Notes & Personnel Info |  | Mobb Deep: Prodigy, Havoc. | | Mobb Deep: Havoc, Prodigy . | | Personnel: Rob McDowell (keyboards); Jadakiss, Lil Jon, Littles, Nate Dogg, Noyd, Twista. | | Audio Mixer: Steve Sola. | | Recording information: Battery Studios, New York, NY; Chung King, New York, NY; DSL Studios, Louisville, KY; Dunn Deal Studios, New York, NY; Ocean Way Studios, CA; Powerhouse Studios, Yonkers, NY; Record Plant, Hollywood, CA; The Hit Factory Criteria, Miami, FL; The Lab, New York, NY. | | Photographer: Daniel Hastings. | | "Hustle for so long my hands numb/But then I feel that paper hit my palm." True that, for the Mobb are back, lyrically driven and struggling to get back where they belong. If you could jump back in time to before the millennium flipped, when The Infamous was the platter that mattered, you'd swear Mobb Deep were going to last forever. Things haven't been well for the Mobb since the calendar turned 2000, but with Amerikaz Nightmare, things are getting better. Old-school and skeletal raw like G-Unit never happened, Amerikaz Nightmare is a dark album, one you wouldn't want to meet in an alley and one that can make Thomas Dolby sound sinister. Producer Alchemist lifts a bit of "She Blinded Me With Science" for "Got It Twisted," an oddball and trudging return single for the duo. The Twista remix adds nothing but Twista, and if radio can't handle the track's grit, two much better choices are made available. Lil Jon thugs up "Real Gangstaz" like he's never heard of Usher, and Kanye West runs his usual tricks through a brittle filter, making the violins scratchier for the tough "Throw Your Hands (In the Air)." Prodigy's lyrical skills are always an asset, but he's overshadowed by Havoc, who not only shines on the mic but also keeps growing as a producer. The CD-stuck, clicking beats on "Flood the Block," the jittery touches he lays on "Shorty Wop," the bit of the Eight Minutes' obscure chestnut "Time for a Change" he lifts for "Neva Change" are all smart touches Havoc graces the album with, evening out the Mobb's stern, direct, and dark lyrics with some striking showiness. They've sounded stuck and overconfident before, but this old-school-styled, true hip-hop album finds the Mobb hungry again. ~ David Jeffries | | Since exploding in 1995 with the indisputable classic THE INFAMOUS, the Queens, New York-based duo Mobb Deep has had a profound influence on both mainstream and underground hip-hop. AMERIKAZ NIGHTMARE proves that, once again, Havoc and Prodigy are several steps ahead of the game. The album opens with the claustrophobic, gun-toting title track, which finds producer Havoc in familiar territory, assaulting the senses with distorted, multi-layered synthesizers and crashing percussion. On track two, "Win or Lose," the Alchemist samples Jean Plum's "Here I Go Again" as Havoc and Prodigy discuss the finer points of hustling. Elsewhere, the single "Got It Twisted" makes clever use of a sample from Thomas Dolby's "She Blinded Me with Science." | | In typical hip-hop fashion, outside artists add their own special flavor to several tracks. Standouts include Nate Dogg's ridiculously catchy chorus on "Dump" and Lil Jon's mere presence on "Real Gangstaz." The record also features Kanye West, who contributes another superior track, the Organized Noize-infused "Throw Your Hands (In the Air)." AMERIKAZ NIGHTMARE is pure, unadulterated hip-hop, a lesson for aspiring rappers and a gift to fans of the genre. | | Since exploding in 1995 with the indisputable classic THE INFAMOUS, the Queens, New York-based duo Mobb Deep has had a profound influence on both mainstream and underground hip-hop. AMERIKAZ NIGHTMARE proves that, once again, Havoc and Prodigy are several steps ahead of the game. The album opens with the claustrophobic, gun-toting title track, which finds producer Havoc in familiar territory, assaulting the senses with distorted, multi-layered synthesizers and crashing percussion. On track two, "Win or Lose," the Alchemist samples Jean Plum's "Here I Go Again" as Havoc and Prodigy discuss the finer points of hustling. Elsewhere, the single "Got It Twisted" makes clever use of a sample from Thomas Dolby's "She Blinded Me with Science." | | In typical hip-hop fashion, outside artists add their own special flavor to several tracks. Standouts include Nate Dogg's ridiculously catchy chorus on "Dump" and Lil Jon's mere presence on "Real Gangstaz." The record also features Kanye West, who contributes another superior track, "Throw Your Hands in the Air." AMERIKAZ NIGHTMARE is pure, unadulterated hip-hop, a lesson for aspiring rappers and a gift to fans of the genre. | | "Hustle for so long my hands numb/But then I feel that paper hit my palm." True that, for the Mobb are back, lyrically driven and struggling to get back where they belong. If you could jump back in time to before the millennium flipped, when The Infamous was the platter that mattered, you'd swear Mobb Deep were going to last forever. Things haven't been well for the Mobb since the calendar turned 2000, but with Amerikaz Nightmare, things are getting better. Old-school and skeletal raw like G-Unit never happened, Amerikaz Nightmare is a dark album, one you wouldn't want to meet in an alley and one that can make Thomas Dolby sound sinister. Producer Alchemist lifts a bit of "She Blinded Me With Science" for "Got It Twisted," an oddball and trudging return single for the duo. The Twista remix adds nothing but Twista, and if radio can't handle the track's grit, two much better choices are made available. Lil Jon thugs up "Real Gangstaz" like he's never heard of Usher, and Kanye West runs his usual tricks through a brittle filter, making the violins scratchier for the tough "Throw Your Hands (In the Air)." Prodigy's lyrical skills are always an asset, but he's overshadowed by Havoc, who not only shines on the mic but also keeps growing as a producer. The CD-stuck, clicking beats on "Flood the Block," the jittery touches he lays on "Shorty Wop," the bit of the Eight Minutes' obscure chestnut "Time for a Change" he lifts for "Neva Change" are all smart touches Havoc graces the album with, evening out the Mobb's stern, direct, and dark lyrics with some striking showiness. They've sounded stuck and overconfident before, but this old-school-styled, true hip-hop album finds the Mobb hungry again. [Amerikaz Nightmare was also made available in a clean version, with all explicit material removed.] ~ David Jeffries |
Producer: Alchemist; Lil Jon; Red Spyda; Kanye West; Alchemist; Havoc; Lil Jon; Red Spyda; Kanye West |
Engineer: Manny Marroquin; Dragan "Chach" Cacinovic; Ray Seay; Steve Sola |
Musical Guests | | Nate Dogg | | Lil Jon | | Jadakiss | | Littles | | Noyd | | Twista |
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