Notes & Personnel Info |  | Personnel: Mobb Deep (rap vocals); Mary J. Blige (vocals); 50 Cent, Lloyd Banks, Tony Yayo, Young Buck (rap vocals). | | BLOOD MONEY marks the seventh release by Havoc and Prodigy, a.k.a. Mobb Deep. Hailing from New York City's notorious Queens Bridge Projects, the Mobb signed to G-Unit Records for their 2006 release, a returned favor of sorts from mega-star and label honcho 50 Cent for the influence the duo surely had on him. | | Not just a G-Unit album in label name only, BLOOD MONEY features crew members Lloyd Banks ("You Can't Get With This"), Young Buck ("Give It To Me"), Tony Yayo ("Night Rider"), and 50 Cent himself ("Pearly Gates" and "Creep") flowing over the Mobb's darkly aggressive and deeply mesmerizing signature sound. BLOOD MONEY also represents the first instance of the duo's use of outsider producers. Not to worry, though: the list includes heavy hitters like Sha Money XL, The Alchemist, and the heaviest hitter of all, Dr. Dre, all whom approach the Deep sound with respect and a deft touch. These new associations ensure that Mobb Deep will reach a broader audience without sullying the duo's teflon reputation. | | Blood Money provides G-Unit with the opportunity to attach themselves to the legacy of Mobb Deep, and it gives Mobb Deep the chance to connect with a younger set of rap fans. Both groups take full advantage. The G-Unit stamp is all over the album, from the packaging to the mostly self-contained content -- 50 Cent drops in on five tracks, while Young Buck, Tony Yayo, and Lloyd Banks also guest. The album alternately sounds like a proper Mobb Deep album and a Mobb Deep album hosted (and occasionally overrun) by G-Unit, and neither camp is close to operating at full strength. The best example of the alliance's negative effect on the headliners is "Give It to Me," a rote "Candy Shop" knockoff in which Prodigy only fuels the argument that he has slipped as a lyricist: "I'm tired of finger-f*cking this phone/Phone calls bore me, you got me horny." Though Havoc (six tracks), Alchemist ("The Infamous"), and Sha Money XL and Ky Miller ("Put Em in Their Place") come up with some productions worthy of Mobb Deep's old standard, they're easy to lose in multiple stretches of plodding low-wattage tracks. The flashes of brilliance that were once routinely delivered by Havoc and Prodigy are few and fleeting here. ~ Andy Kellman | | Blood Money provides G-Unit with the opportunity to attach themselves to the legacy of Mobb Deep, and it gives Mobb Deep the chance to connect with a younger set of rap fans. Both groups take full advantage. The G-Unit stamp is all over the album, from the packaging to the mostly self-contained content -- 50 Cent drops in on five tracks, while Young Buck, Tony Yayo, and Lloyd Banks also guest. The album alternately sounds like a proper Mobb Deep album and a Mobb Deep album hosted (and occasionally overrun) by G-Unit, and neither camp is close to operating at full strength. The best example of the alliance's negative effect on the headliners is "Give It to Me," a rote "Candy Shop" knockoff in which Prodigy only fuels the argument that he has slipped as a lyricist: "I'm tired of finger-f*cking this phone/Phone calls bore me, you got me horny." Havoc (six tracks), Alchemist ("The Infamous"), and Sha Money XL and Ky Miller ("Put Em in Their Place") do come up with some productions worthy of Mobb Deep's old standard. ~ Andy Kellman |
Producer: Havoc; Dr. Dre; Alchemist; Sha Money XL |
Musical Guests | | 50 Cent | | G-Unit |
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| Rolling Stone (p.57)
- 3 stars out of 5 -- "Eleven years after their classic second LP, THE INFAMOUS, a helping hand from Curtis Jackson has brought Mobb Deep back."Entertainment Weekly (p.135)
- "[G]roup members Havoc and Prodigy remain true to their dark, gritty, and often socially irresponsible roots." -- Grade: A- Vibe (p.149)
- 4 discs out of 5 -- "Although there remains a sheen throughout, the body of the set showcases the Mobb in darker, more familiar territory....Brash horns and ticking drums scream G Unit music, but Hav and P ably ride the aggressive composition." |
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