MOBB DEEP interview from VIBE
djsheep
3,620 Posts
Your signing to G Unit seemed to catch everyone off guard. How did that happen?
Prodigy: 50 Cent heard that we were free agents. He called Hav like, "Yo, what's up? I'm fu*king with y'all. Let's do it."
After seven albums being self-contained, by joining G Unit are you admitting that maybe, your way wasn't working anymore?
Havoc: Nah, not at all. The way we were doing it always worked. It was just the record companies were fu*king up. Now we have a better platform.
50 recently said he's picking all the beats for your upcoming album. Is that true?
H: He sends beats to us. If we don't like it, we always got our opinions. But he's got such a good ear that every track he picks is right, so it's all good. I'm still producing somewhere close to half the album.
Did you sign an artist deal?
H: Nah, not like a regular deal. We got a lot of perks. We got more points than any artist ever got to this day, so it's a real good deal.
Perks? Give me a few examples of these perks.
P: We got Porsches.
H: Top of the line. I got a GT3 that's nonrecoupable.
So, I guess it didn't bother you that on "Piggy Bank" 50 said to Jadakiss, "I'll do your little ass like Jay did Mobb Deep?"
H: Nope
P: When he said that line, he was just talking about what really happenned. At Summer Jam, Jay-Z put up a picture of me when I was a little kid in my grandmother's dance school. We're all bigger than Jay now.
Similar to Ja Rule's R.U.L.E., Amerikaz Nightmare had it's fans, but it didn't achieve commercial success. Were you worried that your time might hav passed?
H: The difference with Ja Rule is people were tired of him. We came out with a good record, but the record wasn't getting it to the fans.
Speaking of Ja Rule, 50 is known for his beefs. Will it be a problem for you to work with people he's beefing with?
H: I'm a producer, bottom line. Nobody can tell me what I can and can't do as far as me being creative. And 50 is not even like that at all. But, I will say that I'm down for my team, and I ain't trying to start no friction.
Havoc produced "Don't Need Your Love" on The Documentary. And P, you did "Dead Bodies"on the Alchemist's album with Game. Will you continue to work with him in the future?
P: If Fif tells me, "Yo don't give that ***** no verses," them *****s ain't getting no verses, man. It's not gonna stop my money, 'cause I'll get money from somewhere else. I'll be like All right, cool. What verse can I do? That's where I'm gonna get money from, then.
It doesn't matter that someone has a say in your music relationships?
P: Hell no. He made me rich.
How does your G Unit affiliation affect your relationship with Nas?
P: Who that? You're talking about Milkshake? He's not in the picture no more. He left the radar.
Is Big Noyd going to be involved with your new album, Blood Money?
P: Once Mobb Deep gets an album out and goes on tour and our album is selling, then we'll start thinking about different artists. But right now, we're not really worried about nobody else but Mobb Deep.
There was a controversy earlier this year with your former manager Littles, saying you two were breaking up. What was that about?
P: Who that, son? I don't even know who that is.
With your recent appearance on the Anger Management 3 tour, you seem to have lost weight. Are you still struggling with sickle cell?
P: I'm in perfect health. I ain't been sick in a long time.
H: We slim dudes. But check this bank account. Tell me how I look now (laughs). My hips look kinda fat right? My pockets are bulging.
How do you feel about New York's rap chances right now?
H: I mean, everybody gets their time. It started in New York and it's gonna come back ultimately. People go, "What about the South?" That's a tool to pit everybody against one another. We're all making black music. Right now, our Down South brothers are winning cause they deserve it.
Who do you guys feel is really representing New York right now?
H: Mobb Deep.
Duly noted. Since signing to G Unit, what's been the biggest change in your lives?
P: We're megastars now.
H: I never thought it would be this way.
P: When we signed that contract, Fif gave us the keys to the planet. We can open up any door right now.
Prodigy: 50 Cent heard that we were free agents. He called Hav like, "Yo, what's up? I'm fu*king with y'all. Let's do it."
After seven albums being self-contained, by joining G Unit are you admitting that maybe, your way wasn't working anymore?
Havoc: Nah, not at all. The way we were doing it always worked. It was just the record companies were fu*king up. Now we have a better platform.
50 recently said he's picking all the beats for your upcoming album. Is that true?
H: He sends beats to us. If we don't like it, we always got our opinions. But he's got such a good ear that every track he picks is right, so it's all good. I'm still producing somewhere close to half the album.
Did you sign an artist deal?
H: Nah, not like a regular deal. We got a lot of perks. We got more points than any artist ever got to this day, so it's a real good deal.
Perks? Give me a few examples of these perks.
P: We got Porsches.
H: Top of the line. I got a GT3 that's nonrecoupable.
So, I guess it didn't bother you that on "Piggy Bank" 50 said to Jadakiss, "I'll do your little ass like Jay did Mobb Deep?"
H: Nope
P: When he said that line, he was just talking about what really happenned. At Summer Jam, Jay-Z put up a picture of me when I was a little kid in my grandmother's dance school. We're all bigger than Jay now.
Similar to Ja Rule's R.U.L.E., Amerikaz Nightmare had it's fans, but it didn't achieve commercial success. Were you worried that your time might hav passed?
H: The difference with Ja Rule is people were tired of him. We came out with a good record, but the record wasn't getting it to the fans.
Speaking of Ja Rule, 50 is known for his beefs. Will it be a problem for you to work with people he's beefing with?
H: I'm a producer, bottom line. Nobody can tell me what I can and can't do as far as me being creative. And 50 is not even like that at all. But, I will say that I'm down for my team, and I ain't trying to start no friction.
Havoc produced "Don't Need Your Love" on The Documentary. And P, you did "Dead Bodies"on the Alchemist's album with Game. Will you continue to work with him in the future?
P: If Fif tells me, "Yo don't give that ***** no verses," them *****s ain't getting no verses, man. It's not gonna stop my money, 'cause I'll get money from somewhere else. I'll be like All right, cool. What verse can I do? That's where I'm gonna get money from, then.
It doesn't matter that someone has a say in your music relationships?
P: Hell no. He made me rich.
How does your G Unit affiliation affect your relationship with Nas?
P: Who that? You're talking about Milkshake? He's not in the picture no more. He left the radar.
Is Big Noyd going to be involved with your new album, Blood Money?
P: Once Mobb Deep gets an album out and goes on tour and our album is selling, then we'll start thinking about different artists. But right now, we're not really worried about nobody else but Mobb Deep.
There was a controversy earlier this year with your former manager Littles, saying you two were breaking up. What was that about?
P: Who that, son? I don't even know who that is.
With your recent appearance on the Anger Management 3 tour, you seem to have lost weight. Are you still struggling with sickle cell?
P: I'm in perfect health. I ain't been sick in a long time.
H: We slim dudes. But check this bank account. Tell me how I look now (laughs). My hips look kinda fat right? My pockets are bulging.
How do you feel about New York's rap chances right now?
H: I mean, everybody gets their time. It started in New York and it's gonna come back ultimately. People go, "What about the South?" That's a tool to pit everybody against one another. We're all making black music. Right now, our Down South brothers are winning cause they deserve it.
Who do you guys feel is really representing New York right now?
H: Mobb Deep.
Duly noted. Since signing to G Unit, what's been the biggest change in your lives?
P: We're megastars now.
H: I never thought it would be this way.
P: When we signed that contract, Fif gave us the keys to the planet. We can open up any door right now.
Comments
Say what?
~Crates
This is the hottest part.
The correct answer is "No, we've moved on"; making ridiculous claims that you're now "bigger" than Jay just confirms for the public that you're still obsessed with him and the way he sonned you... four years ago.
For real.
Even Thomas Dolby is still bigger than Mobb Deep.
The dickriding in this interview is disgusting. I hope 50 used some Astroglide during their initiation. Damn!!!
Peace,
Big Stacks from Kakalak
there's some pretty ridiculous things being said to boil it down to just loyalty...
Some a yall is so small time.
And Mobb Deep will make a better record than they have in years. I don't see why anyone would be mad at that.
This goes beyond dickriding or loyalty. Sounds like Prodigy could be put under pimp arrest for reckless eyeballing.
No doubt.
I know you heard the 50/Mobb/Pawa track that uses the exact same beat from the Kool G Rap joint from years ago. Shit is FOIRE
ok let's boil it down to "the biggest name in rap just saved our careers."
It's okay... I kind of liked it better the first time, though. Is that an official release? I thought it was just some mixtape schitt.
I will never give up my dignity for money. So, Paycheck, your dignity is for hire, huh? A man that will sell his ass will sell his soul too! This mentality displays a lack of character and represents what is largely wrong with U.S. society. No one has principled "limits". "All is good if it provides gain" is a terrible principle by which to live.
Peace,
Big Stacks from Kakalak
Damn that was well said...........
~Crates
Well that's cool but Jay ain't got nuthin on this.
This Quote is from Rifleman.
Man I never heard about that; what a great story. Mobb tried to perform "LA, LA" at Unity!?!? What an unnecessary provocation. Goes to show you how inflated some NY egos are. They totally underestimate the West sometimes.
Is this really accurate as to what Mobb Deep is doing? It's not like 50 cent is making music that they don't align themselves with. They both make "thug" schitt, right? Why is this giving up their "dignity"? Would you be giving up your dignity if you got a higher paying teaching gig and you shouted out your boss(es)?
They sound corny in some spots, but them signing with G Unit is the best thing to happen to their careers since "Survival of the Fittest." Why is it "dick riding" for them to be excited about that?
I suspect y'all are just mad because 50 aint "the real schitt" or somethin'.
-e
In what way does anything I said have to do with giving up dignity?
50 drops dope singles, but beyond that zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.
Hey Paycheck,
Well, as an artist, wouldn't an important part of his/her dignity involve expressing themselves artistically? Isn't this aim compromised when 50 picks their beats/songs and leads them around by the nose? The idea of veteran artists like Mobb Deep cow-towing to some johnny-come-lately comes across as steppin'-and-fetchin', don't you think? To be reduced to this after so many years of grinding in the business is light years beyond demeaning. It's sad!!!! I wonder how Havoc and Prodigy can face the men in the mirror (oh, I guess money makes that easier to swallow, huh?). A show of dignity would be to record on their own label, using proceeds from their career, and do what they want without kissing 50's ass.
Peace,
Big Stacks from Kakalak
I think you mean, 50 hides a few good cuts deep in the album; the singles were the worst thing about his last record.
It seems like you're heavily prejudiced against recording for a label. Some folks prefer that. It's just a financial decision man. When you sign to a record label, you are going to have people that have the say about your record. You could have it be timmy jamband who sees that rap makes big money but doesn't understand a thing about it, or you could have it be 50 cent, who knows how to make hit records and is gonna make you very successful. That's if you decide to record for a major label.
But think: are you sure how much "proceeds" they had before this deal? It's a nice pie-in-the-sky to start one's own label and live off the fat, but without much of the latter how are you going to market and promote your record? It takes a lot of money. How are you going to get the access to distribution, to stores, to promotion, to radio, to touring? All of that takes money and power. Quite frankly this is the kind of thing I explain to youngsters getting in the rap game, not a guy my age or older who should know better.
More importantly, it's not everyone's dream or vision to record in obscurity and live life for the art. Many people - most people - want people to hear their music and buy it, resulting in success for them both musically and financially. I don't see a damn thing wrong with this, but clearly you do. So, to follow your logic, should H&P (who have been recording since they were teens) go out and get a real world job, maybe get some degrees so they can work at a university, and record in their spare time thus preserving the art's integrity? Or should they continue to find the best deal that a major label (read: financial corporation, bank, etc) will propose? I think the clear answer is the latter.
Sorry if I'm a little harsh, but I kind of got offended by you calling my integrity into question based on what I said.
I kinda feel like the interviewer was just being a dick.
i wasnt impresed with the full length soundtrack though, most of it was snooze-able. only thing saving it is young buck, his solo joint on the record is RIDICULOUS