, 2011 at 09:55 PM
Wow, never knew how involved Q-Tip was. Wouldn't it be cool if they collaborated again. One of my top 5 favorite Hip Hop albums of all time.
Mac Sleepy April 26th, 2011 at 05:06 AM
I Loved This Article, I Actually Read & Played Every Song.. I Relived How I Felt When I First Heard this Album As I Young Nigga From Memphis, It Was Very Few Niggaz In Memphis Listening To New York Music... I Could Relate To This Album Because Of How Grimey & Gritty It Was, Man ! The Memories, Thanks Complex Str8 Up.. Mobb Deep 4 Life !!!
Spliff Hux April 26th, 2011 at 02:37 PM
same here bruh.... I bumped this shit the whole summer of 95 goin into the 7th grade Im from NC but thats all I fucked with back in the day Mobb,Wu,Boot Camp all that shit... I love these type of articles
Mac Sleepy April 26th, 2011 at 11:32 PM
Yeah Those Were The Days, Indeed !
scjoha April 26th, 2011 at 05:30 AM
Great article! Thanks to Complex and the authors of hip hop history reporting at its finest! That's how it should be done! More of that, please!
Rip7 April 26th, 2011 at 08:38 AM
I had the honor to know p cause we from the same hood long island plus i use to stay with his cousin sean in roosevelt. P and hav would always come through smoke and drink and ask us our thoughts on how each track sound I was bumping survial of the fitess way b4 it became a hit. we use to always tell them yall gonna go gold and look 1 of the illest albums of all time .
QB April 26th, 2011 at 09:37 AM
Major props to complex for this article. These kind of articles are the reason why I come to this site every now and then. It's a dope read everytime you get an insight on how one of the best albums of all times was created.
Neazy April 26th, 2011 at 11:27 AM
I was only 5 when this album came out so I didn't hear it til I was 11 or 12, but soon as I did this shit became an instant classic to me. It's real rugged and the drums really bring you to Queens. Then they bring in the piano and the samples to give it that NY feel. Best part is, every track is good, and when you listen to the whole album together it makes it even better than if you were just picking out the songs one by one. If you aint heard this shit, you need to, even if you don't like hip hop. Shit might change your perspective.
dmfslimm April 26th, 2011 at 11:31 AM
thank you complex. fuck the haters, P.
Tablazines April 26th, 2011 at 02:23 PM
That Mobb album made a dude feel proud to be from Queens. When it hit.. you could be up in Harlem hearing that record blast from cat's car. THey also influenced a whole other set of kids like Killa Kids and the Crime Lords (look em up on youtube)
KALIK AUTO April 26th, 2011 at 02:27 PM
JUNGLE NILLZ AKA MARINERS HARBOR.....