When the West Coast Hip Hop movement of the ‘90s cast a shadow over the East Coast’s popularity, a handful of New York talents, such as Wu-Tang Clan, Nas, and Queensbridge’s Mobb Deep, stepped back in to grab the brass ring. A renaissance period for East Coast Hip Hop, Mobb Deep were significant standouts with a gritty, dark, raw sound that painted realistic, frightening scenes of life on the streets.
Casted in the form of street poetry, through the all-seeing eyes of Havoc and Prodigy, Mobb Deep’s breakout arrived in 1995 with their now iconic second album, The Infamous. An album that portrayed an urban life marked by danger, Mobb Deep’s stories were about survival in the heart of it all, all while the beats felt ominous and melancholic, thanks mainly to Havoc’s production.
With The Infamous celebrates its 30th anniversary in 2025, its essential to recognize that Mobb Deep continously thrived after the album’s initial release with 1996’s Hell on Earth (which went gold), 1999’s Murda Muzik (which went platinum), 2001’s Infamy (which also went gold), 2006’s Blood Money (which took the number 1 spot on the Top R&B/ Hip Hop Album Charts), and 2014’s The Infamous Mobb Deep (which debuted at number 49 on the Billboard 200 Chart). A force to be reckoned with, tragically, in 2017, Prodigy died at the age of 42 after accidentally choking while out performing on the Art of Rap Tour.
A tremendous loss for Hip Hop, Mobb Deep’s legacy has lived on, and in 2025, the duo released their ninth and final album, Infinite. Released on October 10, 2025, through Nas’s Mass Appeal Records as part of the fantastic 2025 Legend Has It… Series, Infinite delivers the good. Featuring a plethora of unreleased Prodigy recorded vocals, it is evident that Havoc worked tirelessly and carefully to blend them with his own verses. A great way to honor his former creative partner, Havoc also handles the bulk of the production along with longtime Mobb Deep Collaborator The Alchemist.
Factors that make it a legitimate Mobb Deep record from start to finish, there is also a list of great guests on the record, including Nas, Clipse, Big Noyd, R&B Singer H.E.R., and Wu-Tang Clan’s own Raekwon and Ghostface Killah. Coming together, they complement the fantastic hooks and verses of Prodigy and Havoc to capture one of Mobb Deep’s finest pieces of work.
Faithful to the eerie sound Mobb Deep is known for, there is a haunting aspect to each track that is not only present because it comes in the wake of Prodigy’s passing, but because of its intense mood. Mixing in a minimalistic fashion (like classic Mobb Deep records), over the course of 50-plus minutes and 15 songs, you are taken into the group’s realm one last time.
With each track a robust entry, some of the most striking moments hit with the single “Against the World,” “Gunfire,” and “Down For You” (which features both Nas and R&B Vocalist Jorja Smith). Joining these, there is also the smoky feel of “Score Points,” the blunt attack of “Discontinued,” and really beautiful “Love The Way Down” (which also features Nas, along with H.E.R.), perfectly capturing the imagination. However, each of these is only part of the story that makes up Infinite and its potency.
All things considered, Mobb Deep’s Infinite is a fitting way to highlight the duo’s past triumphs while honoring Prodigy’s legacy. With over eight years passing since Prodigy’s death, it honestly feels like it is right for Infinite to come out now. Hopefully reaching as many ears as possible, Havoc embarked on a killer co-headlining tour with Raekwon around North America earlier in 2025, currently has a weekly show on SiriusXM Shade 45 called The Infamous Hour (which should give Mobb Deep more attention), and he is set to tour Europe in 2026. Assuring Mobb Deep will always be the infamous ones of Hip Hop, Cryptic Rock gives their swansong Infinite 5 out of 5 stars.
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