Mobb Deep's musical legacy is cemented. There aren't many groups in rap who could match Havoc and Prodigy's reputation for crafting unfiltered street music, so when Mobb Deep appeared to be in turmoil last week, fans feared the worst. Fat Joe, for one, is thrilled that all the drama is behind the Queens, New York, duo.
Joe Crack actually likens the Mobb to another pivotal rap duo, Gang Starr. The group, which consisted of DJ Premier and late rapper Guru, was responsible for quite a few classic singles, including "Step in the Arena" and "DWYCK." Mobb Deep, of course, also have favorites under their belt, like 1995's "Shook Ones Pt. II" and the Lil' Kim-assisted "Quiet Storm" remix.
"Mobb Deep is equivalent to Gang Starr with being one of the purest forms of hip-hop music," Fat Joe told after a taping of MTV2's upcoming "Hip Hop Squares." "Whenever you want to go do an ill, hard-core hip-hop song that crosses over in the clubs, anybody who makes it is like, 'Yo, this is like "Shook Ones," this is like "Quiet Storm." ' They the kings of that."
On April 9, some pretty vicious messages directed at Prodigy were sent from Havoc's now-defunct Twitter account. The messages threatened physical violence and questioned Prodigy's sexuality. Sources close to Mobb Deep initially confirmed to MTV News that Hav's account wasn't hacked, but later that evening Havoc released a statement saying that he lost his phone and declaring his allegiance to the group and Prodigy. "To all Mobb Deep fans: it's business as usual! It's Mobb Deep all day," the statement read.
On Friday the group even attended a Knicks game together and released a photo, silencing speculation about a disconnect. Fat Joe is just glad to see the duo as a unified front. "I really don't know none of the details," he said. "If they were to break up, it would be a sad day for hip-hop because we love Mobb Deep as a group, as a fan."
What's your favorite Mobb Deep song? Tell us in the comments!