Who punches someone in their face just for a living? Negativity at its most pure. His closing lines “I’ma have to get on some old high school sh*t, start punching n***** in they faces for living” still rings in my ears more than any rapped lyric on the album. It’s simply a warning that Mobb Deep is not the duo to test on the streets. No showmanship in Prodigy’s deadpan delivery. And while lyrics like “Word to my unborn you get scolded” and “We do damage to limbs / In ‘91, stomping you out with black Timbs” sound menacing over the grim instrumental, it’s what Prodigy has to say on “(The Infamous Prelude)” that follows that solidified that Mobb Deep was really ‘ bout that life. It’s almost as if dark clouds hover above as the deep, ominous chords open the album on “The Start of Your Ending (41st Side),” immediately making it clear that “The Infamous” isn’t one for the feint of heart. The combination of Havoc’s hollowed, somewhere between sinister and depressing production (with assistance from A Tribe Called Quest’s Q-Tip), and the duo’s cutthroat lyricism, debasing life in the Queensbridge public housing of New York City, create a feeling that I can only describe as bout-that-life-ness. When I hear “The Infamous,” that urge to dance is quickly replaced with two reactions:Īfter a relatively unsuccessful debut album at the tail end of their teen years, Havoc and Prodigy being dropped from their first record label, 4th & Broadway, birthed the sound that would lead to a certified hip-hop classic. Bad Boy even sampled Diana Ross on “Mo Money Mo Problems,” which sonically is the exact opposite of black Air Force 1 energy. When I hear songs like “Juicy” and “Big Poppa” I get the urge to dance and sing like a drunk white girl during Karaoke night at the bar.
When I think of visuals of Biggie, I think of the “Juicy” music video with him lounging by the pool with a bunch of video vixens sipping champagne and toasting to making it past the hardships of his past life. But, there’s just this undeniable Hollywood glitz and glam to some of their music in the 90s that was instrumental in their rise to the top. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t listen to “Ready to Die” questioning if sh*t was sweet with The Notorious B.I.G and Puff Daddy back in the day, seeing that “Suicidal Thoughts” is far from sweet. “The Infamous” was without a doubt one of the most important albums from the east coast in 1995 next to Raekwon’s “Only Built 4 Cuban Linx.” What truly sets these albums apart from the other regions is just how gritty and borderline sinister the production sounds.Īlong with the Wu-tang Clan’s group and solo records, Mobb Deep’s “The Infamous” was the grim, foreboding yin to the bright lights of Bad Boy Records’ yang. 1999 Eternal,” in which the Cleveland rap group blended rap and melody seamlessly well before Nelly and Drake. Even the midwest brought out gems with Bone Thugs-n-Harmony’s “E. In Atlanta, Goodie Mob released the unapologetically southern album “Soul Food,” where Cee-Lo Green and the rest of the Dungeon crew proved that the “Dirty South” had something to say. On the west coast, Tupac released his third album, the befittingly titled “Me Against the World,” one month into serving his prison sentence and within six months of being shot five times.
While I was unable to uncover any evidence of duo Havoc and Prodigy rocking black Air Forces, on the album’s intro track, Prodigy does rap about stomping out their rivals in black Timberlands, which arguably might be worse.ġ995 was loaded with legendary hip-hop albums. Mobb Deep and their second album “The Infamous” was the epitome of black Air Force 1 energy two decades before it was popular on Twitter. If you are currently rocking black Air Force 1s, take a second and question what got you to this moment. They feed off danger and chaos and simply can’t be trusted. But for those who know, it’s understood that someone who willingly walks out of the house with black Air Force 1s is absolutely up to no good. If you’re from certain communities or if you’ve been deep into Twitter memes in the last year, the phrase “ Black Air Force activity” might ring a bell.įor the unassuming sneakerhead, Nike’s Air Force 1 in an all-black colorway is nothing more than a low-value sneaker that one might buy for activities that might get their shoes dirty.
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