“It’s Friday you in for a long stay / Gettin’ shackled on the bus first thing come Monday / Hoping in your mind you’ll be released one day / But knowing / Home is a place you’re not going / For a long while / Now you’re up on the isle / And the position that you’re in got you refusing to smile…”
–Prodigy, Mobb Deep’s “Up North Trip.”
Ain’t No Sunshine
Among prison’s realities is the sobering effect it has on the people it surrounds. While a parade of emcees enter and exit the penal system, it consequently acts as a crash-course in sobriety. For some, like DMX, prison brings forth a detoxification process that they haven’t seen or felt in years. It gives them the opportunity to escape persistent drug use. For others, the sobriety is from the fame, groupies; the life that they thought would never leave them. Even in a media-filled world where Twitter and Facebook can update fans at a seconds notice, prison has a way of limiting the all access world. It takes an artist from performing for thousands, tweeting for hundreds of thousands, and gives them the mundane prison structure that every inmate is forced to follow. You’re a regular person again, only you’re not a civilian.
Cooking some BBQ salmon and octopus in the toaster oven. Yum! Prison at it’s best. Bout to eat and watch SNL. A bored NY’s fave past time
With Prodigy of Mobb Deep’s minute viral introduction to the world outside of the prison facility, he appeared confident that he indeed was back. It was a subtle and rather mum reintroduction to the free world, after Prodigy attempted to stir up as much controversy as possible via blogging while inside New Jersey’s Mid-State Correctional Facility. Besides a tweet from long time Mobb affiliate Alchemist stating that he was in the studio with infamous duo, little else has been reported. An appearance on Thisis50.com, a tweet, and a self assured P informed us all that he was “back in business.”
The business and promotion models have changed, as have the way prison is marketed. At one point ignorant publicists believed in the old adage that “the only bad press is no press.” Prison, in their point of view, was not just okay press, but huge headlines. It demonstrated credibility to an art form that publicists rarely believed in, and in turn they ran with the headlines. It may have started with Tupac Shakur and the way Death Row Records and Suge Knight grandstanded during his release. It continued with every label attempting to market a sentence, celebrate a release and pretend that the crimes that were committed only validated a lifestyle. Through it all fans were made to believe that time served increased sales. We were made to believe that the years we waited would be worth it. Nowadays, unless you’re pushing unbelievable units, labels are dropping artists and it’s “on to the next one.”
The past 24 months have seen its share of iconic Hip Hop prison releases. Shyne and Flesh-n-Bone were released after lengthy bids. Mainstream darlings Lil Wayne and T.I. entered life outside of a cell. The aforementioned Mobb Deep legend joined the club as well. If you extend the time period five years further, you can include in veterans like Lil’ Kim, Beanie Sigel, Mystikal, Black Rob, DMX, C-Murder (for a day), and the list goes on. Every one of these artists has at least a gold plaque to go along with their inmate number. Furthermore, every one of these artists was released and their post-prison musical follow up either never materialized or suffered dismal sales compared to previous projects. The prison time wasn’t bad press, the years away from media outlets and studios provided a silence that even a celebration couldn’t overcome. While the media age has over saturated the culture with up-to-date irrelevant information, prison suffocates the life out of a headline. As bad as it is for the publicists to overcome, it has even bigger financial and career implications on the artist.
“Out on bail / Fresh outta jail / California dreamin’/ Soon as I step on the scene, I’m hearin’ hoochies screamin’…”
–2Pac, “Calfornia Love.”
Things Done Changed
As Prodigy attempts to recapture glory years, Lil’ Kim continues to force herself into the headlines. Prodigy should take heed to the struggles that the Kim has had, because while P and Havoc are once again back in business, the business has become that much more difficult. Looking at the numbers, no artist besides 2Pac, profited from a prison sentence. When Lil’ Kim found herself destined to be behind bars, she used every media source to detail her journey. Accompanied with a cable television show, which showed her last moments as a free woman, she released a “five-mic” album in The Naked Truth. The five-mic album only went gold and caused Atlantic Records to end their 10-year relationship. DMX went from a consistent platinum act to an artist who struggled to maintain first-week numbers. Lil Wayne entered prison with his highest selling record of all time in Tha Carter III, but I Am Not A Human Being saw a dramatic decrease in sales (close to 2.5 million sales less than Tha Carter III). Even Tip’s first album released after his initial sentence, No Mercy, only recently cracked gold, a feat that Paper Trail did in its first week. These are top-flight examples; artists with less clout like Mystikal or Black Rob might not get a second chance.
Even the mention of Lil Boosie and C-Murder just reminds us how quickly they are fading from our minds, much the same way that No Limit veteran Mac left, Lil’ Kim and Prodigy are fighting for our attention. There hasn’t been any talk about validation, how Prodigy’s three-year sentence makes any of those Mobb Deep records any more believable. In truth, there isn’t a way that a publicist can spin a prison sentence into a positive career move. The bounce back is shallow, and despite best efforts, sales don’t back up the celebratory nature of releases. Bold claims, tough talk, and cosigns may demonstrate an artist’s confidence or even value, but it speaks nothing on his/her relevance or ability to sell records.
Upon his release, Mystikal quipped, “I was gone so long, all the things I achieved, all the accolades I attained, it felt like it was a dream. It felt like I’d never done that stuff. But watch how I shake this world up now—I want reparations.”
While Mystikal prepares for world takeover and demands reparations, Prodigy immediately got to work. Maybe he understands that the odds are against him, especially considering album sales were decreasing before the imprisonment, or maybe he’s going to let the work speak for itself. Regardless, the window of fame and relevance is short, and in order for it to stay open artists have to cultivate a reason for being heard. Prison unfortunately doesn’t give anyone a platform to do that. When our fallen heroes re-enter society, we’ve moved on and expect them to catch up. So far, few have been successful in doing so. Prodigy has the tough task of jarring the window open and regaining the career he once had. As his peers have demonstrated before him, that it is no easy task.
the lyrics at the start from “up north trip” are tight. that song is my fav mobb deep song
check it out, it is tha shiznit
Dope read, hope P breaks this trend
Going to prison doesn’t make or break a career, cause someone like Prodigy wasn’t a big star anyway. How easy will it be for Mobb Deep to sign with an indie label and release another album? Very easy. The point being the more years you hand over to the prison system, the more you’re just hurting yourself.
Just hope Mobb Deep can get back on in general.
Make that crack they used to makin again.
VDN
C-Murder was out for a DAY?! after being in for 10 years!? then he goes back to jail for life without parole, after a day?! thats really sad
Welcome Back P.
You know you can cook when your doing the octopus in the toaster oven.
Hahaha.
But alot of artist’s best work is after a prison sentence. Notorious’ ‘Ready to Die’, Tupac’s ‘Don Killuminati’, and Immortal Technique’s ‘Revolutionary Vol 1’. Prison provides a quiet time to focus and work without all the distractions from outside.
Prison provides a quiet time to focus and work without all the distractions from the outside
——————————
*Dead*
“When our fallen heroes re-enter society, we’ve moved on and expect them to catch up.” You are one stupid writer. You are acting like Prodigy is now left behind, without anything to speak about. He witness what prison is and on top of that, in one his blogs, he stated that he was doing lots of reading. His work will prove itself with the lyrics alone, regardless of what any critic writes about future projects.
If I were an MC I’d rather let my music speak for itself than care about album sales because only bandwagon rap fans listen to whats popular and move on to the next big thing. Mobb Deep doesn’t need to sell anymore they’ve already cemented their legacy in Hip Hop.
P gave that booty up every night!!! Ask the entire cell block. P is a fag!!!
I was in the cell across from him and him and his cell mate both slept in the bottom bunk and were Moaning and Groaning every night!!!!
wow bitch – you got a gay vivid imagination- making up gay scenarios in your head- you are mad gay… no hate.
P gave that booty up every night!!! Ask the entire cell block.. P is a fag!!!
I was in the cell across from him and him and his cell mate both slept in the bottom bunk and were Moaning and Groaning every night!!!!
hahaha
they shouldn’t even be in prison. these guys are all successful and wealthy enough not to get mixed up with people from their past. that’s what happens a guy gets rich then his buddies from the neighborhood get the best of him.
$WonDough$ aint trying to backtrack and go back
thats my dude!!!\
made real rap shit in a big way!
i did 2 years in fed pen.
p will being you so much dope shit. i promise!!
real dope shit to come
All the artists mentioned had fallen off before being locked up except T.I. and Wayne, and neither of them have REALLY released an album yet. No Mercy was unfinished and was only released because he was going back in and Wayne’s album was released WHILE he was still in, and consisted of stuff that wasn’t good enough to make it on Carter 4. Wait until they are actually able to finish a new project to comment. You also conveniently failed to mention Pimp C, who was way bigger after being released. I think prison time is pretty much a wash: if you suck when you went in, you will when you come out.
http://www.youtube.com/user/305ilovemia#p/u/0/DLI1j7hlh5o
IM PUBLIC ENEMY NUMBER WON…IT TAKES A NATION OF MILLIONS TO HOLD ME BACK…WELCOME TO MY TERRORDOME
I’m of the view that success is captured if there is a change made…
2Pac found success after jail because a change was made… His lifestyle changed, even the music changed somewhat… and we must remember that this was a new level of success, like nothing he had experienced in his pre-prison career…
In my view, the mistake most artists make after prison is to try and re-capture what they had before they went in, which is almost impossible, especially for those who served long bids… Like you said, the world moves on, so they gotta move with it, switch up and get with the times… People like TI and Wayne can’t really be looked at as examples, as they served short stints and had enough music to carry them through while they were still incarcerated, maybe not enough quality to move major units, but enough to keep them relevant…
I think P is in a special position because for one, he’s part of a group/family that has kept the spirit of Mobb Deep alive… Alchemist and Havoc have been churning out those dark Mobb Deep type beats for a while, and one can feel the missing piece that is P’s gritty slow flow on that… I think his choice of getting right back to work is fueled by the need to give hungry fans that Mobb music again… Especially with their break from G-Unit (which was well received), they can go back to making that gutter music…
There is a sort of renaissance happening in rap today that was brought forth by the release of OBCLII… The younger fans accepted that kind of music!! I think P saw that, and he’s trying to ride that wave (which I think is a smart idea)…
Prison is a wake up call for these dudes like you say… Just like sobriety is a wake up call for others… Just like old age is a wake up call for some… A change of environment often calls for a change in strategy… Jay did it, Em and Wayne are doing it… I think rappers should realize that it’s not about prison, it’s about how much you change when you get out, and how much that change impacts or affects the crowd…
yeah p you have some proving to do yo have fallen of even before you went to jail wheres the p that went hard on shook ones pt 2 and survival of the fittest
OCTOPUS IN THE TOASTER OVEN? FUCK IS THIS CRACK SMOKIN ASS NIGGA PARLAYIN BOUT? THEY MUSTA DONE SUMN TO HIS ASS IN JAIL DOGG
It was never about validating the lifestyle. It’s about storytelling.
Mobb Deep brought real grit to the rap game — their own style. It involved into 50 cent tellin gutter stories of survival and pain. It’s the music.
No one bought Pacs CD because he went to jail. They bought it because it had style and new flava.
The new kids got brought something new to the table. So the only way P gets commercial success is to bring something fresh to the masses.
Although the article’s point is right, I can’t think of any artists that try to conceptualize an album solely around a prison sentence. Even Shyne.
read prodigys letter from jail
This writer talk’s about coming back after prison and how much of a hard task it is and such and such. Every artist is differen,t and had success in there own right.
Prodigy had a long run and niggaz still wanna hear what the QB representer has to say!
P gave that booty up every night!!! Ask the entire cell block.. P is a fag!!!
I was in the cell across from him and him and his cell mate both slept in the bottom bunk and were Moaning and Groaning every night!!!!
P walks bowlegged now!!!
in your dreams, you certified fuckboy faggot.
http://www.beatsrhymezlife.blogspot.com
CHECK IT OUT YOU WON’T BE DISAPPOINTED.
good article, well written, with really good points..
what about gucci mane, did he fell off after his jail release?
i don’t think so
it gave him more credit instead
I would beg to differ. His “Radric Davis” album has barely gone gold (I don’t know if it’s even certified), and his last album “The Appeal” has only done, like, 100,000. Now he has to do shit like tattooin’ ice cream cones on his face, startin’ fake beef wit’ Waka Flocka or gettin’ arrested to get his name in the headlines. He’s fallin’ off supahard yo’……
nobody is selling records anymore. i’m glad P is out tho. maybe we can get a non-g-unit sounding l.p. soon. BOOM!! -iz
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I can see how jail can effect a man. Either your coming home with some exteme focus or your going out how you came in the system.
Judah
2centtab.blogspot.com
http://www.beatsrhymezlife.com
TRUST ME.. U WANNA CHECK IT OUT.
It is absolutely amazing. You could be a rapper, makes tons of money and still end up potentially on death row. http://www.ranker.com/list/rappers-in-prison-complete-list-of-rappers-in-jail/whatevayoulike
The music industry is a fast changing industry… This makes it hard to stay on top regardless of prison time or not… What the artists need to realize is that you can only shine for so long and then you are out… Dre can never be the same rap star (fortunately he was wise enough to see this) we all knew him for. Snoop Dogg/Lion has had to change his genre in order for him to stay in the industry… In short whether they have been silenced by doing time or not, they are bound to fade anyway….