Mobb Deep
Amerikaz Nightmare
Courtesy of Soundslam.com

Since their breakthrough album “The Infamous” (1995), Prodigy and Havoc have earned the praise of the entire hip-hop community. Mobb Deep became synonymous with hardcore rap - painting rugged, true-to-life depictions of their Queensbridge stomping grounds, intermingled with dark, hard-hitting beats.

On their latest installment, “Amerikaz Nightmare”, the group stays true to their hardcore roots, partnering primarily with producers Alchemist and Havoc to break you off with more of the hardcore beats and rhymes that have kept Mobb Deep fans coming back for more.

“Amerikaz Nightmare” features nearly every heavyweight in the hip-hop game today. Initially, this might lead you to suspect that the group was going “pop” or “selling-out”, but in respect to their past albums, the numerous guest appearances (Jadakiss, Lil Jon, Nate Dogg, Twista, Kanye West) only supplement Mobb Deep's unique hardcore sound, and remain secondary to the groups primary musical vision.

While tracks such as “Real Gangstaz” (feat. Lil Jon), and “Throw Your Hands (produced by Kanye West)” are notable - the group shines most on tracks like “Got It Twisted”, “Win Or Lose” and “We Up”, where they do their thing solo and spit those hardcore bars to their fullest.

While the group has returned with another solid collection of tracks, Prodigy and Havoc have played it safe on Amerikaz Nightmare, taking few chances lyrically and neglecting to transcend any of the messages we're used to hearing from the group. We must note however, that the second to last track on the album “Neva Change” is a song with a strong message about the continuous circle of violence facing young black Americans. The haunting depiction shows us that the group is capable of much more – but only time will tell if the duo decides to expand on this potential and evolve their style into something fresh and more innovative on their next album.