Long considered New York's most rugged and hardcore rap group of the '90s to ever make it big,
Mobb Deep finally soften up a bit on
Infamy. The album is a turning point for
Prodigy and
Havoc -- and a timely one indeed. Shortly before
Infamy hit the streets,
Jay-Z had blasted
Mobb Deep -- as well as
Nas -- on "Takeover," berating
Prodigy in particular for being fake.
Nas fired back on his
Stillmatic album with the cutting song "Ether";
Mobb Deep didn't. Instead, the Queensbridge duo went about their business and released
Infamy, their most accessible album yet -- the sort of album many fans never would have expected. Granted,
Mobb Deep still rep the street life here, as songs such as "Kill That Nigga," "My Gats Spitting," and "Hurt Niggas" no doubt illustrate. However, songs such as "Pray for Me," "Hey Luv (Anything)," and "There I Go Again" sent quite a different message; the first features
Lil' Mo, the second
112, and the third
Ron Isley -- each there to smooth out
Mobb Deep's rough sound. And it works, particularly in the case of the thug ballad "Hey Luv (Anything)," which garnered the most exposure the duo had yet experienced and introduced
Mobb Deep to a broader audience. [The clean version of this album censors any and all moments of profanity.] ~ Jason Birchmeier