The more things change, the more they stay the same. The Infamous Mobb Deep has been in the game for over 10 year’s, but their style has hardly evolved. Ever since their classic release “The Infamous”, Havoc and Prodigy have always been about depicting their gritty Q.B. environment. The group’s seventh release, “Amerikas Nightmare”, is just more of the same from legendary Queens duo.
While fans hoped that the Mobb would return to their dominant sound of the past with “Amerikas Nightmare”, unfortunately their newest release is just an improvement upon “Infamy”, instead of a “Murda Muzik 2004.” The album, like most of their recent material, is mainly hit or miss. The Alchemist is responsible for the album’s best attempts, as he easily outshines Havoc on the production side. The album’s lead single, “Got It Twisted”, has been a huge commercial hit for the Mobb, no matter its hardcore sound. Alchemist flips Thomas Dolby’s “She Blinded Me With Science”, into a haunting Q.B. classic. Similarly, Alchemist is able to work magic on “Win Or Lose”, which samples the Jean Plum song “Here I Go Again”. The track’s soulful vibe is easily one of the better Mobb Deep tracks to be released in the past couple of years. However, the same can also be said for “When You Hear The”, which is about as close as you are going to get to hearing the old Mobb Deep. ALC once again amazes with his vicious production effort, which takes a page out of the classic motion picture “Scarface”.
While The Alchemist continues to shine on “Amerikaz Nightmare,” the same cannot be said for Havoc and the rest of the producers on the album, who all offer inconsistent performances. “Shorty Wop” is an uncharacteristic production effort from Hav, as the track’s bouncy vibe fails to blend with the Mobb’s gritty demeanor. On the flip side, Havoc tries to speed things up with “Flood The Block”, but is unsuccessful, as P’s sleepy flow is all too misplaced. Lil Jon’s formulaic production on “Real Gangsta’s” is another unnecessary effort, as is Red Spyda’s gimmicky sounds of “Real Niggaz.”
Just like every Mobb Deep release after “Murda Muzik,” “Amerikaz Nightmare” is highly inconsistent. No one expected the Mobb to broaden their horizons, or for Prodigy to rise up out of the dead and return to his former self. However, the production aspect definitely fails to live up to the usual Mobb Deep standards. Nevertheless, “Amerikaz Nightmare” still has its bright spots that should satisfy every Mobb Deep fan.
