Boy oh boy did Mobb Deep take the wrath of many when they signed on the dotted line with G-Unit. Havoc and Prodigy were chastised for selling out and falling into the safety net of Curtis ‘Interscope’ Jackson, they had their talent and their character abused. With their first project while seated at the Mighty Interscope table receiving both positive and negative reviews during the typical build up we see before an album drops; many fans were curious to see whether what critics penned was deserved or unjust. The industry was curious to know if Mobb Deep finally going to be marketed correctly and promoted right? Was the Mother Ship able to work its magic on the duo who had maintained respect in the streets, spitting their reality rhymes over the meticulously crafted beats?

When I had the pleasure of talking to Prodigy and Havoc it was obviously way too early in the day for Prodigy to be making small talk, as his responses parlayed with what the critics were saying about rhymes. However, all I kept at the front of my mind was Murda Muzik the album that had converted me from house junkie to Hip Hop addict.

Aligning with Interscope/Aftermath/G-Unit had fans perplexed, New York artists tended to stay to themselves, however 50 Cent had welcomed into his fold some of the Rotten apples most known but under-represented artists and Mobb Deep in a sense came up trumps. They were finally getting their just desserts for their tenure in the game and how could people be mad at that? The days where people did this rap shit for the love have died, now emceeing is seen as a career; a job title from this is now sought and participants want to hear the ch-ching as they stack up their cash.

Asking the Mobb about how they could respond to those who had frowned when joining forces with G-Unit, Prodigy said, “You know if they are frowning, they ain’t really fans.” Havoc reiterated by explaining, “You know I feel sorry for them, obviously they are the sort of people who don’t want to see people excel to another level. They have a lot of hate in their blood and they just have issues, how could you be mad at someone who is trying to take it to the next level?” It was a move they had to make, regardless if die-hard fans from the days of The Infamous felt they had compromised their creativity and artistic direction by making it.

Interscope has a natural Midas touch as everything they tend to touch turns to gold. Working with the ‘gang’ is as Prodigy said ‘incredible,’ “When we are collaborating with Dre, Em and 50, all these artists and producers working together, that’s ill for hip-hop.” But when it comes to Mobb Deep people appear to more concerned with cosmetic issues, why did Havoc adopt the moniker, ‘Hollywood Hav’? Is it because rolling with the Rap elite he feels he has to personify celebrity now as opposed to the street persona he once was? Apparently, not as he explained, “People take something the wrong way and that was meant for them to do that. It really is an inside joke, it’s not because I act Hollywood, it’s because I wear a lot of shades.” His apparent addiction to Ray Bans post signing to G-Unit did give me cause for concern but late nights at the studio and a lil too much bud can play havoc with a mans eyes, excuse the pun. “You know when they are not doing too much themselves, they try to put the focus on someone else in a negative way and worry about that instead of what they should be doing,” is how Havoc breaks down the haters and as we all know G-Unit have plenty of those to deal with. Continued on page 2 »