Mobb Deep - Murda Mix Tape Clean (40 tracks) +Album Reviews

A Review of Mobb Deep's "Murda Mixtape"

Crazy Jim | Massachusetts | 11/11/2003

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Following their departure from Loud Records, the Infamous Mobb Deep are looking for a new label to call home. Instead of taking their resume to all the majors, they've decided to drop a collection of new joints and freestyles over classic beats and let the labels doing the bidding. Don't be fooled into thinking that this is a brand new LP from the group, it is a mixtape. The Mobb put a darker spin on the Eric B & Rakim classic, "Paid In Full", as Prodigy and Havoc spit some mean verses to an all-new Havoc beat as they do a partial remake of said record. They're also remaking some of their own classic records as they spit venom over the "Shook Ones Part II." instrumental where P expresses his affection for everyone from Stacy Dash to Eve. Much of the record is not quite on par with the quality of their studio album efforts. In addition to being a reasonably-priced album, this CD also comes packed with a second bonus disc featuring solo joints of Havoc & Prodigy, rare remixes, and tracks featuring other members of their respective clique. This bonus disc has its moments but much like the first CD, it doesn't quite have the consistency most fans have come to expect with Mobb Deep albums. If you are a hardcore Mobb Deep fan, this one will easily be worth the money but those unfamiliar with their work may want to start somewhere else. You are getting two CD's for the price of one but do keep in mind that when shopping for music, sometimes you should stress "quality over quantity". There are at least a handful of tracks that will make it worthwhile but those expecting two solid discs of great music make be very dissapointed with the end result. NOTE: This review is for the explicit version of the album."

I sincerely hope it grows on me, i paid [money] for it

~LEON~ | UK | 05/15/2003

(2 out of 5 stars)

"I'm afraid they've lost it folks, a very average cd worth maybe 2 1/2 stars. On the rhyming front, although they're no longer what they were, they're still technically capable, but something's missing. I never thought i'd hear prodigy rapping about his new porsche, or havoc using the word "gangsta", (shakes head). But like i said, they're still technically good rappers, especially havoc who doesn't sound much different to his infamous days (Pee's voice sounds much older & deeper), & if given some good beats & told to tone down the bling factor, would be capable of releasing a decent album still. But that's not the gripes, the gripes is this: the beats are WACK. No different to what you'd get on any other run of the mill commercially produced "rap" album, bubble-gum production that sounds hollow, pop-y & just plain wack. With the exception of 5 tracks, "Solidified", & 4 reprises from their 2 classic lps hell on earth & the infamous. I literally needed to take the so called murda mix tape out of my cd spinner & wack the infamous in just to remind me why i loved the mobb in the first place... Ah, that was it: Rock solid & dark beats with hungry, clever rapping about life in NYC. Not brand new ferraris & poppin the cris with your main [lady] on your world tour. Not a single song without that clapping hip hop drum beat, evident from their juvenile hell days, a thumping drone of a bass-line & rhyming that goes on for bars & bars & never gets dull or misses a beat. But, all good things come to an end. Check out the infamous & hell on earth if you want to hear true mobb deep music, it's something else entirely. But i'll end on a positive...

If Hav & Pee get their act together they are still very capable of releasing a good album, there's one out in the summer, just don't hold your breath."

The Mobb Alwayz Comez Through With Tha Realllest!!!

Terry "TJ" Caradine | Robbins, IL USA | 05/01/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This album, which is supposedly a mixtape, is straight fire. The Mobb came through with this album with their dark and grimy beats and remakes of their classic songs. The Mobb also brings a bangin bonus disc which features affiliates of the Mobb. People like Big Noyd, The Infamous Mobb, Alchemist, 50 Cent, and one of my favorites, Cormega, comes through killin it wit hot flows. Mobb Deep did it again. If you love real street music or if you love music PERIOD, cop this album right now."

A Mixtape I Tried To Like, The Bonus Disc Is Worth It Though

Chandler | Atlanta (College Park), Georgia | 06/12/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I was a young Mobb Deep Fan, and after their album Infamy, I just couldn't wait for Mobb Deep to drop somemore heat to listen to. So I copped this Mixtape, and it kinda went both ways, half dissapointing and half good. There is some nice production on this album, but it is weighed down by medicore lyrics that I really didn't expect, mostly by Prodigy. Havoc comes correct behind the mic on this mixtape, and I believed that he has shown some improvement on this, leaving Prodigy behind (This should have been your warning sign, if you were dissapointed with their recent "Blood Money"). Most of the content is about violence and weapons, kind of normal for Mobb Deep. Two track that I know that Havoc has stepped his game over Prodigy is the remake of "Survival Of The Fittest" and the remake of "Paid In Full". Prodigy rhymes come hard but in a very lazy way, that some fans may think that he didn't put enough energy into the rhymes that he wrote. The song "What Can I Do?" just doesn't plain fit as a female sample of the title of the song just plays throughout the song as Hav and P ask questions on how to handle certain situations. The song "Watch That N***a" also just doesn't fit that much and doesn't appeal to a normal Mobb Deep fan. Finally Prodigy comes clean on the song "It's Over" as it reminds me of something that was on his H.N.I.C. album. Havoc kicks a solo showing off his come up in the world in the song "The Illest". "Came Up" comes off as a dance type beat, that has a weak hook, making another track I don't like. The last track "Don't Call Tasha" is another street joint about weapons and violence with a movie sample in the interlude. The Bonus Whoo Kid Freestyles are mostly good as Mobb Deep freestyle over their old beats that mostly came from The Infamous and Hell On Earth. Havoc comes off real hard on all of them that hes on. Prodigy does an decent job on most of them too. His verse on the "Shook Ones Freestyle" left me scratching my head a little bit. This is the first (known) time that I've heard them freestyle, but it's kind of ironic that their best rhymes come off the top of their heads.

The explicit version of this Mixtape comes with a bonus disc of Mobb Deep colaborations and hidden 12" singles that were rare to find. "Get Back (Remix)" is the Mobb Deep track that I've been waiting to hear as Prodigy, Hav, and Big Noyd rips it up. Alchemest produced "Midnight Creep" and "4th Of July" gives us a sample of what The Alchemest can cook up production wise ans lyrically on the "Fourth Of July" song. "Bang Bang" comes off real nice as Big Noyd handles the song by himself. The remix of "Bump That" is also nice that Havoc, Big Noyd, and 50 Cent (back when he was woth listening to) come off real hard on this. Mobb Deep gives their friends The Infamous Mbbb a chance to shine on the next four tracks. The track "Mobb N****z" is a straight grimy QB type track. Twin Gambino of The Infamous Mobb shows he can handle a song by himself on the track "B.I.G T.W.I.N.S.". Cormega and Prodigy teams up for a colaboration "Thun and Kiko" (People the word is Thun not Dun, get it correct) Tragedy Khadafi (who was well known on the first CNN album) drop in for the song "Whats Poppin'" which comes off nice. The last track is Kool G. Rap's "Thug Chronicles" carries a nice beat as Havoc does the hook as it comes off as one of a gangsta type of track.

Overall The Mixtape isn't all that good if you're a Mobb Deep fan. You will be dissapointed if youre expecting something from the 90's on this mixtape. Some people who are reading this review and see the raiting are thinking that I shouldn't be so hard on this because its a mixtape. Mobb Deep can produce a hot mix tape. If you want a hot Mobb Deep mixtape check out The Purfek Storm Before 9/11 Mixtape, that is so much better than this one. As for the bonus disc, that should make up for some of the dissapointment that the mixtape that has left behind. I recommend this to real hardcore fans of Mobb Deep and just want to hear more them.

The Mixtape: [3 stars]

The Bonus Disc: [4 stars]

The Mixtape:

Lyrics: C+

Production: C

Guest Appearances: (Dog From ACD) C+

Overall: C

Bonus Disc:

Lyrics: A-

Production: B

Guest Appearances: B+

Overall: B-

Standout Tracks (Meaning the ones that I like); From Mixtape: Paid In Full, Double Shots, It's Over, The Illest, Tough Love Freestyle, Right Back At You Freestyle, Shook Ones Freestyle

From Bonus Disc: Get Back (Remix), Midnight Creep, 4th of July, Bang Bang, Bump That, Mobb N***z, B.I.G. T.W.I.N.Z., Thug Chronicles, and Thun and Kiko"

The Real Havoc & Prodigy

Xavier Jones | Colorado Springs | 07/03/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Actually both of the discs were hot and still are. I think that Mobb Deep is the best of Queens and are showing it with albums like this. Murda Muzik, Infamy, Hell On Earth, and etc are all hot albums but none like this one. This album had a song for every feeling. Love, hate, war, party, whatever. I feel that Havoc on the beats and Prodigy on the rhyme, these two are unstoppable and if you took time to listen to the bonus cd, you can see that they know talent with artists like 1st Infantry, rapper Noyd, Cormega, and others. Mobb Deep is back and everyone knows it!"

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