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Mobb Deep was an American Hip-hop duo formed in Queens, New York, in 1990. Consisting of rappers/songwriters/record producers Prodigy and Havoc, they are considered to be among the principal progenitors of hardcore East Coast hip-hop.Edwards, Paul, 2009, How to Rap: The Art & Science of the Hip-Hop MC, Chicago Review Press, p. 323. Mobb Deep became one of the most successful rap duos of all time, having sold over three million records. Their best-known albums are The Infamous (1995), Hell on Earth (1996) and Murda Muzik (1999),Shapiro, Peter, 2005, The Rough Guide To Hip-Hop, 2nd Edition, Penguin, p. 259. and their most successful singles were "Shook Ones, (Part II)" and "Survival of the Fittest". They were known for their dark and hardcore delivery.Shapiro, Peter, 2005, The Rough Guide To Hip-Hop, 2nd Edition, Penguin, p. 258-259.
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Prodigy died in June 2017.
However, they were featured in Matty C's July 1991 "Unsigned Hype" column in The Source, which helped promote their demo Flavor for the Nonbelieves. The Source dubbed Poetical Prophets a "dynamic duo ... that are fast making a big name for themselves in talent shows and radio stations in the New York area." The following year, the duo changed their name from Poetical Prophets to "Mobb Deep", in part based on the suggestion of Sean Combs who was courting them to be the first artists on his newly created imprint, Bad Boy Records. In choosing the moniker, Prodigy noted that "we needed something that described how we were living. When we got together to hang out, there would be thirty to forty of us, like a mob. The slang we used when we saw a whole bunch of guys together was . . . 'deep.' Both words together sounded good. Mobb Deep." The use of two Bs in the word Mobb was done to make the name look even.
In 1992, Mobb Deep signed with 4th & B'way Records. They released the single "Peer Pressure" in promotion of their debut album Juvenile Hell. The album was released in 1993 and featured production from DJ Premier, Large Professor, and Public Enemy-affiliate Kerwin Young. Later that year, Havoc made a guest appearance on the Black Moon album Enta da Stage, on a song titled "U da Man".
Mobb Deep's third album, Hell on Earth was released in 1996, debuting at number six on the Billboard charts; the album continued the duo's portrayal of harsh street life while further pushing them to the forefront of Hip Hop scene along with contemporary East Coast Rappers like The Notorious B.I.G., Jay-Z, LL Cool J, Wu-Tang Clan and fellow Queensbridge rapper Nas. Nas as well as Method Man, Ghostface Killah and Raekwon of Wu-Tang Clan appear on Hell on Earth.
In 1996, they appeared on the Red Hot Organization's compilation CD, America is Dying Slowly, alongside Biz Markie, Wu-Tang Clan and Fat Joe, among many other prominent hip hop artists. This compilation was solely meant to raise awareness of the AIDS epidemic among African American men, and this compilation was heralded as "a masterpiece" by The Source magazine. In 1997, Mobb Deep was featured on Frankie Cutlass Politics & Bullsh*t album track title, "Know Da Game", which also featured Kool G Rap. In 1998, the duo collaborated with reggae dancehall artist Bounty Killer on the track "Deadly Zone" for the soundtrack to Blade, and were a featured artist on the remix of Mariah Carey's single "The Roof (Back in Time)", which was based around a sample of "Shook Ones Part II". In 1999, they released the Murda Muzik album, which had the majority of its songs unintentionally leaked due to extensive bootlegging, causing delays as the group recorded new songs to replace the leaked ones. This resulted in delays in the official album release. When the album was officially released, it eventually debuted at number three on the Billboard 200 and quickly received Platinum certification and was further promoted by the popular single "Quiet Storm". Shortly afterward, Prodigy released his solo album H.N.I.C in which he collaborated with fellow artists like (B.G., N.O.R.E.) and producers (including The Alchemist, Rockwilder and Just Blaze).
"I was happy about it," Havoc told Jack Thriller. "The nigga saying our names. I didn't know what the fuck the beef was about. I didn't even care. I was like damn, did you hear that? Tupac Shakur dissing us. We about to sell some records." Havoc also revealed that Mobb Deep had never even "crossed paths" with Tupac Shakur before his death in September 1996. He added, "And we never got a chance to cross paths with him because he passed away," he said. "I saw him from a long distance but I never met him. I Fan, but didn't even know him."
On July 27, 2012, Havoc told AllHipHop in an interview that the group was on an indefinite hiatus. According to HipHopDX, Mobb Deep had a falling out after Havoc blasted Prodigy on Twitter, and eventually, a sound clip leaked of him taking numerous shots at his former Mobb Deep partner during their concert at SXSW. At first, Havoc claimed that he was hacked. However, he later confirmed it was him and that he had originally denied it because he felt that Twitter was not a place to resolve a beef. He also stated that he had a diss track aimed at Prodigy in the making, "Same Shit Different Day". The song later turned out to be "Separated (Real from the Fake)", which appeared on Havoc's solo album 13.
However, in January 2013 Prodigy said that he was sure he would record with Havoc in the future. Mobb Deep appeared on Papoose's debut album The Nacirema Dream on the track "Aim, Shoot". They later reunited and performed for Paid Dues on March 30, 2013; they went on an international 20th-anniversary tour starting in May 2013. On March 22, 2013, the group officially reunited for an interview and explained that music was the most important thing in their lives and that they had been friends for too long to break up the friendship. Around the May 2013 release of Havoc's third studio album, 13, Havoc announced that he and Prodigy had been in the studio for over a month working on the duo's eighth studio album which was already "halfway done". He also stated that he will be doing the entire production on the album.
On April 1, 2014, the group released its eighth studio album, The Infamous Mobb Deep, a double album that included one CD with original new music and one with unreleased tracks from sessions from The Infamous.
On June 20, 2017, Prodigy died from accidental choking in Las Vegas, Nevada, while hospitalized for complications caused by sickle cell anemia.
The term "dunn" supposedly originated in the Queensbridge housing projects with an acquaintance of Prodigy's, Bumpy, whose speech impediment prevented him from pronouncing the letter "S", such as in "son". The impediment encouraged him to put the tongue on the two front teeth/palate, making a 'th' or a 'd' sound. Mobb Deep has attempted to claim ownership of this body of slang; additionally, they were going to release an album called The Dunn Language, in 2002, but the project was shelved, due to label issues.
On September 15, 2018, during an interview for HipHop4Real, Havoc stated that he was working on a new album Mobb Deep, which would be the duo's latest album. He is also working on a joint project Mobb Deep with The Alchemist, announced a few years ago.
In December 2019, Havoc went on a "Murda Muzik 20th Anniversary Tour" with Big Noyd and L.E.S.
2025: Infinite
On February 12, 2025, the Alchemist confirmed that he and Havoc were working on a new album called Infinite, and that Nas was also involved in the project. The album was released on October 10, 2025 and features guest appearances from Clipse, Big Noyd, Raekwon, Ghostface Killah and H.E.R..
Legacy
Mobb Deep helped popularize the 1990s slang called the "Dunn language", a term first recorded in the 1999 single "Quiet Storm", in which Prodigy raps: "you's a dick blower, you tryin' to speak the Dunn Language?/ 'what's the drilly' with that though? 'It aint bangin'/ you hooked on Mobb phonics, Infamous 'bonics."
Video game appearances
Mobb Deep appear as themselves as playable characters in .
Discography
Studio albums
External links
Categories: 1991 Establishments In New York City, 2017 Disestablishments In New York, African-american Musical Duos, Musical Duos From New York, Five Percenters, G-unit Records Artists, American Hip-hop Duos, Hip-hop Groups From New York City, Island Records Artists, Jive Records Artists, Loud Records Artists, Musical Groups Disestablished In 2017, Musical Groups Established In 1991, Musical Groups From Queens, New York, East Coast Hip-hop Groups, Hardcore Hip-hop Groups, Gangsta Rap Groups, High School Of Art And Design Alumni, People From Long Island City, Queens
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