Author Topic: Mobb Deep - Blood Money  (Read 545 times)

kingwell

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Mobb Deep - Blood Money
« on: August 19, 2006, 03:03:11 PM »

   With six albums in the can, as well as solo efforts and mixtapes, Mobb Deep present to us Blood Money.  Many wondered about the future of the duo from Queens, after a successful deal with 50 Cent's G-Unit record company was made public.  Fans loved Havoc and Prodigy for their grimey and hardcore lyrics, which had them at the top of the hardcore rap genre for years.  Now, amidst many luxuries they have never had, they find themselves in a situation.  They want to keep their underground presence and style, but at the same time appeal to a broader audience and maybe break into the mainstream quite like Curtis Jackson did.

   Introductory song 'Smoke It' is a dedication to smoking ganja, or is it bodies?  Rolling on to the lead off single 'Put 'Em In Their Place' produced by Hav' himself and Sha Money XL.  The beat doesn't seem too spectacular at first, but a little bass modification in EQ can somewhat remedy that.  Almost off the bat, you are contemplating whether this is going to be the best The Infamous Mobb have to offer.

   Getting into the feel of 'Stole Something' with production by Havoc is easy.  Mobb flow over the track well, perhaps taking a cue from the chorus of 50''s 'Piggy Bank'.  A sample that sounds like a garbage can hi-hat seems unnecessary in this song, which has to be overlooked in order to enjoy the song.  Labelmate Lloyd Banks deals out a mediocre verse to end the cut.

   A xylophone rings up and down to carry us into a collaboration with the boss Fifty, called 'Creep'.  'Speakin So Freely' allows the duo to express how they are living large nowadays, and loving it.  The beat is relaxing, but dark, at the same time.  After a tiring 'Backstage Pass' (about groupies) and a Young Buck collaboration 'Give It To Me' (about loving those groupies), Tony Yayo and Mobb lay down some fitting verses on 'Click Click', a string-driven beat.  Yayo seems very powerful on his half, while Mobb do their part also.

   'Pearly Gates', features 50 Cent yet again, seems like Mobb are guesting on 50's track.  Mobb take shots at Bossman, possibly the rapper on SoSoDef?  The name is reversed, so for whatever reason, the label felt it shouldn't be known.  'Capital P, Capital H' is somewhat refreshing, with a little lyrical shining by both members, if only for the hook.  The bassline brings a G-Funk feel to the track.  'Day Dreamin' is a skipper, and doesn't bring anything new to the table for this album.

   'The Infamous' with 50 Cent brings us back to vintage Mobb Deep.  Produced by The Alchemist, it is only fitting.  This is only the first of his two productions on the record, and it is puzzling as to why.  It is possible that the group's best collabs were with Alchemist, but they chose not to utilize this chemistry for their album.  Havoc and Prodigy rebound a little on the backside of the disc, on 'In Love With Moula'.  A serenade to money on a beat focusing on a thumping bass drum.

   It is quite apparent Fifty inclined to put his stamp on this album as much as possible, with the last fresh track off the album features himself, and Mary J. Blige.  'It's Alright' is nothing special, and could be categorized as filler, if not for Mary.  Two older cuts are included on the album, 'Outta Control Remix' (Massacre Re-Release) and 'Have A Party' (GRODT Soundtrack), both featuring Fifty yet again.

   Mobb Deep fail to change up their style, delivering the same flow, the same rhyme scheme, the same production, through-out the album.  You could argue that for Mobb, that is a good thing, but not here.  The production seems lacking, with less than half of the album done by Havoc, and the rest done by lesser known producers.  They seem to overshadow Hav's though.  Perhaps someone should inform him that using bottom-of-the-barrel samples won't create that grimey feel he was looking for.  It is also very hard to get into the groove, as guest spots seem to litter what should have been a straight Infamous Mobb presentation.  They also fail to expand upon their lyrics, as rapping about being a rich gangsta with tons of hoes gets old after awhile.  Even if the G-Unit machine can sell this product based on how it looks on paper, that doesn't make the album better than it should have been.

2.5/5