Mobb Deep

Overview

To celebrate the 20th anniversary of their breakthrough album The Infamous, New York hip hop duo Mobb Deep will perform three shows in New Zealand.

The pair made up of rappers Havoc and Prodigy initially met while attending art school. After finding mutual interests they joined forces and dubbed themselves the Poetical Prophets, before later changing their name to Mobb Deep to “reflect their reputation on the streets”. Their hyper-visual lyricism, dark soundscapes, gritty narratives, and hard beats gained them a reputation as one of the most critically acclaimed hip hop groups to come out of the East Coast. They are were also a driving force in the infamous East vs West Coast rivalry; the pair’s beef witnessed in diss tracks aimed at the likes of Snoop Dogg and Tupac.

Their second studio album The Infamous is considered to be a classic among avid hip hop fans. It produced three singles, the most recognisable being ‘Shook Ones Pt. II’, a raw, thuggish track told from the perspective of inner-city youths engaged in territorial warfare and struggling for financial gains. The track has dubbed as one of the 50 Greatest Hip-Hop Songs of All Time as well as one of the most violent.

After overcoming some of their own internal problems, the group recently reunited to record and release their eighth studio album.

The 20th anniversary The Infamous tour will see them perform in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch joined by DJ Ski Beatz.