In the mid-1990s, Mobb Deep were in the right place at the right time. The nihilistic duo was part of a wave of hard rap acts from New York City, especially their masterpieces THE INFAMOUS and HELL ON EARTH are considered classics of hardcore hip hop. The title of the latter album makes clear what differentiated Mobb Deep from their contemporaries: Where the Wu-Tang Clan had something over-the-top, Nas sounded more poetic and Biggie sounded more powerful, Mobb Deep functioned as a reflection of the tragic reality of their everyday street life. Their music was full of despair, alternating with numbness.
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In 2017, Prodigy – Mobb Deep’s more bitter half – died at the age of 42, and now INFINITE is a posthumous release. Even if the album seems stuck together, the opener “Against The World” has a vintage beat; Havoc, the other half of the duo, continues to receive too little credit as a producer.
The Prodigy verses unearthed are also cold and tense, just like fans love from him. But even if the first words of the album are “stronger than ever”, that’s of course not true. Mobb Deep works when they’re on the verge of giving up, but that agonizing feeling of biting through is mostly missing on INFINITE. Just like the documentary aspect of their early masterpieces: Sure, because Mobb Deep can no longer have any idea of the here and now.
This review first appeared in Musikexpress 11/2025.