Track Listing

1. Start Of Your Ending
2. Survival Of The Fittest
3. I For Ai (Your Beef Is Mines)
4. Give Up The Gods (Just Step)
5. Temperature's Rising
6. Up North Trip
7. Trife Life
8. QU Hectic
9. Right Back At You
10. Cradle To The Grave
11. Drink The Pain Away (Situations)
12. Shook Ones
13. Party Over

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #11122 in Music
• Released on: 1998-01-19
• Number of discs: 1
• Format: Explicit Lyrics
• Dimensions: .20 pounds

Amazon.co.uk Review
It's hard to believe that the second Mobb Deep album was created by teenagers, but the fact remains that this 14-track masterpiece puts many of the duo's older rivals to shame. With a grim, cinematic feel, underpinned by sparse snare beats and ominous bass rumbles, their raps give a depressing, but poetic account of life in the crime-ridden housing projects of Queensbridge. The quality of guests they attracted (Q-Tip,Nas, Raekwon) is a measure of the respect the pair commanded on the strength of their only hit single that year, "Shook Ones Pt II". That track, with its catchy bassline and hummable guitar sample, shows Mobb Deep at their sinister best, delivering lines like "I'm only 19, but my mind is old / When things get for real my warm heart turns cold"--lyrics that go far beyond crude gangsterism, and provide an irresistibly chilling thug's-eye view of the world. --Chris Elwell-Sutton

CD Description
Mobb Deep's sophomore effort turned out to be a career-defining moment for the Queensbridge duo. Two years post-JUVENILE HELL, THE INFAMOUS saw Havoc and Prodigy turn considerablyharder, spinning aggressive tales of paranoid crime drama and firmly establishing Loud Records as a label to be reckoned with. The Queensbridge housing projects as portrayed from the Mobb's late-teenage point of view is a violent maze populated by stick-up kids and fiends; a place where life is trife, liquor is poured out daily for dead comrades, police arethe enemy, and childhood friends turn snitch. Havoc's no-frills East Coast production provides the perfect backdrop forthe murky subject matter. Every song is a classic, packed with thug-life quotables which inspired dozens of subsequent street anthems and an array of imitators. Big Noyd, Nas, Q-Tip, Raekwon, and Ghostface Killah make up the guest-list.

Customer Reviews

I defy you to name an MC that could see Prodigy in '95.
Amazing. It's shocking to believe that Havoc and Prodigy were only 19 when they made this classic CD. Their first album "Juvenile Hell" flew right over the heads of the hip-hop world but after hearing such mindblowing performances such as the ones that Mobb have produced in "The Infamous" & "Hell On Earth" - the rap world will be on a hunt for that album. 1996 was when Havoc used "Hell On Earth" to shine. "The Infamous" however belonged to Prodigy. Assisted with the gritty beats provided to him by Havoc, Prodigy invited the listener to hear him rip every single track. With guest appearances such as Nas, Raekwon & Ghostface Killah (all on the same track) he had some help. Who could deny this album being a classic after songs such as "Survival Of The Fittest" and "Shook Ones pt. 2" being hip-hop anthems?
Personally, "Hell On Earth" was better but this is a must-have nonetheless.

I open my eyes to the streets....
This album defies the process of time. Although I bought it in late 1994, it's one of those that has stayed at the forefront of my selection ever since. The term 'wise beyond his years' is one which aptly describes both members of this crew. The lyrical delivery is sometimes awe-inspiring, and with a bizarre twist of irony, the ugly subject matter is dropped beautifully. One of the best rap albums of all time, and I don't say that lightly.

So you like the Mobb's latest with 50 Cent?
So you like the Mobb's latest with 50 Cent? And now you're looking at what albums they did before?

First off - this isn't the same Mobb that stars alongside Fiddy!! (I can't stress this enough - the music is significantly different)

Now go and find samples of the following tracks to listen to:
Shook Ones Pt II
Drink Away The Pain
Cradle to the Grave
Survival of the Fittest

If you like these 4 then buy this album as these are only 4 of 13 great tracks and give a good idea of the spread of music on this album (or better yet get the double pack with "Hell on Earth" included too)

This is, arguably, the best of Mobb Deep's output (personally I like the rawness of Juvenile Hell but that's my opinion).

If you still prefer the Fiddy co-operations check out the Mobb albums: "Amerikaz Nightmare" and "Murda Muzik"