An Overly Under Rated Hip Hop Classic

Some people will just never get it. Hip hop is not suppose to be perfect. It is suppose to break rules and channel emotions to the rest of the world who may or may not be familiar with life in the PJ's. Yes, this is a nihilistic record and the subject material may be monotonous at times. However, you don't need to make a groundbreaking record to be great. P and Hav come across tough on their albums only because being a punk where they are from will get you bodied (killed). I wish everyone could rap as happy as Will Smith but we can't. We need artists like Mobb Deep to reflect the dark realities of street life so the gangsta government and mainstream media can't brainwash the masses. Violence has fueled hip hop like it does Hollywood.

With that being said, this album is dope from tracks 1-14. It is the overlooked gem in the Mobb Collection. The beats put me to a place i've never been before...HELL! What lyrics lack in subject matter make up for in delivery and wordplay. "Drop A Gem On Em," sports a chilling female vocal sample in which P spits venemous barbs at a certain legendary emcee (battling is an essential component of this culture). The title track and "Godfather Part III" were great choices for singles, due to their irresistibly haunting instumentals and catchy hooks. The crown jewel for me was "Extortion" which would make an Alfred Hitchcock movie look like the Mr. Rogers theme song. Method Man spits one of my all-time favorite quotable verses. Be sure to peep Raekwon the Chef on the equally eerie "Nighttime Vulture's".

So how does this sound after 10 years? Just as 180 degrees hell bent from the mainstream and as fresh since it dropped. The static in the music displayed Havoc's creative crate digging abilities while Prodigy's imagery puts you right in the darkest corners of Queens. The easily offended and pop jocker will want to stay as far away from this trip to hell as possible. However, hip hop fiends will want to overdose on this one. Hell never sounded so good!