Juvenile Hell [PA]

Performer: Mobb Deep
Distributor: Fontana Distribution

Notes: Mobb Deep: Prodigy, Havoc (rap vocals). Additional personnel: Al "Purple" Hayes (guitar); D.J. Prince A.D. (DJ); Marlon Lawe, Tajuan Perry (background vocals). Producers include: Keith Spencer, Dale Hogan, Paul Shabazz, Kerwin "Sleek" Young. Engineers include: Large Professor, Josh "White Boy" Chervokas, Randy Battiste. Contains sample from "Somebody Owns A Piece Of The Rock" (David Porter). Personnel: Tajuan Perry (vocals); Marlon Lawe (chant); Al "Purple" Hayes (guitar); DJ Prince A.D. (scratches). Audio Remixer: DJ Premier. Recording information: Battery; D & D; D&D; Power play; Six String City Studio; Strong Island Studios; Unique Recording. Photographer: George DuBose. On their debut, Havoc and Prodigy tell the listener in all sorts of overconfident manners that there are few people out there who can mess with Mobb Deep. In fact, they do so in 14 different ways on Juvenile Hell. Mostly produced by Mobb Deep themselves, this album is rawness at an unrelenting pace, with an undeniable, relentless, and often irrational energy. The intro cut sets the mood as a warning, set to a "Queens brand" production. The tempo is kind of fast, but the bassline rolls to easily facilitate a strong head nod. The sampled horn stabs help to remind you that, after all, it's still music. Over this beat Prodigy cautions: "It's called Juvenile Hell; you won't survive long." In the first few songs, Mobb acquaints the listener with the life of a "frustrated and confused young juvenile" living in Queens. Juvenile Hell is hardcore, but not void of musical pr creative effort and accomplishment; it's really cool, serious, and 100 percent hip-hop. Highlights include "Flavor for the Non Believes," "Peer Pressure," "Stomp Em Out" (featuring Big Noyd), and "Hold Down the Fort." When Juvenile Hell was initially released, it didn't do so well in the stores. Perhaps it was the excess of threats and proclamations making up Juvenile Hell that kept buyers away in 1993, or maybe it was the label's inability to market this virulent project correctly. In any event, it's an album worthy of historical note. ~ Qa'id Jacobs

The Source (6/93, p.71) - 3.5 Stars - Very Good - "...the straightforward production allows the lyrics of the duo to flow like Mystic down a parched throat...satisfies the appetite of most underground rap purists..."

Hailing from New York City's notorious Queens Bridge projects, Prodigy and Havoc, a.k.a. Mobb Deep, took the hip-hop world by storm with the release of their second album, 1995's THE INFAMOUS. An instant classic, the album was filled with raw beats, dark hooks, and brilliantly unflinching rhymes about ghetto life that, although filled with standard gangsta rap themes, emanated from a world entirely their own. Mobb Deep continued to record into the 21st century, and remain one of rap's most respected duos.

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