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Hi, everyone. Woahthony Heytano here, the Internet's busiest music nerd. It's time for a classic review of the 1995 album, The Infamous, from Mobb Deep.

The Infamous, one of the most beloved rap albums of the '90s, hands down. It's a classic that truly has not lost its luster in any way. I would actually argue the cultural capital of this record has grown even more in recent years. As last year, there was that viral Rock the Bells list of the best rap beats of all time, and "Shook Ones, Part II" was named number one on that list, the best rap beat of all time ever. For a scene that often has a lot of fans constantly debating at each other's throats, especially on the Internet, there was not really a whole lot of disagreement over that take.

Sure, you could say the reason for that is that it's just great, timeless, classic music. But honestly, I feel like the ripple effects of this album can still be felt to this day. I mean, while sure, in one breath, you could say The Infamous is esthetically very much in line with a lot of the jazz rap and hardcore hip hop that was coming out of New York City at the time.

The album also comes well after some of the best and brightest spitters from the Big Apple made their cultural mark, be they Nas, or Wu Tang, Notorious B.I.G., as well as, of course, A Tribe Called Quest. But there's something specifically about The Infamous that feels so current right now, especially given a lot of the low-key, textured, abstract hip hop that is so in vogue in the underground these days.

Like, for example, I could see a lot of Earl Sweatshirt fans instantly connecting with how steady and effortless many of Prodigy's and Havoc's flows on this record are. I could see Griselda fans going crazy over the lyrical content of this record as well as much of the eerie production. No doubt they do.

In some ways, I feel like The Infamous is a testament to how small changes can really make all the difference because I could see a slightly different version of this album, more or less blending in like another face in a crowd of '90s boom bap records. But it's The Infamous's subtleties that I think have really made it withstand the test of time and also helped Mobb Deep come into their own as a duo artistically.

Because keep in mind, this album is Mobb Deep's sophomore record. Their previous album, Juvenile Hell, is another story. I mean, it's not a bad record by any means. In fact, I think this album maybe gets a bit of a rough treatment from some fans because it just sits in the shadow of The Infamous in many ways. Still, though, talk about a night and day difference.

I mean, for one, Prodigy and Havoc on this record sound so young. It's widely known that they started Mobb Deep when they were just teenagers, and the late, great Prodigy does make reference to being just 19 years of age during at least a few tracks that were recorded during The Infamous era. But I digress. It's crazy to me that it is the same duo responsible for The Infamous that made Juvenile Hell, because between these two records, not only did Prodigy's and Havoc's voices just drop and mature considerably, but also these guys on this record, lyrically and vocally, just sound like some angry boys just real angry boys who maybe listen to a lot of LL Cool J.

Also, clearly, a tough image was important for them to project because we have Havoc on the front cover carrying a scythe. Over the years of hip hop's very young lifespan, there's been all manner of weapons depicted in album art and everything like that. But this is truly some otherworldly medieval black metal promo pic type shit.

But Yeah, by the time we progress to The Infamous from Juvenile Hell, I feel like it's pretty obvious that Mobb Deep is going about things in a way that is a lot more methodical, lyrically, sonically, and vocally. I feel like both of them sound a lot more symbiotic and in lockstep when it comes to their respective flows and deliveries. They sound so deeply cold-blooded on this record with echoes of hip hop greats like Rakim before them, especially on tracks like "Up North Trip".

So what Mobb Deep was doing on this record was most definitely a conscious contrast from the more chaotic and over-the-top energy that was coming off of a lot of hardcore hip hop records at the time. It's almost like they're giving this unflinching, desensitized response to the horrors of the violent world they are rapping about and immersed in. Plus, the beats on this thing are such a beautiful vibe and frankly, entrancing. They also sound like big Tims and big winter jackets in New York City on any given day when it's below freezing, when you're talking outside and it's cold and you could see your breath.

I also have to quickly mention the features on this record and remind you guys that the first two main decades of hip hop, broadly speaking, are not quite as feature-heavy as a lot of the records that you hear on a regular basis today. But The Infamous is surprisingly collaborative and brings features from a lot of the great names that I mentioned earlier. We have Nas on here. We have Q-Tip of A Tribe, Called Quest. We have Ghostface Killah and Raekwon the Chef from Wu Tang, too, which I think makes total sense because the vibes and sounds of this album are very much in line. They share a lot of creative DNA with the work of Wu Tang, especially huge hits like "C.R.E.A.M."

In a way, I think The Infamous makes room for artists like these because it's a perfect balance of the New York City hip hop spectrum at the time, because the songs on this record come across as thoughtful and detailed and contemplative, like some of the best jazz rap records that were dropping during this era. But simultaneously, Prodigy and Havoc were not exuding that left field, playful, high-minded, care-free energy that some artists were who were more associated with that native tongue's sound and scene.

The picture they painted instead was an underworld of drug dealing and shootouts and police pursuits as well as shakedowns. But again, the energy that Prodigy and Havoc brought vocally didn't necessarily match that all the way. These songs aren't Biggie Small's, "Gimme The Loot", "Kick In The Door". They're more cerebral by comparison, which I think the instrumentals very much contribute to with lots of spacey samples and creepy tones that frankly are pure cinema from the beginning to the end of this tracklist.

Which brings me to an often overlooked aspect of this record, in my opinion, and that's how good the sequencing is. I actually think the sequencing on this album is one of the best of the '90s hip hop era. It rivals even Illmatic as well as Paul's Boutique and Ready to Die. I mean, to kick the record off, we have "Start of Your Ending", which is the creatively titled opener and incredible tone set for the album. Then that song is followed with a pretty lengthy spoken word bit from Prodigy, who essentially takes this time to give us an artistic and personal statement of intent. Tell us what this album and what the lifestyle he lives is all about, delineating between the real and the fake of what you might hear out there on the broader hip hop scene.

And that sets things up perfectly for the following, "Survival of the Fittest", where the duo paints a pretty grim picture of the dog-eat-dog world they're living in. I also love lyrically how we have Prodigy on this track making illusions to this idea of halfway crooks, which is obviously central to the hook of the song "Shook Ones" that I mentioned earlier that lands toward the back end of the album. This makes the album holistic in a way. It's like we're getting a glimpse of what's to come later down the road. To put it bluntly, it's just cool and forward-thinking album formatting.

Now, to follow from "Survival of the Fittest", we have a really strong series of preludes, of anthems, as well as a decent variety of vibes and lyrical topics, as well as features, too. Pretty much every song on this record has one specific special thing about it that makes it stand out from the rest. Right up to the very end with "Party's Over", which couldn't do better in terms of spelling out the ending of the album.

But I'm getting ahead of myself because I don't want to skip over any on this thing because we have "Eye for a Eye (Your Beef Is Mines)" featuring Nas as well as Raekwon, which has one of the most unnerving beats on the entire record with its simple piano samples and distant, faint, wailing tones. From Prodigy to Rae, this track delivers one gritty verse after another, but there's a sense of camaraderie and brotherhood to all of it in the end, as these guys are essentially brothers in arms. "Your beef is mine", is what they're saying on the track. "I'm your brother's keeper" in a way. "Your problems are my problem."

There's also the smooth and jazzy "Give Up the Goods", which features a very hype feature from fellow Queens artist, Big Noyd. "Temperature's Rising" after this is even better, in my opinion, not only because it features a cool little RnB tie-in with vocals from Crystal Johnson. But lyrically, the entire track functions as like, verses as letters to a friend who essentially had to run away, skip town because of a crime they got caught up in. With Prodigy and Havoc rapping, essentially that they hope they get to see this guy soon, that he doesn't get caught. "I'll send some money Western Union to help you out." It's a really thoughtful ode. After this, we have the super catchy jazzrat bliss of "Up North Trip", but also it's a word of warning because if you're going to lead the life that is being rapped about on this album, one false move could either land you in the pen upstate or could leave you dead.

Going further into the downsides of the criminal underworld that Havoc and Prodigy are so infatuated with, we have "Trife Life", where each of them, respectively, is showcased engaging in normal guy activities, talking up girls, that thing. But then there are bad affiliations or maybe people lurking around the corner who might want to enact revenge or something, leave them feeling paranoid and interrupt their flow, their moves.

For my money, I think "Q.U. - Hectic" has the most sinister beat on the entire album these droning, entrancing waves of droning bass as well as just swirling sax echoes. The whole thing sounds like it's straight out of a hip hop slasher flick. And of course, more Ghostface Killah is always a great thing, especially when he's tied up with Raekwon, who together, they were just such an unstoppable duo during that time.

And yeah, that's what we get on "Right Back at You", which is essentially a retaliation banger. "Cradle to the Grave" contains bars that are a very anti-snitching. Showcases one such instance where somebody is getting chased down by the police, being angry with somebody who's walking around with loose lips, wanting to do something to the guy. But right now, when you're angry might not be the best or most opportune moment to do so.

"Drink Away the Pain" featuring Q-Tip is, relatively speaking, a more light-hearted or tongue-in-cheek moment on the album where, yes, the track does make mention of alcohol addiction and the shakes and AA and using liquor to drink the pain away. But these different drinks are wrapped about like they're different women that you'd be flirting with or seeing or doing stuff with.

Then before we hit the final track on the album, we have "Shook Ones, Part II" that I mentioned earlier. Of course, the beat on this track is fantastic. Those slowed down piano notes, the pumping beat, the faint but fuzzy and screaming horn sections. Thematically, this track really ties I think a lot of the themes on the album and digs deeper into this idea of halfway crooks, there being no such thing. Or in other words, you're either fully into this lifestyle or you're out.

All right, so that in a nutshell is this fantastic and classic ass album. Mobb Deep, The Infamous, killer record, great writing, amazing production, fantastic sequencing, grittiness, art, esthetics, all wrapped up into one stellar record.

Thank you guys very much for watching. Let me know what you think of this album down in the comments. I'm sure you will. Have you given this album a listen? Well, I hope you have. If you haven't, you should.

Anthony Fantano. Mobb Deep. The Infamous. Classics Week. Forever.