By Hardcore Critic
Hip Hop Vibe Staff Writer
Much like how it is now, Mobb Deep emerged, building a loyal fan base at a time when rappers from New York City were being overlooked. Following the emergence of Mobb Deep, many other talents, such as Wu-Tang Clan, and their crew of rappers, The Notorious B.I.G., Nas, Fat Joe, Jay-Z, and others all rose to fame within a short number of years. Mobb Deep may not have reached the level of success the other mentioned talents have, but they have remained in the mix for twenty years.
Over the weekend, Mobb Deep fans had a chance to contemplate the end of the fearless duo. With Prodigy being released from prison last May, fans were ready to hear a new album from Mobb Deep. Prodigy re-started his solo rap career and even released a book. After detailing some of the most-notorious events in hip hop from his point of view, Havoc and Prodigy began working. But, last weekend, a Twitter rant from Havoc calling out Prodigy changed everything.
Havoc denied the Twitter post, but his story did not check out and the Twitter account was removed. The talking has come from Havoc, while Prodigy has remained silent. Given the way the story began, nearly everyone is confused about what is going on. More information was revealed yesterday, with “sources close to Mobb Deep” saying the duo would not release a new album again. With the way the music business is going, there are many artists who will not be releasing new albums, instead they will rely on mixtape releases. But, the statement was meant to say the days of Mobb Deep are over, which saddens most fans of the group, as they have gone through so much over the past two decades.
Along with providing countless hit singles and cult classics, Mobb Deep holds the distinction as the only rappers involved in the feud between the East Coast and West Coast to actually call Tupac Shakur out by name. On his infamous “Hit ‘Em Up” track, Tupac calls them out saying, “oh yeah, Mobb Deep, fuck you too, ain’t one of you niggas got sickle cell or somethin’?” Mobb Deep went from battling Tupac to battling their hometown hero, Jay-Z, with things coming to a head on his 2001 track, “Takeover,” which was more infamous for causing the feud between Jay-Z and longtime Mobb Deep supporter, Nas. Mobb Deep soon joined forces with another Queens emcee, 50 Cent, who had issues with Nas, leading Mobb Deep to begin dissing their once-honorary third member.
Many moves made by Mobb Deep surprised hip hop fans, especially them turning on Nas. But, after leaving G-Unit, Mobb Deep began rebuilding many bridges, with Nas at the top of the list. One thing fans never expected was for Mobb Deep to begin going after each other, but it seems as if this is exactly what is beginning to happen.
R.I.P. Mobb Deep (1992-2012).
