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Havoc - The KushAlbum Review by:
John Burnett
Monday, September 17, 2007
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Mobb Deep is one of the most overlooked and under-appreciated duos from the golden era of Hip Hop. Many will fail to realize that with The Infamous and tracks like “Shook Ones Pt. II,” Havoc and Prodigy pioneered the genre of East Coast gangster rap. It was Havoc’s straight-forward, minimalist production that provided the sinister soundtrack for the majority of Mobb Deep’s albums. With partner, Prodigy, investing more in his solo career it was only a matter of time for Havoc to do the same. Longtime fans of the Mobb expect Havoc’s solo debut, The Kush, to be a relapse to their hard-hitting street anthems as opposed to their recent assortment of pop-friendly tracks.
All the preconceived notions of a possible mainstream release from Havoc are immediately eliminated once the album commences with “NY 4 Life,” a track where Havoc rhymes in a monotone about how late nights slinging dope “put an icebox where [his] heart used to be” as well as using a hammer to deal with snitches. The production is sharp on “NY 4 Life” with its crashing cymbals and synthesized keystrokes but Havoc’s verses’ come off as dull and vapid. “I’m the Boss,” the lead single revives A Tribe Called Quest’s track “Luck of Lucien” (original sample taken from Billy Brooks’ “Forty Days”) to generate a half-hearted effort to garner a few club spins. The problem with “I’m the Boss” is rhymes like “Oh, as I come through the door, throw valet the keys to my 07 Azure/that’s one of my exotic whips, now peep my exotic chick” which, like a lot of the rhymes, on this particular track come off as a lackadaisical verbal outing. Although the lyrics aren’t that strong per se the sample choice, “Luck of Lucien,” provides for some strong two-step appeal in your local nightclub. The next couple of tracks deliver the gutter and grime in sound and subject that fans of the Mobb are used to. “By My Side” is a baleful ode to the handgun. In this track, Havoc personifies his strap as a down chick that’ll ride when the need be and also a deliberator of bad news. This is a track core fans will appreciate. “Be There” switches gears a bit and displays a more contemplative Havoc over Michael Jackson’s first solo recording, “Got to Be There.” Over MJ’s crooning, Havoc questions the loyalty of friends and women wondering if things would remain the same without the presence of his wealth. But like most of the tracks on The Kush, the production outshines the uninspired rhymes by far.
At a very skimpy 39 minutes, The Kush is quite compact and even though it’s relatively short in comparison to most rap releases, Havoc still struggles to provide the listener with sufficient compelling material. On 6 of the 12 tracks there’s a guest appearance and those features fail to lend much to The Kush. What separates Havoc’s debut from past Mobb Deep efforts is that then, Havoc and Prodigy related graphic descriptions of street life to paint a picture of life in Southside Queens. Now, it’s just senseless gangster bravado with no real point. Production-wise The Kush has that feel of classic Mobb material, but lyrically Havoc struggles without the presence and charisma of partner, Prodigy
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