Lukewarm take: I've never gotten why The Infamous vs. Hell On Earth is a debate

[Redwing80]

The sequencing on The Infamous is flawless. Skit placements and everything. Makes it the better album for me

 

[ShaDynasty]

I always wonder how many people heard or bought Juvenile Hell and remained fans of that album after hearing The Infamous.

To me its like 2 sides of the same coin, but Infamous has more bigger songs I guess.

 

[Yehuda]

Production is a lil more lush on the Infamous if you ask me so in that sense I feel like Hell on Earth is better at what they set out to achieve: it's as grimy as Mobb Deep is supposed to be. I might have more songs from the Infamous in my library but I think Hell on Earth is more even.

 

[HollywoodP]

Actually one thing H.O.E might have over The Infamous is that it arguably closes out stronger

The title track, Still Shining and Apostle's Warning are some of the best Mobb tracks ever.

I was gonna say...I'll put those 2 songs up with any songs in their catalog

 

[Jigganaut]

Bruh I remember listening to The Infamous the whole summer 1995 at the upward bound program at Alabama state university going from 9th to 10th grade. I love HOE but the Infamous was just special to me. And any album with shook ones is some other shyt.

 

[Frump]

Nah it’s close to me as far as which I like better but the beats and Rhymes got even better on HOE

Also Prodigy took it or another level on HOE

That year he was as good as any MC ever was

I love IWW as much or more then Illmatic as well so I don’t agree with your sentiments with those albums

Also while I hear what you’re saying the darkness of HOE is organic because they said they were dealing with a lot of death and bad things during the making of that album that’s why it was so dark

 

[$cam-U-Well_Jack$on]

Havoc and P were at their absolute peak with Hell On Earth. I vividly remember buying the album on a winter night and just being in awe the whole listen. Album still give me the chills.

Funny cause da first time I listened to it was during a winter as well.

 

[FreshAIG]

The Infamous has argument for best rap album ever

Hell on Earth does not

But HOE is still a classic

 

[Bugzbunny129]

Imo its the opposite. Mobb needed q because they had yet to pin point their style.

By HOE, they got it down 100%. And lyrically, P is at his peak on that album.

The vibe is next level. The infamous, like most of the debuts of the time, still had a touch of the old school 90-92 vibe in it, and by HOE they were fully entrenched in their own sound, devoid of that influence.

Even MM imo took it an extra level from there into a more commercuak vibe. Yet pulled it off perfectly, blending known catchy themes (scarface, mafia docs) on its mine and intro to streets raised me. Using white lines on quiet storm. Etc. the 8 ball feature. Whew.

All in all they all classic imo. Whoch is better is taste. They achieved different things with each album.

 

[TripleAgent]

Hell On Earth is their best album

 

[up in here]

Both are classic but honestly I bump Murda Muzik more than both albums.

Infamous has the classic songs, HOE had P beasting the fukk out. but I prefer P's more mature outlook on MM over the young knucklehead shyt from Infamous and the grimey dark shyt from HOE.

Having said that I still bump all three albums.

 

[987654321]

I always wonder how many people heard or bought Juvenile Hell and remained fans of that album after hearing The Infamous.

To me its like 2 sides of the same coin, but Infamous has more bigger songs I guess.

Didn’t really sit down with it until Murda Muzik came out. I can’t even listen the whole way through. They made a huge leap into The Infamous and were better for it.

 

[Sonic Boom of the South]

I listen to Hell On Earth way more!

 

[FunkDoc1112]

Hell on Earth was a natural progression from The Infamous. A lot of people in Mobb Deep's crew and even some family members were dying around them. The energy was darker and more depressing for that reason. It's why Havoc would take these sweet-sounding songs and turn them into sinister samples ("Drop a Gem on 'Em," "Apostle's Warning").

I think The Infamous has more individual songs that stand out, and also because of Q-Tip's influence, it's kept from being too dark. He talked about that, making hard street music that doesn't just appeal to guys. But look at the title of the album, the song titles, the cover. It's called Hell on Earth, not Butterfly Kisses.

I think it comes down to personal preference. The Infamous is more beloved, but Prodigy and Havoc leveled up at their trades on Hell on Earth. Murda Muzik, from what I've heard, is a mixture between both albums sonically. It's lighter than Hell on Earth, but it still has that hard Mobb Deep sound.

Nah it’s close to me as far as which I like better but the beats and Rhymes got even better on HOE

Also Prodigy took it or another level on HOE

That year he was as good as any MC ever was

I love IWW as much or more then Illmatic as well so I don’t agree with your sentiments with those albums

Also while I hear what you’re saying the darkness of HOE is organic because they said they were dealing with a lot of death and bad things during the making of that album that’s why it was so dark

I see what y'all mean, but we didn't really hear that side of it on the album. Which goes to the crux of my issue with Hell on Earth, which is the overall lack of substance. It's basically just 14 songs of really dope superthug shoot em up bars, while The Infamous you had more conceptual songs and commentary on their circumstances. Which is what I meant about the lack of humanity. Like, it would've been nice if we heard some songs about dealing with Killer Black's death, etc. Like this:



Hoodlum feels WAY more like an Infamous song than anything off Hell on Earth

As much as P elevated his game on a technical level on Hell on Earth, nothing hits me like:

I got the powder, combine wit the powder, and water
It oughta, drop in a half and hour
In the, form of oil, watch the cocaine boil
Keep my eye on it so the shyt won't spoil
Then I pause... and ask God why
Did he put me on this Earth, just so I could die
I sit back and build on, all the things I did wrong
Why I'm still breathin, and all my friends gone
I try not to dwell on the subject for a while
Cause I might get stuck in this corrupt lifestyle
But my, heart pumps foul blood through my arteries
And I can't turn it back it's a part of me
Too late for cryin, I'm a grown man strugglin
To reach the next level of life, without fumblin
Down to foldin I got no shoulder to lean on but my own
All alone in this danger zone
Time waits for no man, the streets grow worse
fukk the whole world kid my money comes first
Cause I'm out for the gusto, and trust nobody
If you're not family, then you die by me
Cause nikkas will have you locked up the snitch'll be your man
Givin police the run down on your plans
We're never goin down like that
So I, shut my mouth and hold my words back
Illegal business, forever mine, fukk payin taxes
The last kid that shytted and gave police access
To my blueprints, used names as evidence
Skipped town and I haven't seen the snitch nikka ever since
The moral of the story is easy to figure out
A lesson that you can't live without

 

[Sean7]

You could definitely argue "The Infamous" is the better album but no album in history better epitomizes a mood or vibe (in this case, gloomy cold winter days and nights) than "Hell On Earth".

For some people that reason alone is enough to place it above "The Infamous".

Personally, I think they're equal. But like I said, I can't even play "Hell On Earth" unless it's like 34 degrees or below out. It doesn't feel natural otherwise.

Fred.

Great Description of Hell On Earth.... It feels exactly like that listening to it. I love both of those albums personally. Infamous if my fave LP of all times so it gets the nod by a little bit but Hell On Earth is just dope.