Debates in hip-hop are common; even those not crammed into the dark corners of rap-focused internet discussion forums know about the “top five” debate. Another common, but more granular, version of that debate often comes in the form of “best rap duos.” The names in that one often boil down to some combination of Clipse, Mobb Deep, and Outkast.
Well, two of the above finally join forces on Mobb Deep’s new album, Infinite. Part of Mass Appeal’s ongoing Legend Has It… series, Infinite sees the late Prodigy posthumously reunited with his partner-in-rhyme Havoc courtesy of frequent collaborator The Alchemist, who pieced together the album from unused material Prodigy recorded prior to his death in 2017.
While the duos’ first collab, “Look At Me,” wasn’t the result of a focused studio session, it sounds surprisingly cohesive. Utilizing a Havoc beat, it sounds a little bit more like a Mobb Deep track with the reunited Clipse tacked on than a true collaboration, but Clipse sound right at home on the murky production, and lyrically, both groups have always tread similar thematic territory, so it works in that respect, as well.
Meanwhile, a true collaboration that also appears on Infinite, is the focus track “Down For You,” which features longtime Mobb collaborator Nas and Jorja Smith. In the accompanying music video, Havoc and the Mass Appeal boss pay homage to their late homie with a split screen narrative, perfoming across from images of a nurse caring for a group of patients hooked up to IVs. Check it out below.
Havoc will go on tour next month as Mobb Deep alongside Raekwon, celebrating the 30th anniversaries of their classic albums The Infamous and Only Built 4 Cuban Linx. He will also appear in comic book superhero form as part of Mass Appeal’s Legend Has It… collaboration with Marvel Comics.
Infinite is out now via Mass Appeal Records. You can find more info here.
