The High Profile Demise of Mobb Deep

The High Profile Demise of Mobb Deep has been played out on Shock Jock Hip-Hop Radio shows, youtube channels and  blogs for quite some time now. Both members of Mobb Deep have been facing personal issues, alleged Alcoholism, Prison Time, Label woes, Solo venture competition, "Hacked Twitter Accounts", Rumours, Denials and more. 

Prodigy & Havoc came together as the group Mobb Deep started while students at LaGuardia High School for Preforming Arts in the early 90's and released their 1st album Juvenile Hell much of which was produced by DJ Premier and Large Professor. Their second Album The Infamous became a East Coast Classic, at a time when West Coast Rap was on top, embroiling them in the middle of the media fuelled so-called "East Coast/West Coast Beef". 


Mobb Deep, Capone-N-Noreaga & Tragedy Khadafi - LA LA (Kuwait Mix)

They featured as guests on Marley Marl's remix of Capone-N-Noreaga's  - LA LA (Kuwait Mix) alongside legendary Queensbridge MC - Tragedy Khadafi, which was one of the most serious West Coast diss records of that period. 

Mobb Deep ft. Cormega - Let Nothin Die [Unreleased]

Since 1993 they have released 7 albums, with strong production by some of the best beatsmiths Premier, Pete Rock, Alchemist and more, and collaborated with some of Hip-Hop's best. As successful artists in their own rights; Havoc as a producer for many of Hip-Hop greats; Method Man, Eminem, Nas, Foxy Brown, Onyx, O.G.C., The Notorious B.I.G., Jadakiss, Styles P, Game, Diddy, LL Cool J, Big Noyd, Termanology, Capone-N-Noreaga, Prodigy's solo work and Mobb Deep; and Prodigy releasing his 3 part H.N.I.C. series. 

Comedy Mobb Deep "Blood Money" cover from http://nahright.com/news/2006/05/02/blood-money-in-stores-today

In 2005 Mobb Deep signed to 50 Cent's G-Unit records despite the fact that 50 Cent dissed them on "Piggy Bank", many die-hard Mobb fans were critical of the move, although in late 2009, Mobb Deep were released from their contract. It was during this period that Prodigy became a regular on hood youtube video channels, out spokenly critical of many rappers, and created beef for the group. Prodigy was arrested on a Gun Charge and asserted that the "Hip-Hop Police" had offered a deal if he would set up 50 Cent, which he allegedly refused. 

In the months leading up to his Prison term, he released some of his best music, putting him in a league with modern Political MC's like Immortal Technique, and while in Prison, he released Phone Time (Welcome To State Prison), and a 5 page letter accusing Jay-Z of being an Illuminati Puppet, and showed his support for Afrika Bambaataa and Incarcerated Religious Leader Dr. Malachi Z York.

During his Prison stretch, Prodigy wrote his now "Infamous" book My Infamous Life: The Autobiography of Mobb Deep's Prodigy, where he discusses events in his life. While revealing his life story, he has been widely accused of "Dry Snitching" on many Queensbridge and Hip-Hop artists, and the release saw a slew of back and fourths between Prodigy and Queens Rappers and Crime figures. All of this may have proved fatal to the Mobb Deep relationship, as Havoc is noticeably not openly involved in the over hyped tit for tat media circus.

Recently the Hip-Hop Radio Shock Jocks have been having a feeding frenzy over rumours of a very personal Mobb split, much of which features in the videos below. We at The Kool Skool do not get joy over this situation, and will not add to it. Unfortunately, it seems that "the Rap Industry" is more focused on fuelling Rap Beefs and Gossip, than celebrating what this industry is actually about - Music. All there is to be said is that Mobb Deep are a legendary Group, and like Groups, they fall out, and all you can do is hope they can sort out their differences, or wish them luck on their respective solo careers, and celebrate almost 20 years of dope music.

Havoc - Separated (Real From The Fake)

Connect:
http://www.facebook.com/HavocOfMobbDeep
http://www.twitter.com/TheRealHavoc
Instragram: @TheRealHavoc

In this second clip from his sit-down with AllHipHop, Havoc speaks on the shots he took at P on “Same Shit, Different Day”, the allegations about P made by his cousin Ferg Brim and the decline of his relationship with his longtime partner.


Prodigy Denies Mobb Deep Rumours


Prodigy Responds To Capone, Speaks About New Book, Nas, N.O.R.E. and more


Havoc vs Prodigy BEEF -- Havoc DENIES Tweets and Audio Dissing Prodigy!


HAVOC SPEAKS ABOUT THOSE INFAMOUS TWEETS AND ADDRESSES THE PRODIGY RUMORS
http://www.fiyahmuzik.com/2012/04/mobb-deep-denies-twitter-beef-break-up.html


Nore Speaks On Beef with Prodigy and split with Capone


Capone Goes Into Detail Of What Really Happened At Havoc's Brother's Trial. He Says By Taking The Stand He Saved Killa Black From Going To Jail. And Asks Why Prodigy Never Said Anything Face To Face To Him About Being A Snitch. (Interview By Doggie Diamonds)


Mobb Deep - Peer Pressure (Large Professor Remix) what we remember them for

Rare Mobb Deep tracks and more on DJ Shucks One the Idiot presents The Kool Skool Radio Show “Legends From Queens Series” Part 1 – “Queens Survivor” Cormega in Interview

"Sweet VS. Sense" Common and the Drake Beef - Cash In or Cop Out?

"Sweet VS. Sense" 

Common and the Drake Beef - Cash In or Cop Out?

Common Sense - Breaker 1/9 1993

Common "Can I Borrow a Dollar" 1992

Common came out at the beginning of the 90's in the Early 90's Timbo Era Chorus Rap. He like many MC's of the time MCed in a style that was popular at the time sometimes called the "Diggedy-Diggedy Style", a Fast Rap style that many in the UK claimed was bitten off the UK Dancehall Sound System MC's, artists like Demon Boyz, Daddy Freddy, and London Posse's Bionic to name but a few. 

Sipho R.I.P. & Bionic M.C. (London Posse) 1986 interview & live set

Bionic Breaks down the "Reggae Rap Style"

Common, then known as Common Sense (shortened to Common due to a Copyright litigation), was one of the only Chicago Hip-Hop artists to really break out of that cities big and slept-on Hip-Hop scene. His 1st Album "Can I Borrow a Dollar" made a lot of noise on the Underground, with was Production by No ID., The Beatnuts and included lots interesting Sample flips and Scratching. The Beatnuts at the time had just blown up onto the Underground scene and the fact that they were involved in the project bode well for the Chi-Town rapper. Producer No ID. another Chicago Native, got a lot of attention as well, and became a artist in his own right in 1997 he released Accept Your Own and Be Yourself (The Black Album). 

Accept Your Own and Be Yourself (The Black Album)

No ID., sometimes called "The Godfather Of Chicago Hip-Hop", like the Chicago scene in general has never really gotten the props he deserves, mentoring a young Kanye West, and many artists from that city. In around 2005, he produced a very Underground diss record aimed at Common, with the general theme that he had left the city and forgotten his roots. They have since re-united and No ID. and produces for many of Rap's biggest stars Killer Mike, Rick Ross, Drake Jay-Z and more.

Common "Ressurection" 1996

DJ Sinister X-Men/X-ecutioners on the cuts!

In 1994, Common released his much more noticed second album "Ressurection", the song "I Used to Love H.E.R." encapsulated the feeling among the Hip-Hop community that the culture had lost its way and had been co-opted, degraded and become "Hollywood". Around that time he also released "The Bitch In Yoo", a firing Diss against one of Raps Icons Ice Cube. It was a brave and interesting choice, as Ice Cube was not your typical Gangsta Rapper, a fierce MC in his own right, many claimed that he wrote most of his ex-Crew N.W.A.'s lyrics, and was the face man for the genre as a whole. 

More in depth info on the Common VS. Ice Cube Beef can be found here

B-Boy VS. G-Boy

Ice Cube at the time was a proponent of the Nation Of Islam, and Common, as the title of the album suggests, became "Ressurected" within "The Lost and Found Nation of Islam in North America" aka the N.O.I. The high profile shots and rivalry, was defused (like many rap Beefs) by the leader of that group Minister Louis Farrakhan. But the fact that a underground B-Boy from Chicago, had stood up for the direction of the culture, gained a lot of love for Common. But interestingly, during that period, Ice Cube was also rapping in the so-called "Diggidy-Diggidy Style" Fast Rap style at the time, few people commented on this.

Ice Cube "Wicked"

Mos Def (aka Yasiin Bey), Talib Kweli & Common

In 1996, De La Soul released their legendary 4th album "Stakes Is High", the group re-assembled The Native Tongues, and appeared to have added some new members, Black Star (Mos Def, Talib Kweli &DJ Hi-Tek), Consequence and Common. For Hip-Hop purists, the move was extremely positive, not just because it was a East Coast Super Group, but it promoted the Conscious/Brotherhood aspect, in a Versace dipped industry.

Recently Common has been involved with a Beef with Drake, one of Cash Money's new roster of Regional and International Artists, including Drake (Canada), Niki Minaj (Trinidadian born/Brooklyn Native ) the U.K.'s own Jay Sean and others. Drake is a Teen actor who now Raps, his 1st album was extremely well received and has been celebrated as one of the new school's best. 

Before (Canadian) Drake was singing and talking like a D-Boy from the Trap, he was "Wheel Chair Jimmy" in Canadian T.V. show "The Kids From Degrassi Street". (For those not familiar with the subject, Canada and the U.S. are different places and their accents and cultures are different, jussayin!)

Drake/Jimmy freestyling on Degrassi...

Drake "Day Care" - "Take Care" Spoof
His second album "Take Care" has come under considerable critisism from Hip-Hop fans as being "Soft" and has to much of Drake singing "Vocoder style" ballads. There has been an unprecedented slew of comedy photoshop mock ups gunning Drake for his sophomore album. But that said, commercially the album did well, a hit amongst the female album buying market, and as most industry people understand that translates into $$$$! It is officially Platinum, as of writing this. 

Ludacris - Bada Boom (Big Sean & Drake Diss) 

Drake has had very mixed responses from traditional artists, DMX to mention but one, everybody seems to have an opinion about him. That's not to mention Beef with Toronto's Kardinal Offishall and more recently Ludacris??? But what is really going on? Is it a serious case of Band wagon jumping? Is it that Hip-Hop has been reduced to Cash fuelled 2 week beefs to sell units? The "True School" are always going to back Common (even after Electric Circus), but is it just a case of bitter old "Mad Rappers" as French Montana has said, or is it personal, or a Cash In? Common represents grown man B-Boy culture, of that there is no doubt, but Common just released a new album, then disses Drake? Is Drake an easy target? Say what you want about modern Hip-Hop, and whether you like him or not, he is popular amongst a certain demographic. Is Drake is the epitome of what is "wrong" with this culture? Perhaps to some, but surely there are bigger fish to fry?

Rick Ross - Stay Schemin' (feat. Drake &French Montana) Common Diss

"McRib Back" Rick Ross ft. Drake Official Music Video

too funny http://www.youtube.com/user/spacejamgardenz

Common - Sweet  (Drake Diss)

Common - Sweet (Official Parody Video) by Theory Hazit

Stay Schemin' Common Diss



Positive or Cop Out? A bit early? You decide.


It doesn't take a Sociology Professor to see that over-hyped average artists, amped egos, Industry fueled Beef and Money is definitely chipping away at Hip-Hop's credibility. As an upright elder in the scene, Common has had an amazing career, he is still a credible musician, and is a fully fledged actor, his history is undeniable. You only have to look at who "were" his peers when he started out, you will find few of them with a record career, let alone Hollywood career! In this era of "Twitter Beef" and "youtube Wars", many in Hip-Hop need to remember that Hip-Hop Battles are a PART of the culture, not THE Culture. 
Actors Turned Rappers or Rapper Turned Actors... Choose a lane already. New School need to respect the Architects, but at the same time The Old School need to give the New School some space...

Exclusive Justin Bieber BEEF "PORK FACE"

Justin Bieber BEEF!!!!!! (Oh My Days)
Photo by Tizer One ID