This isn’t good. Apparently Havoc and Prodigy have been having problems that Havoc has recently brought to light via his Twitter account (which has been deactivated). While I am not a fan of internet banging, if we look at the history of Mobb Deep, we could’ve seen this coming. I will give a brief overview of the Infamous Affairs that have possibly set the tone for this event.
And this is how the story goes...
Prodigy is the front man for Mobb Deep, which has debatably been more bad than good. Almost all of the groups feuds have been a result of P’s candid confessions and free tongue, an element he embraces openly in his music; “God bless my soul/before I put my foot down and begin to stroll/And to the drama I built, and all unfinished beef/You will soon be killed” – Prodigy, “Survival of the Fittest”. Prodigy’s flippant attitude towards being the cause of conflict has been the cause of conflict for Tha Mobb numerous times.
On Mobb Deeps 2nd album, The Infamous, Prodigy disses rappers who too often make weed smoking the subject of their lyrics. Keith Murray took offense. Long story short, P got punched in the face and it wouldn’t be the last time. This doesn’t look good for Mobb Deep’s public relations. Whether or not he was talking about the Def Squad (which he probably was) offense was taken and hands were thrown. Not only did Mobb Deep loose a little credibility, but they made an enemy who was part of a group more famous than them at the time.
The Infamous brought about another feud. Although on 1st listen it’s hard to say as to who exactly utters the words “thug life we still living it”, but Prodigy took the weight upon himself, so we can assume it was him. This led to Tupac aiming shots at them at the classic dis track “Hit Em Up”, due to his Thug Life brand. They responded on their 3rd album Hell On Earth on “Drop a Gem On ‘Em”. Pac’s initial issue was with BIG having allegedly arranged for his murder, which was never proven, so the whole beef loses validity. Plus, Havoc threw himself into this beef right along with P. Given those reasons, this wouldn’t have been a problem if it didn’t set the tone for the next beef.
Over the course of his career, Pac came at Chino XL, Nas, the Bad Boy camp, Mobb Deep & Jay-Z. Snoop and the rest of the DPG came at NY with the song “NY, NY”. Officially, the only East Coast acts that responded & actually got involved in the beef were Mobb Deep & C-N-N. Jay chose to keep silent about the assaults and continue with his career. Prodigy didn’t like that. P felt that Mobb Deep were the only ones holding the torch for the East and lovingly referred to Jigga as “bitch boy”. This led up to the infamous Summer Jam incident when this picture was brought out.
In today’s climate, a gangster rapper can maintain a career as a gangster rapper after being exposed as a former correctional officer (shout out to Rick Ross). But back then, when credibility and realness mattered, you couldn’t claim to be one thing, be revealed as another, and expect to have the same amount of love, or record sales. At the time of the feud Mobb Deep were on their 4th album, which went Platinum. Their sales were steadily increasing, even as Prodigy’s lyrics were becoming more stale. Prodigy was even able to release a solo album that went gold, which was surprising for a completely hardcore hip hop artist to do. No club bangers, no songs for the ladies, just raw street music doing numbers. Because of Prodigy’s tapdancing past, Mobb Deep’s next album “Infamy” suffered due to a lack of street credibility (which is suggested in the groups very name). It didn’t help that Prodigy was at his lyrical worst.
To make matters worse, there were some behind the scenes issues that were being brought to light within the Queensbridge Crew. Not only was he robbed for over 300k in jewels in QB, but after being damn-near dismantled on Jay-z’s 2x Platinum The Blueprint, Prodigynwas addressed by Nas on his 2x Platinum Stillmatic two months later on the song “Build and Destroy”. During the Nas & Jay-Z beef, both sides had a common factor; a dislike for Prodigy. This didn’t stop Prodigy from physical confrontations with Saigon (2nd time getting smacked), shady business dealings with Tru Life (resulting in an alleged stripping of the Infamous Mobb at gun point), and an interview that led to conflicts with Fat Joe, Joe Budden, and Max B, among others. This may not have been so bad if Prodigy was still sharp with the pen, but by the time Amerikaz Nightmarez rolled around in 2004, critics and fans had somewhat given up on P’s lyricism, which is evidenced in low reviews and their failure to gain a plaque (the first time since their debut album Juvenile Hell).
Fast forward to 2009, after more lackluster albums, Prodigy is serving a 3yr prison bid for weapons possession (which ironically did nothing to reverse his loss of street-cred). From prison he wrote blogs accusing Jay-Z of being a freemason and Crooked I of being whack. Upon release from prison, he releases a book, My Infamous Life, which causes a whole new wave of backlash for him from artists like NORE, and Infamous Mobb member Ty Nitty. Enough about Prodigy, though, this is getting sad. Let’s focus on the Mobb’s more consistent half, Havoc.
Prodigy represented Mobb Deep. He was more popular than Havoc due to rhyme skills, style of dress, and his ability to attract negative attention. Although It’s generally agreed that during the Mobb’s peak P was the better rapper, Havoc wrote a lot of P’s rhymes on their first album. Prodigy wasn’t originally from QB (the city he represents now), and it was Havoc who gave him a pass, and eventually ushered him into the Queensbridge posse. It was Havoc who did the majority of the production for the Mobb which was arguably as important as Prodigy’s lyrics. By Prodigy’s own admission in “My Infamous Life” Havoc set up most of the business meetings on behalf of the Mobb. It wasn’t Havoc who got locked up causing them to lose three years of work. With P being the main attraction for Mobb Deep, Prodigy’s antics put Havoc’s pockets at risk, not only as a member of Mobb Deep, but as a producer. If you had beef with P, chances are you didn’t want a beat from his partner. All the while Havoc sat back quietly and let Prodigy run his self-destructive course.
While I don’t condone what Havoc is doing, I do understand where it comes from. Hav’ has been riding with P in every beef despite their being no need for him to be involved. He wasn’t the one running his mouth, but he was always busting his gun when P’s foolishness warranted it. Maybe he’s fed up, maybe he knows P’s true identity and is tired of pretending, maybe this isn’t real. Who knows. I hope this is a fraud, but I honestly don’t care for Mobb Deep’s music anymore. Infamy was the last album with any playback value for me, and even that was limited. Hell on Earth is one of my favorite albums, and what these two have done for hip hop will never be forgotten, but maybe it’s just time for the Mobb to go. Regardless of the outcome, I hope they resolve whatever is between them. This has made me more aware of the issues I have with my team. I’ve been debating going solo (save a few people) more and more and this was an eye opener. A group is only as strong as it’s weakest link. Take this to heart, MCs. Peace
While I don’t condone what Havoc is doing, I do understand where it comes from. Hav’ has been riding with P in every beef despite their being no need for him to be involved. He wasn’t the one running his mouth, but he was always busting his gun when P’s foolishness warranted it. Maybe he’s fed up, maybe he knows P’s true identity and is tired of pretending, maybe this isn’t real. Who knows. I hope this is a fraud, but I honestly don’t care for Mobb Deep’s music anymore. Infamy was the last album with any playback value for me, and even that was limited. Hell on Earth is one of my favorite albums, and what these two have done for hip hop will never be forgotten, but maybe it’s just time for the Mobb to go. Regardless of the outcome, I hope they resolve whatever is between them. This has made me more aware of the issues I have with my team. I’ve been debating going solo (save a few people) more and more and this was an eye opener. A group is only as strong as it’s weakest link. Take this to heart, MCs. Peace
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