Friday, March 14, 2025

Stuck Off The Realness: Ranking Mobb Deep's Discography



If there was a duo that sent chills up and down your spine with every listen and every verse that was presented, it was the duo of Kejuan Muchita and Albert Johnson, aka Havoc and Prodigy respectively, or collectively Mobb Deep. The duo from Queensbridge (although P was originally from Hempstead, Long Island and later moved to Lefrak City) made their impact known primarily from one of hip-hop's all-time menacing and vivid anthems, "Shook Ones Pt. 2".  Although they've been in the game since they were just fifteen years of age, Hav and P were troublesome teens that became stick-up kids and became street bosses based upon their lyrical crime sprees and their real-life beefs with several within the industry, including Snoop Doog, Tha Dogg Pound, 2Pac, and Jay-Z.  Hav's ominous and haunting boom-bap became that of legendary stature and set a new trend in knocking atmospheric hip-hop, while P became one of the game's most unbelievable emcees with a knack for cinematic and bleak imagery the likes of which could only get duplicated by a Horror screenwriter in NYC hip-hop form.  With eight albums under their belt, half of the discography were priceless, legendary albums that still hold up against any hardcore, gangsta albums from NYC to this very day. Along with their crew of the Infamous Mobb (G.O.D. Father Pt. III, Ty Nitty, Big Twins), Big Noyd, and the rest of the Twelfth St. Crew, these gun-toting broadstreet bullies were nothing to play with on wax nor in the streets in real life.  Unfortunately, in 2017, Prodigy passed away due to complications from suffocating on an egg in Cedar Sanai Hospital, silencing one of hip-hop's most incredible writers and emcees.  A posthumous Mobb album is forthcoming in 2025, with Hav and longtime frequent collaborator, The Alchemist, providing the sounds that will likely make the block shoot up the sky in salute to them.  P's legacy is passed on to his daughter, Santana Foxx, who has his voice and a lot of Hav's production style.  As for Hav, he's maintaining, establishing himself among the greatest hip-hop boardsmiths of all-time. For this list, we will highlight the discography of released Mobb albums (we won't highlight the Free Agents mixtape as it's not considered a retail album for the most part, but instead a mixtape of unreleased Mobb efforts) and point out their highs and lows, while respecting the immense talent both guys possessed and how their form of violent rap resonated around the world with pride.  Without further ado, let's start, shall we??



 8. Juvenile Hell

Production: artist, DJ Premier, Large Professor, others

Guests: Big Noyd


We start off with when these two young tykes were in their mid-teens.  Originally named Poetical Prophets, these delinquents from the forty-first side of twelfth street started doing damage with their debut album, Juvenile Hell.  At a time where other troublesome kid acts such as Illegal, their forty-first QB brethren, Killa Kidz, Shyheim, Da Youngstas, and even novelty acts like Kris Kross and ABC were handling all kinds of business, Mobb Deep got lost in the shuffle.  Their debut was as rugged and gritty as what you'd expect from teenagers at this time. Their subject matter ranged from street narratives to the overly sexually exploitative on cuts like the ode to being sent up in NY's Youth Authority, "Locked in Spoffard", "Peer Pressure", and the thematically cringe-worthy "Hit It From Da Back" (keep in mind they were about fifteen or sixteen around this time).  Although not the most boneyard-sounding of albums in terms of soundscapes, they had the likes of fellow Queens native, Large Professor, and the almighty DJ Premier contributing to both the original and remixed versions of the aforementioned "Peer Pressure".  However, you definitely get glimpses of the greatness to come with formidable knockers like "Bitch Ass Niggaz", the Noyd-assisted "Stomp 'Em Out", and "Project Hallways", in which we get glimpses of the outstanding written talents of P especially, but Hav came correct as well on these cuts as well.  Although not considered, generally, amongst their upper tier within their catalog, that doesn't mean that this album wasn't dope in its own right.  While clearly the best was yet to come from these two wylin' out tykes, Juvenile Hell displayed a rawness that was just a sampling of what was a couple of years down the road. However, if you wanna hear the birth of the mind state of the most infamous ones, check out this debut effort.



7. Infamy

Production: Havoc, The Alchemist, EZ Elpee, Scott Storch

Guests: 112, Ron Isley, Vita, Littles, Infamous Mobb, Big Noyd, Lil' Mo


After delivering three of hip-hop's most criminally crazy albums of modern times in The Infamous, Hell On Earth, and Murda Muzik, the pressure was on for the Mobb to keep up the momentum, even in a somewhat changing hip-hop landscape by 2001, in which the south was becoming a force within hip-hop so the grip the east coast and even the west coast was having on the game was shifting beneath the Mason-Dixon line.  On top of that, there was THAT Hot 97 Summer Jam event in 2001, that had Jay-Z verbally smack Nas and Prodigy with his cut "The Takeover". As much as he dissed Nas, he also put a somewhat embarrassing young photo of prodigy in old Michael Jackson gear and showed him in the dance studio of Ashanti's mother.  This set off a string of lyrical disses towards Jay, as well as a physical element of threats as well towards Jay which indicated he wouldn't mind bringing that realness to Hov's front door.  From this, Infamy was born.  P's focus is way more on Jay than anything else, as he throws barbs at him on a few cuts such as "Crawling" the Infamous Mobb-assisted "My Gat's Spitting", and the first single, "The Learning (Burn)".  Truthfully, compared to how otherworldly P was up to this album lyrically and penmanship-wise, P wasn't quite as up to par as he normally would be, at least on a consistent manner.  Samplings of the P we knew and loved showed in various cuts like the excellent Littles-assisted "Nothing Like Home", "Kill Dat Nigga", and "Hurt Niggas", but this was actually one album in which Havoc was more consistently good on here more than P. Whether or not that was by design or if P's focus was more on reestablishing the reputation Jay somewhat took an entire shit on with that photo, Havoc stepped up throughout the majority of this album. Where this album also falls is the R&B aesthetic. While there's not necessarily a problem with the Ron Isley-crooned, "There I Go Again", as well as the Lil' Mo-assisted "Pray For Me", as they still contain elements of the streets that can be relatable, it's the painfully syrupy infatuation ode with former Bad Boy Records group, 112, "Hey Luv". Over an admittedly sensual track, P and Hav go full romantic on this cut, making their diehards vehemently roll their eyes and ask themselves "Is this same Mobb from '93" on up until then?  There are other dope cuts like "Clap" and "So Long", but then other mediocre cuts like "Handcuffs" weigh this album down a lot from being way better than it could've been.  Overall, Infamy is a decent album, but not in the same league as their prior three undisputed classics.  The damage from the Jay-Z/Hot 97 incident, plus inner turmoil amongst the two at the time, limited what could've been another huge triumph for the duo.



6. Blood Money

Production: Havoc, The Alchemist, Exile, Sha Money XL, JR Rotem, others

Guests: G-Unit


After being dropped from Jive Records after their good, yet underwhelming, effort, Amerika'z Nightmare, the notorious Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson recruited the infamous ones for his G-Unit camp.  This talk instantly made the streets jump with delight knowing the roll G-Unit was already on with highly dope and successful albums from 50, Banks, Buck, Game, and Yayo.  Their G-Unit debut, Blood Money, was certainly full of that G-Unit swagger that had become synonymous with the crew and label but also provided bits of the Mobb we knew and loved, at least up to around Infamy time.  The first single, the bumping, horn-laced, "Put 'Em In their Place", was a promising intro for their G-Unit offering in terms of singles.  P's seminal tough guy talk was almost at the level we knew him to be associated with from the nineties.  Havoc also came out to play here as well, with his pen game being as good as it's ever been.  Where the album shined at, it shined big time.  Cuts like the Alchemist-crafted "The Infamous", the brooding "Daydreaming", and the Tony Yayo-assisted, "Click, Click", give us traces of old Mobb, only with some G-Unit touches.  They hit the peak of controversy with the inflammatory "Pearly Gates".  Over an outstanding Exile (of Blu & Exile fame) beat, complete with haunting vocal loops, a menacing organ, and snapping basslines, Hav, P, and 50 all rhyme about what it would be like to enter Heaven despite their gangster ways. In the case of P, he goes for the jugular. He goes so far as to say to "the bossman" (Jesus Christ) he has beef with him, claiming painful living and struggling growing up.  Seen as blasphemous and utterly disrespectful to the Christian community, this became the most polarizing cut on the album, despite the fantastic production from Exile.  They venture into territory that makes them abandon the grittiness they had been widely known for, and embrace superstar status on cuts like "Backstage Pass", "Capital P, Capital H", and "Creep", but also questionable production choices for tracks like "In Love With The Moula", the 50/Mary J. Blige-club track, "It's Alright",  and the Young Buck-assisted, "Give It To Me" halter the album from being even near the capabilities they have more than proven they could measure up to.  While some of these beats could easily be on other G-Unit projects from the likes of 50 or Banks, considering what we've heard from them previously in nineties, this is nowhere near their best.  Even at times sounding uninspired, the Mobb were trying to fit a G-Unit aesthetic more so than an authenticity they had been known for (they didn't even have Noyd on this album at all).  Overall, Blood Money was a good album, but not a great album. Not if you measure it up against their nineties monsters of The Infamous, Hell On Earth, and Murda Muzik.  While a step up from Infamy, Blood Money is still considered a mixed bag at best. What should've been a staggering return to what we knew from Hav and P became a look at a legacy that was starting to crumble due to struggling to whether the storms they had been known to conquer.



5. Amerika'z Nightmare

Production: Havoc, The Alchemist, Kanye West, Lil' Jon, Red Spyda

Guests: Twista, Littles, Big Noyd, Lil' Jon, Jadakiss, Nate Dogg


After the slight fumble that was Infamy, they went over to Jive Records for their first (and only) Jive release, Amerika'z Nightmare.  In 2004, the sound was definitely becoming more with southern flare and less boom-bap with their sounds.  The Mobb, at points, wasn't exempt from these cultural shifts, enlisting crunk king, Lil' John for "Real Gangstas", as well as the knocking thump of Kanye for "Throw Your Hands".  For the most part, Mobb goes back into a bag they're familiar with to a degree. The singles of the dark, yet frenzied sounding, "One Of Ours" (the remix with Jadakiss shows how much the Mobb and The Lox needed to do more cuts together) and the Thomas Dolby-sampled, "Got It Twisted" showed a slightly new direction for the Mobb in terms of more of an accessible sound that doesn't take away from their griminess. Also, Hav and P recognize that they needed to reconcile what Infamy lacked. Take the neck-snapping "On The Run", in which Hav and P channel old hunger that resembled Murda Muzik at the latest. The title track has wrestling fans snapping their necks to what clearly sounds like the entrance theme of Legado Del Fantasma in WWE, but Hav and P show their aggressive sadism, and the Nate Dogg-assisted, "Dump", has traces of vintage Mobb with brooding basslines and haunting strings.  It's when they go even darker when we get not just Hav stepping up, but we get the old P. The P that was "like the stank urine on your staircase".  Cuts like the haunting "We Up" has Hav implementing a slightly faster-paced neck snap in which P delivers his brand of grisly cinematic rhymes that weren't as memorable from the prior album. Meanwhile, Uncle Al shows his ass on arguably the two best sonic cuts on the project: "When You Hear The" and "Win Or Lose". On the former, the horror scene-sounding thump sets as the backdrop for a reenergized P and Hav that will make their hardcore fans scream with delight that they've brought that "murda music" back. On the latter, Al masterfully crafts a sample of "Here I Go Again" by Jean Plum by also having a handclap snare that serves as custom made for the streets and clubs alike that have the Mobb having fun while clearly letting lyrical macs blow.  Is the album perfect and does it deserve to be mentioned among their top three ever? Not quite. This is based on less-than-stellar cuts like "Shorty Wop", "Neva Change", and the Red Spyda-produced, "Real Niggaz", but that's not to say they're not worthy of a bump, compared to most of the rest of the album, these cuts fall short of consistency. As a whole, Amerika'z Nightmare serves as a mild resurrection of the Mobb we had become familiar with. Sure this is more club friendly and more mid to up-tempo, but the club can get blood on the walls too, as QB's most infamous displayed in dope fashion.



4. The Infamous Mobb Deep

Production: Havoc, KAYTRANADA, !llmind, Salaam Remi, Boi-1nda, Beat Butcha, others

Guests: Snoop Dogg, Bun B, Juicy J, The Lox, French Montana, Nas, Busta Rhymes, Mack Wilds


With them reaching critical and commercial highs with their classic three-headed monster of The Infamous, Hell On Earth, and Murda Muzik, to diving to critical lows with the subsequent albums of Infamy, Amerika'z Nightmare, and Blood Money, this was a make-or-break moment for the Mobb. Not to mention, they were having issues with each other, as Hav was going after P on wax and on stations and interviews, which all but signaled the end of one of the illest duos hip-hop has ever delivered from NYC.  They temporarily reconnected to drop what would turn out to be their final album, The Infamous Mobb Deep, which also doubled as a double album with the second disc being a disc that contained lost sessions of tracks around the time of The Infamous, which included the first version of their iconic "Shook Ones" cut.  Completely independent without a major label backing them, they went for broke, and the results were the closest glimpses we had of their nineties prime to date.  Just based off the first single, "Taking You Off Here", it's clear Hav and P are focused and ready to drop their hardcore thug shit we know them for so very well.  Unlike most Mobb albums, they spread production duties around with a few outside guests producing such as !llmind, KAYTRANADA, frequent Nas collaborator, Salaam Remi, and Boi-1nda. To their credits, each one tailor makes their sound to reflect that classic Mobb aesthetic and for the most part, they deliver. Take !llmind on the bassline heavy "Say Something", which contains a creepy aura with slinky keys. Hav and P show up and deliver that griminess nicely.  Also, Beat Butcha provides a dope instrumental for "Timeless" that could easily be a throwback during the Murda Muzik days, and Boi-1nda contributing to the piano-heavy "Low" featuring P doing a rare double time flow and Hav writing letters to the women in their lives.  Perhaps the most surprising sounding is Grammy winner, KAYTRANADA (whose work is more closely related to EDM), providing a surprisingly snapping, yet ominous, backdrop for the Mobb to skate over excellently.  The feel with this album is bits of the positives of the albums that weren't as acclaimed as their most known three, but the hunger of those aforementioned three that garnered them all that praise in the first place.  Of course, it wouldn't be a recent Mobb album without Alchemist coming through, and boy does he ever on the cuts "Lifetime", "Waterboarding", and the Nas-assisted "Get It Forever" that resemble the bloody messes we known them to create and quite frankly they sound the most comfortable over.  This turned out to be the Mobb's final album, as P would unfortunately pass away just a few years later and the game would never be the same.  Although the posthumous album is on the way shortly this year, this will be remembered as the Mobb's final album together with P living. With The Infamous Mobb Deep, they showed that, when everything comes together as they knew it to, there wasn't a duo around that was on their level and were the tag team champions of that "violent nigga rap shit".  Even with varied sounds and production, their chemistry was in line as the days of old. One love to the Mobb forever and always.



3. Murda Muzik

Production: Havoc, The Alchemist, Mo-Suave-A

Guests: Raekwon, Cormega, Nas, Infamous Mobb, Big Noyd, Kool G. Rap, Lil' Kim, Eightball


Come '99, QB's most infamous were on a tear within NY hip-hop, and hip-hop as a whole.  After delivering two of the hardest NYC albums to ever exist within music in The Infamous and Hell On Earth, Mobb Deep were in full demand. Havoc was becoming a mainstay within hip-hop production circles, producing tracks for the likes of Method Man, Nas, Cormega, Almighty RSO, Biggie, CNN, and even Shaq. P, on the other hand, was killing guest vocals on tracks by LL, Nas, Big Pun, Pete Rock, and others.  It had been three years since Hell On Earth dropped, and the heads were fiending for new Mobb music.  Mix shows and mixtapes were circulating with new music that was assuming a new album was coming, and we absolutely got it in the form of Murda Muzik.  Early on, however, there were rampant bootlegs of the album that all but scrapped most of the original album and forced Hav & P to do new cuts while also removing others.  Cuts like "Nobody Likes Me", "Thrill Me (Like Makaveli)", "Pyramid Points", "Power Rap", the Onyx-assisted, "QB Meets South Suicide", and "Mobb Comin' Thru" were unfortunately removed, only to be placed on other mixtapes and compilations such as Violator: The Album, Slam soundtrack, and the QB's Finest album.  Did this stop the album from getting busy? Absolutely not.  In fact, this album became their highest selling and charting album to date.  The official first single, "Quiet Storm", was originally a mixtape cut by P called "White Lines", an updated version of Melle Mel's classic of the same name from the early eighties.  This track had Hav on the added hook and became an instant classic, and then the Lil Lim-assisted remix brought the hood girls to the club, making it arguably the breakout hit that the Mobb has long been striving for.  This was followed up by the next smash, the Nas-assisted, Scarface sampled "It's Mine". With these cuts alone, we were in for another possible Mobb classic, and quite honestly, this was as close as you could get to the two landscape shifting priors.  The opener, "Streets Raised Me", has Noyd and QB songstress, Chinky, bringing a dash of ghetto R&B sounds while keeping the thug element with it.  They also venture into southern territory with the Eightball-assisted, "Where You At" and it comes off surprisingly very well, while they also link up with the likes of frequent collaborator, Raekwon, Lil' Cease, and Cormega for "Can't Fuck Wit", "I'm Goin' Out", and What's Your Poison" respectively. The latter of which sounds more traditional Mobb than the other two.  Hav stays varying up his production choices with cuts like the mid to up-tempo bounce of "U.S.A. (A'ight Then)" and the Sade-sampled ode to their fallen loved ones, "Where Ya Heart At", which is more solemn and brooding than we're used to hearing from them.  However, vintage Mobb was in the house on cuts like the slammin' "Adrenaline", the organ-sampled knocker, "Allustrious", and "Spread Love".  We also get introduced the stylings of now legendary producer, The Alchemist, on two tracks: "the Infamous Mobb-assisted, "Thug Muzik" and the outstanding "The Realest", which features Kool G. Rap delivering one of his memorable verses ever and P delivering one of his most quoted opening lines: "Never prejudge it be the humble that'll squeeze slugs/it be the ones standing still that will peel guns."  While there's no doubt keeping the killed songs on the album would've made this album even better than this version, don't get it confused folks, this version of Murda Muzik was mean, and they officially went three for three.  While some scoff at the varied sounds with this, overall, this kept up the building legacy the Mobb was mounting for themselves. It became clear that these two were perhaps the most acclaimed duo at this time not named Outkast, and Hav & P knew how to keep their finger on the pulse of the streets like nobody else. They just so happen to garner a couple of platinum plaques to go along with their chains and guns.



2. Hell On Earth

Production: Havoc

Guests: Method Man, Big Noyd, Infamous Mobb, Raekwon, Nas, Illa Ghee


How the hell do you follow-up one of the game's most incredible albums with The Infamous? Considered among the most stellar albums in hip-hop ever, The Infamous showed Mobb Deep was the genuine article within NY hip-hop.  The anticipation was on as far as how they would duplicate the critical and commercial achievement of their sophomore album. This was answered in the form of Hell On Earth the very next year.  With underground mix shows playing "Still Shining" and the FEROCIOUS 2Pac-diss, "Drop A Gem On 'Em", heads were sweating in anticipation of the hellraising to come, and based upon the official first single, the title track, we were in for an event every bit as bloody as The Infamous.  The opening cut of "Animal Instinct" provides enough strings and bump to set the tone for the rest of the album. P's pen game was even more stellar than before and placed him among the upper echelon of emcees during this time period, while Hav was damn sure nothing to overlook either.  The mood of this album was even colder than its predecessor and left you with more of a QB horror movie feel than the previous album just based upon its overly haunting and atmospheric production.  The soundscapes here are stunning in texture and the layered mixture of strings and gripping keys made the likes of the Method Man-assisted "Extortion", "Get Dealt With", and "Bloodsport" such stunning outings and put their emphasis on ice-cold narratives and surreal stories that would make Scorsese proud.  They even blistered the Scarface-sampled "G.O.D. Pt. III" with astounding execution and with "More Trife Life", Hav once again paints a picture of a shiesty female looking to set him up only things go left by the end.  One thing about this album is them, more specifically P, addressing their enemies, whether blatantly or subtly.  While "Drop A Gem On 'Em" was the craziest of disses, it also wasn't the only one. P slides in a diss on the rugged-sounding track with Noyd, "Man Down",  but especially goes in on the bonus cut, "In The Long Run" with Infamous Mobb member, Ty Nitty, in which P addresses the altercation between he, his crew, and Keith Murray and his crew outside a nightclub in NY, which resulted in fists being swung, kicks, and bullets spraying, calling out Murray by name.  If there's one thing P did well, and that was be controversial, and this album was no exception even more than The Infamous during the "Infamous Prelude". All things withstanding, Hell On Earth was easily as gripping as The Infamous, and in some cases even more. P emerged as one of the game's most astonishing and vivid wordsmiths, while Havoc took his place among the very best behind the boards, while still holding his own on the mic as well.  Never have shootouts, revenge, stick ups, and extortions sounded so damn incredible, but Mobb Deep pulled it off like nobody's business.



1. The Infamous

Production: Havoc, Q-Tip

Guests: Big Noyd, Q-Tip, Raekwon, Ghostface Killah


At the beginning of this list, we highlighted the Mobb's debut effort, Juvenile Hell. This '93 effort had them in their mid-teens spitting about the harsh realities of life in the PJs as sixteen-year-olds.  The subject matter was vivid, and at times a little too much considering their young ages, but no less dope.  That is until March of '95, when we heard the ice-cold knock that was "Shook Ones Pt. 2".  An immediate underground classic, we knew quickly from the iconic opening line from P, "I got you shook off the realness, we be the infamous, you heard of us/official Queensbridge murderers", that these were not the same tykes that were dropping crass cuts like "Hit It From Da Back" just two plus years earlier. Heads were in the midst of absorbing one of the most chilling anthems in hip-hop history. P's explicitly sinister rhymes along with Hav's almost equally captivating lyrics over some of the bleakest, yet knocking, boardwork to exist set the stage for what would be among the most anticipated album of the year, The Infamous.  Once we got the follow-up single, the practically just as sinister, "Survival of The Fittest", we knew we were in for something monstrous, and boy we were we ever. From the haunting opener, "Start of Your Ending", you were in for an album that would bump in otherworldly levels.  The album didn't let up a single ounce with cuts like the gritty, yet soulful, collab with Noyd, "Give Up the Goods", the wonderfully penned ode to Hav's late brother, Killa Black, "Temperature's Rising", and the vivid ode to getting sent to prison, "Up North Trip".  The album's most stunning appears in the form of the cinematic, "Cradle to The Grave", which has them incredibly outlining an event in which one of their crew was gunned down and while they're being investigated, it turned out to be one of their own that was responsible.  Among the most stellar writing events these guys have ever crafted, this remains among the true staples of the duo from a writing and storytelling standpoint alone.  It doesn't hurt that the production was bleak and menacing either.  That's only followed up with arguably the most light-hearted cut on the album (if you can call it lighthearted), "Drink Away the Pain", which has them and track producer, Q-Tip, personifying their alcohol and designer brands as love interests.  With other tremendous cuts like "Hectic", the dope collab with Raekwon and Ghostface, "Right Back at You", the ode to a conniving woman setting them up, "Trife Life", and the crazy closer, "Party's Over", The Infamous remains among the most celebrated and decorated albums in hip-hop history.  Even with the controversial "Infamous Prelude", that was a subtle diss towards, supposedly, Redman and Keith Murray, this album has been in the conversation with Illmatic as the greatest album to come from QB.  It's a very valid argument and is highly understandable. It's hard as hell to even come close to comparing any album to Illmatic but leave it to these QB kids to pull it off.  During this time period, other seminal classics like Ready To Die, 36 Chambers, Only Built 4 Cuban Linx, and Dah Shinin' were shifting the momentum back to the east coast when the west was clearly providing dominance due to the massive success of Death Row Records.  This monumental effort was as up there as anything else that was responsible for this shift to occur.  This was the landmark album that officially placed Mobb Deep among NYC's catalysts and proved that they evolved from some troublesome juveniles to official QB murderers in their most violent, yet authentic, way possible.  




Be sure to check out these Mobb-associated releases as well:

Infamous Mobb- Special Edition

Infamous Mobb- Blood Thicker Than Water Vol. 1

Infamous Mobb- Reality Rap

Big Noyd- Episodes of A Hustla (EP)

Big Noyd- Only the Strong

Big Noyd- On the Grind

Big Noyd- Illustrious

Big Noyd- The Stick-Up Kid

Big Noyd- Queens Chronicle

Big Noyd- Street Kings

Littles- The Feeding

Big Twins- The Grimey Kid

Big Twins- The Infamous QB EP

Big Twins- Grimey Life

Big Twins- The Infamous QB: Still Cookin'

Big Twins- The Infamous QB: On the Grill

Blaq Mobb (G.O.D. Father Pt. III, Flame Killah)- Infamous Legacy

Blaq Mobb (G.O.D. Father Pt. III, Flame Killah)- Blaq Diamonds

Ty Nitty- My Loyal Life



As well as their solo releases:

Prodigy- H.N.I.C.

Prodigy- H.N.I.C. 2

Prodigy- H.N.I.C. 3

Prodigy & The Alchemist- Return of The Mac

Prodigy & The Alchemist- Albert Einstein

Prodigy- The Bumpy Johnson LP

Prodigy- The Hegelian Dialectic (The Book of Revelations)

Prodigy- The Hegelian Dialectic 2 (The Book of Heroine)

Havoc- The Kush

Havoc & The Alchemist- The Silent Partner

Havoc- The Hidden Files

Havoc & Flee Lord- In the Name of Prodigy

Styles P & Havoc- Wreckage Manner

Nyce Da Future & Havoc- Future of the Streets

Dark Lo & Havoc- Extreme Measures

Havoc- 13

Havoc- 13 Reloaded



Here are some of Mobb Deep's craziest cuts within this tracklist (including a lot of unreleased gems):


"Shook Ones Pt. 2" (production: Havoc)

"Drop A Gem On 'Em" (production: Havoc)

"Win or Lose" (production: The Alchemist)

"Put 'Em In their Place" (production: Sha Money XL)

"G.O.D. Pt. III" (production: Havoc)

"Peer Pressure" (production: DJ Premier)

"Allustrious" (production: Havoc)

"Nothing Like Home" feat. Littles (production: Havoc)

"My Block" (production: KAYTRANADA)

"The Realest" feat. Kool G. Rap (production: The Alchemist)

"Thrill Me (Like Makaveli)" feat. Big Noyd (production: Havoc)

"Nobody Likes Me" (production: Havoc)

"Shook Ones Pt. 1" (production: Havoc)

"Bloodsport" (production: Havoc)

"Take It in Blood" feat. Big Twins (Twin Gambino) (production: Havoc)

"Up North Trip" (production: Havoc)

"Locked In Spofford" (production: Havoc)

"Extortion" feat. Method Man (production: Havoc)

"There Dat Go" (production: The Alchemist)

"Survival Of The Fittest" (production: Havoc)

"Feel My Gat Blow" (production: Havoc)

"Perfect Plot" feat. Big Noyd (production: Havoc)

"QB Meets South Suicide" feat. Onyx (production: Havoc)

"Get Snitched On" (production: Havoc)

"Carved In Stone" (production: The Alchemist)

"Legendary" feat. Bun B, Juicy J (production: Havoc, Boi-1nda)

"Get Away" (production: EZ Elpee)

"Get Dealt With" (production: Havoc)

"Cradle To the Grave" (production: Havoc)

"It's Mine" feat. Nas (production: Havoc)

"Adrenaline" (production: Havoc)

"Back At You" (production: Havoc)

"We Up" (production: Havoc)

"Rare Species" (production: Havoc)

"World War 3" (production: Havoc)

"Hoodlum" feat. Big Noyd, Rakim (production: Havoc)

"Power Rap" (production: Havoc)

"Everyday Gunplay" (production: Havoc)

"Quiet Storm" (production: Havoc)

"Give Up the Goods" feat. Big Noyd (production: Q-Tip)

"Pearly Gates" feat. 50 Cent (production: Exile)

"When You Hear The" (production: The Alchemist)

"Pyramid Points" (production: Havoc)

"Daydreaming" (production: Chad Beat)

"My Gat's Spitting" feat. Infamous Mobb (production: Havoc)

"Project Hallways" (production: Havoc)

"Hell On Earth (Front Lines)" (production: Havoc)

"Eye For An Eye" feat. Nas, Raekwon (production: Havoc)

"It's A Craze" (production: The Alchemist)

"Can't Rock Wit Us" feat. Busta Rhymes (production: Havoc)

"The Money" feat. Killa Black, Karate Joe (production: Havoc)

"It Could Happen To You" (production: DJ Muggs)

"Black Cocaine" (production: The Alchemist)

"Taking You Off Here" (production: Havoc)

"In The Long Run" feat. Ty Knitty (production: Havoc)

"Hit It From Da Back" (production: artist)




Wednesday, January 22, 2025

The Most Anticipated Hip-Hop Albums of 2025



With 2024 being such an unbelievable year, the pressure is on for 2025 to bring every bit as much heat as 2024 did.  The year saw phenomenal releases from the likes of Common & Pete Rock, Roc Marci, his collab with The Alchemist, Lloyd Banks, the late, great Ka, Rapsody, and Benny The Butcher.  In fact, the year belonged to two specific demographics: the eighties/nineties OGs and the west coast.  Both these demos delivered a lot of the most outstanding sounds of the year and possibly the decade thus far.  With 2025, there are a lot of potential stellar albums that could easily set new benchmarks for the game and these are just some of the potential album drops that could bless our ears this year. Not all of these are confirmed to drop, but based upon social media takes, as well as certain interviews, podcasts and the like, it's likely we will get at least half of this list, and some of the list afterwards as well.  Expect a year that, whether it holds a candle to 2024 or not, will be another scorcher of a year and will make quite the fun time as well.  Without further ado, here are twenty-five of the most anticipated releases of the year.




25. Mac Miller & Madlib

MacLib

Production: Madlib

Guests: unknown


We start with two projects from the ever-mad scientist himself, Madlib.  The Oxnard, CA native is considered legendary amongst, especially underground, hip-hop circles due to his work on the likes of Pinata, Bandana, Liberation, Liberation 2, Soundpieces: Da Antidote, and especially the all-timer, Madvillainy.  Do not be surprised if 2025 is among the biggest years to date for "The Beat Konductor." One of the more anticipated possible releases is his posthumous release with the late, great Mac Miller.  Reportedly, he's finishing up this MacLib project that's been in development since not long before Miller died in 2019.  Miller was known for his incredible work ethic, leaving behind several songs worth of albums, and this was one of them.  Although you can roughly find most of the album across YouTube or Soundcloud, the official release could very well see the light of day and if it does happen, there's no doubt that this will be equally mournful of his talent and excellent hearing him over Madlib's quirky, yet disrespectfully soulful and jazzy production. Unfortunately, tragedy struck when Madlib's home was among the many that were casualties in the wake of the catastrophic wildfires in L.A.  Reportedly thirty years of music were horrendously reduced to ashes, which may or may not include this and his other projected releases this year.  Let's hope that he will still put out some outstanding music but we first hope and pray Otis Jackson and his family can and will get on their feet first.



24. Your Old Droog & Madlib

YODLIB

Production: Madlib

Guests: Jay Electronica, others


Another highly anticipated album that people are waiting for from Madlib is the collab album from him and Your Old Droog.  The album has been in the works for over a year, and it appears the album is in fact ready to drop and drop soon.  Droog delivered perhaps his most cohesive project to date with 2024's Movie. As tremendous as that was, this YODLIB project could top that even more.  These two have worked together on tracks such as "Droogie-La", "Return of Sasquash", "Waves Crashing", and the Method Man/Denzel Curry-assisted, "DBZ" from Movie.  All of these cuts have shown their chemistry to the point where a full project from them was inevitable.  Rumored guests such as Jay Electronica, Yasiin Bey, Black Thought, and Ab-Soul have been mentioned but nothing has been confirmed as of this writing.  Even if there's none, YODLIB could very well be amongst your top ten albums of the year when it's all said and done.



23. MIKE

Showbiz!

Production: artist/DJ Blackpower, others

Guests: unknown

Available: now


One person that has really garnered a rising fan following within the underground has been Jersey-born, NYC-based emcee, MIKE.  His seemingly lazy-meets-stoned delivery that resembles the likes of Earl Sweatshirt and MAVI has resonated enough to where his fan base is always expecting him to drop quality material after quality material, especially since his first taste of acclaim, May God Bless Your Hustle.  Since then, he's dropped very dope albums such as War in My Pen, the very melancholy Tears Of Joy, Weight of The World, the heavy Beware of The Monkey, the stellar Burning Desire, his fantastic collaborative effort with Wiki and The Alchemist, Faith Is a Rock, and the most recent collab with producer, Mike Seltzer, Pinball. All of which exemplified his writing talents, as well as showing his intelligent rhythmic cadence beneath that monotone delivery.  He returns in early 2025 with Showbiz! Already dropping the videos of "Belly 1" and "You're The Only One Watching", MIKE sounds hungry and ready to drop another album that will accentuate his writing talents and his own lo-fi, cleverly sampled, jazzy production under his alias, DJ Blackpower, Although many feel he's hit his apex with Burning Desire, don't bet against the fact that he can likely outdo himself even more.



22. Mac Miller

Balloonerism

Production: artist, others

Guests: SZA, others

Available: now


We mentioned earlier that Mac Miller had a plethora of unreleased music that has never been heard past YouTube or SoundCloud. That officially changes with Balloonerism thanks to Miller's estate.  Regarded as his most depressing and ethereal album, Balloonerism was first leaked to YouTube and Soundcloud over two years ago and the demand for this to be officially released was high.  Tackling obviously very sensitive topics such as drugs, depression, and mental illness, Balloonerism will make a shift in sound and imagery from previous excellent albums such as Watching TV With the Sound Off, The Divine Feminine, and his career shifting, GOOD A:M.  The only known guest on the project is the Queen of TDE, SZA, and production is mostly handled by Miller himself, but we get an unfortunately disturbing look into a young emcee with all the potential in the world to be a much bigger star than he was, but the world lost way too soon.  Aside from this and the aforementioned MacLib album, here's to hoping we get way more albums from Mac Miller in 2025.



21. Jericho Jackson

JJ2

Production: Khrysis

Guests: unknown


The Detroit-Durham connection of highly astounded emcee, Elzhi, and equally praised producer, Khrysis, came together in 2022 to become Jericho Jackson, and delivered their self-titled album to tremendous acclaim.  Elzhi has been known to deliver full projects with producers such as Georgia Anne Maldrow (Zhigeist), JR Swiftz (Seven Times Down, Eight Times Up), Oh No (Heavy Vibrato), and especially Black Milk (the unforgettable Preface).  With Khrysis, he delivered strongly over Chris Tyson's thumping and thick boom-bap with structured samples and enough knock to keep some Excedrin in your car.  The pair will likely deliver once again with JJ2, and with the one or two tracks previewed by Khrysis, we may be in for another hot one from the duo.  While we definitely anticipate the rumored collab album with on fire producer, Conductor Williams, this year, make no mistake about it: JJ2 will be a scorcher and will remind everyone why these two need to deliver album after album after album together.



 20. Bone Thugs N harmony

All 5 Live

Production: DJ U-Neek, others

Guests: unknown


It's been nearly eight years since we last heard an album from the legendary group, Bone Thugs N Harmony.  The St. Clair/E. 99 natives of Cleveland are truly innovators within the game going back to their underground Faces of Death days to their breakout major label debut, Creepin' on Ah Come Up to the mega smash, the quadruple platinum selling, E. 1999 Eternal, and their equally tremendous follow-up, The Art of War.  Since then, the group has on and off internal issues but would find ways to get back together to deliver more goods for the masses.  Real life hit them in 2023 when Krayzie Bone nearly left this world as a result of complications from Sarcoidosis, but miraculously, he recovered. Possibly hinting that this was a sign to bring the group back together, they plan to drop their first album since '17's New Waves, which only technically comprised of Krayzie and Bizzy, with Flesh, Wish, and Layzie being "guests".  Word around the campfire is that this could be one of the biggest albums they've delivered in quite a long time, which if history says anything, we may be going back to the Bone that made the world fall in love with their outstanding harmonies of double and triple time rhythmic deliveries over dark, moody, and haunting basslines.  It's high time the game remembers how truly gifted Krayzie, Wish, Bizzy, Layzie, and Flesh-N truly are and give us one more example of why these Grammy Award winners is destined for every Hall of Fame imaginable.



19. J. Cole

The Fall-Off (It's A Boy)

Production: artist, The Alchemist, others

Guests: unknown


After his public on-then-off issues with Kendrick and Drake, Cole has been low key putting in the finishing touches on what's slated to be his final album, The Fall-Off.  While Might Delete Later has mixed opinions about it, his core heads are expecting him to deliver his most compelling work ever with this reportedly being his swan song.  With a formidable discography that includes powerhouses such as Born Sinner, Cole World: The Sideline Story, 2014 Forest Hills Drive (the ten year anniversary deluxe edition is WORTH checking for), 4 Your Eyez Only, and his sizzler, The Off Season, the Fayetteville native needs to bring his absolute best arsenal to the table and remind people why he's among the best of his generation one final time before hanging up his mic.



18. Cormega & Havoc

untitled

Production: Havoc

Guests: unknown


Queensbridge veteran, Cormega, is supposedly in store to have a dope year in 2025.  The last time we heard from Mega was 2021's The Realness 2, the dope sequel to his debut album from 2001 that was filled with venom and angst, mostly based upon his feud at the time with fellow QB vet and former friend (at the time), Nas.  In 2024, he went on his social media account and stated that he was finishing up a collaborative album with yet another QB soldier, Havoc of Mobb Deep.  These two have known each other since before their days of rapping professionally so we're talking about forty-plus years.  Mega and Havoc have collaborated before on cuts such as "Crime Connection", "Deer Park", and the sinister classic, "Killaz Theme" with Hav's late, great Mobb partner, Prodigy.  It'll be interesting to hear if Hav can conjure up the old Mobb sound to compliment Mega's street narratives and show both artists as elder statesmen for the world's most infamous projects.



17. Freddie Gibbs & The Alchemist

Alfredo 2

Production: The Alchemist

Guests: unknown


Uncle Al is no stranger whatsoever to working with the emcee we know as Freddie Gibbs.  From the first time Gibbs appeared on the bananas cut with Curren$y, "Scottie Pippen", the connection between Gibbs and Alchemist was solid.  So much so that Gibbs, Curren$y, and Al came together in 2019 to deliver the searing effort, Fetti.  Not too much longer after that effort dropped, Gibbs surprised the game by announcing a project with Alchemist entitled Alfredo in 2020.  The album was practically a flawless piece of work, as Gibbs and his ridiculously technical delivery and rhyme style was heavily catered to by Al's smooth, yet menacing, production that also earned them a Grammy Award nomination of 2021.  Aiming to hit the same switches, the two are reportedly finishing up Alfredo 2, and with the unprecedented roll Al is on, there's no doubt this album will be every bit as scorching, if not more so than the first Alfredo.  With the possibility of Montana also dropping from Gibbs & Madlib, it's possible this could be the most monstrous year for Gibbs yet, while Uncle Al will continue to be "everybody's favorite uncle".


16. Jay Rock

Eastside Johnny

Production: unknown

Guests: Ab-Soul, ScHoolboy Q, others


One of the OGs of TDE is Watts native, Jay Rock.  While gathering a good fan base from his debut, Follow Me Home, he garnered more with his consistently crazy #90059, which provided the thumpers of "Money Trees Deuce", the thick "Gumbo", and the Black Hippy-posse cut, "Vice City".  It was here where Rock started to really establish his identity amongst the crew of highly talented emcees and artists.  He leveled up even more on his 2018 release, Redemption, in which we got the infectious anthem, "Win", along with the Kendrick Lamar/Future-assisted, "King's Dead", and both of these cuts earned him Grammy nominations, thus Jay had officially arrived.  The fact that it's been nearly seven years since we've gotten a full release from Rock is annoying, but the drought could very well be over as he's supposedly finishing up his anticipated follow up to Redemption this year entitled Eastside Johnny.  With Schoolboy dropping his finest effort overall since The Blank Face LP with Blue Lips and Ab-Soul dropping an underappreciated knocker in Soul Burger, it's time for Rock to handle his business and put the spotlight back on himself now. Here's to hoping that does in fact happen.



15. Westside Gunn

Flygod Is An Awesome God 3

12

Production: unknown

Guests: unknown

Available: Second quarter 2025, now


What would a year be without the almighty Griselda? Furthermore, what would a year be without the head honcho of the bunch, Westside Gunn?  The emcee/entrepreneur/businessman, designer, wrestling promoter is a very busy man out here out on these streets.  In 2024, he dropped two thunderous efforts in 11 and Still Praying, along with officially establishing 4th Rope as an indie wrestling promotion and not just a clothing brand.  While one really can't be too certain about Gunn and if/when he decides to drop a project, but apparently, he's slated to drop 12, with the third installment of his acclaimed mixtape series, Flygod Is an Awesome God.  It's no surprise that he loves hearing his name out here, especially when it comes to his music, art, and wrestling dealings.  If you've kept up with the prior two installments of Awesome God, you already know how knocking those mixtapes are.  Right now, no word as to who's on the boards for neither project, but you can believe Gunn will drop something that's certainly going to reflect where he's at musically and business-wise, especially if it means pissing off haters, which he openly loves to do.  The HNIC of Griselda will likely have another very busy year, with projects from Rome, Boldy, possibly Armani's return, and of course the group album between him, Conway, and Benny, WWCD2, so be aware that Griselda ain't be playing with anybody in 2025.



14. Conway the Machine & The Alchemist

untitled

Production: The Alchemist

Guests: unknown


When Griselda/Drumwork representative, Conway The Machine, first linked up with Uncle Al for the project, LULU, in 2020, the album easily ranked amongst the best efforts of that year. Al's murky, yet melodic and meticulously sampled, production with Conway's straightforward delivery and gritty lyricism was an excellent mashup.  It's been said they started working on the album not long after LULU's release, but due to the crucially busy schedules of both artists, the album kept getting pushed back and pushed back.  At last word, the album could finally see the light of day in 2025.  Based on Conway's appearance on Al's Genuine Articulate album, many can't wait for another effort between the two highly talented artists, and one would be hard pressed to not believe this will be as great or better than LULU.


13. Mobb Deep

untitled

Production: Havoc, The Alchemist, Santana Foxx

Guests: Santana Foxx, Big Noyd, Nas, others


As we approach the eighth year of mourning the loss of Prodigy of Mobb Deep, the anticipation grows and grows for the Mobb's posthumous album.  At last check before the 2024 year ended, Havoc was very busy at work finishing up the album, as he stated it was "seventy percent done".  Along with Hav, frequent collaborator, The Alchemist will also man the boards as well on this album. Also, P's daughter, Santana Foxx will appear on the mic and reportedly on the boards for a track or two as well.  If you're familiar with her mic work and production work, you know her production is very Mobb-like, with spooky, bleak soundscapes and how she vocally sounds like her Infamous father.  Aside from Foxx and longtime cohort, Big Boyd, there's no known other guests as of this writing.  Giving this is an extremely personal project for Havoc, one would be wise to not at all sleep on this album.  Here's hoping that we get that old vintage Mobb sound with lost verses from P that will completely uphold the standard that Mobb Deep crafted for themselves throughout their run.  



12. Busta Rhymes

Dragon Season

Production: Nottz, DJ Scratch, Rockwilder, Roc Marciano, 9th Wonder, Erick Sermon, Diamond D, artist, others

Guests: Conway The Machine, Benny The Butcher, 38 Spesh, Stacy Barthe, Coast Contra, Tobe Nwigwe, Killer Mike, Barrington Levy, Symba, others

Available: 3/2025


After a, let's just say less than receptive reaction to his last album, Blockbusta, the almighty Busta Rhymes is returning with his twelfth album, Dragon Season, and based upon a couple of cuts, official or leaked, this could be the sound we truly know from ol' Buss-A-Bus.  The lead-off single, "Unleash Me", is hopefully a sign of things to come throughout the album, with its dark and ominous boardwork from longtime collaborator, Nottz.  While not a ton is known about others doing board work on this album besides Nottz, DJ Scratch, and supposedly former Flipmode affiliate, Roc Marciano, the guest list is stacked with guests such as Griselda reps, Conway The Machine and Benny The Butcher, 38 Spesh, Symba, Toby Nwigwe, and reggae legend, Barrington Levy. Earlier in the year he released seven cuts from the album, and he entitled the EP, Dragon Season: The Awakening.  Just based upon most of these tracks, the rest of the album could be a potential monster.  Here's to hoping we get more ELE2 Busta and instead of Blockbusta Busta on this effort, but one should never count Busta out in any way, shape, or form. If The Awakening was any sign, we have nothing to worry about kiddies!


11. Boldy James & The Alchemist

untitled

Production: The Alchemist


Can you really underestimate the duo of Boldy James and The Alchemist? Since their first effort together, My 1st Chemistry Set, they've been quite the emcee/producer duo, and everything they've released since has been among the best projects of that year.  Seven years removed from My 1st Chemistry Set, they returned in big time fashion with The Price of Tea in China, only to return two years later with two projects: the incredible Bo Jackson and the equally cold, Super Tecmo Bo.  It's beyond obvious that Boldy and Uncle Al have a special something together musically, even more so than his pairing with Canadian producer, Nicholas Craven.  Among the plethora of projects both artists are involved with in 2025, it's been said they're finishing up their fourth project (fifth if you include their 2019 EP, Boldface) and if you're going off momentum, do not at all bet against these two to deliver another fantastic outing.


10. PRhyme

PRhyme 3

Production: DJ Premier

Guests: unknown


A true hip-hopper's dream came true in 2014, as Detroit's rhyme chess master, Royce Da 5'9", and one of the true GOATs within hip-hop production circles, DJ Premier, came together as PRhyme.  They delivered their debut self-titled album and was hailed an instant classic as it conjured imagery of Gangstarr in their prime (no pun intended) and the chemistry between the two was simply undeniable.  Four years later, the two returned to deliver PRhyme 2, an almost as potent sequel to their debut and certified them as a very highly feared and respected emcee/producer duo.  It's been said that PRhyme 3 is in the final stages and could actually get released this year much to the delight of fans worldwide.  With their debut, Preemo sampled composer Adrien Younge for their sound, and on PRhyme 2, Preemo sampled his protégé, Antman Wonder.  The question is, who will Preemo sample with this album, if anyone?? Here's to hoping these two go three for three with this eagerly anticipated effort.



9. Freddie Gibbs & Madlib

Montana

Production: Madlib

Guests: unknown


A decade removed from their first collaborative effort, Piñata, Freddie Gibbs & Madlib are set to finally release the third installment of their Cocaine series, Montana.  Once it got established that Piñata was a modern classic, and then they repeated the same magic for the second installment, Bandana in 2019, it is only right that they end this trilogy on a super high note and solidify them as one of hip-hop's best emcee/producer duos of this century.  Freddie, himself, has had quite a dope few years since Bandana with tremendous outings such as his major label debut, $ouls $old $eperately and 2024's You Only Die 1nce, while Madliberator has been working with the likes of Westside Gunn, Black Star, Talib Kweli, and finishing up the unreleased joint project with the late, great Mac Miller, MacLib.  Here's to hoping Montana continues the momentum the previous two exceptional releases between the two have already set in stone.



8. The Alchemist

untitled

Production: artist

Guests: Big Noyd, Big Twins, others


It appears everybody's favorite uncle (as he refers to himself on the title of the same name from The Genuine Articulate) is set to have possibly his biggest year to date in 2025.  Aside from mostly underground artists such as Armand Hammer, MIKE, Wiki, Roc Marci, Earl Sweatshirt, and Freddie Gibbs to more globally known acts such as Eminem, J. Cole, Drake, and Kendrick Lamar, the Grammy Award-nominated beat crafter has emerged into legendary status over the past few years.  With efforts that included the stellar effort with Roc Marci, The Skelton Key, the collab with Big Hit and Hit-Boy, Black & Whites, his reunion with Oh No as Gangrene, Heads I Win, Tails You Lose, and his own tremendous effort, The Genuine Articulate, Uncle Al went to the town on the boards, picked up the mic and went in on both.  To close out the year, he dropped two singles and videos: the Big Twin and Big Noyd-featured "Team Infamous" and "Floppy Disks", thus indicating an album is coming. Is it a compilation? Is it another solo album like Genuine Articulate? Only time will tell, but with projects coming with Yasiin Bey, Boldy James, Big Sean, Conway, and possibly a joint project with Larry June and 2 Chainz, don't count out another monster effort by Uncle Al that highlights not only his mic ability but the fact that he should now be in everyone's Mount Rushmore of modern hip-hop producers.



7. Rome Streetz & Conductor Williams

untitled

Production: Conductor Williams

Guests: unknown


What a past three years Queens native, Rome Streetz, has had.  The Griselda artist, previously known for bangers such as his Headcrack mixtape series, as well as his Noise Candy series and his tremendous DJ Muggs-crafted collab album, Death & The Magician, dropped a career best with his Griselda debut of 2022, Kiss The Ring.  The next year, he followed that up with the almost as crazy fifth installment of Noise Candy series as well as his equally knocking collaborative album with dumb dope underground producer, Big Ghost LTD, Wasn't Built in A Day.  In 2024, he dropped two projects. The first being the EP with producer, Wavy Da Gahwd, Buck 50, but delivered a new benchmark with Griselda's in-house production monster, Daringer, for Hatton Garden Holdup, with the confirmation that he was finishing up his collaborative effort with another Griselda producer, the Grammy nominated Conductor Williams. Conductor was responsible for one-third of Kiss The Ring's outstanding production, thus a full project with the two was seemingly inevitable. Furthermore, Rome was featured on the first single of the third installment of Conductor's Conductor ...We Have a Problem album series, "Get Away" to lots of acclaim.  With Conductor becoming a household name within hip-hop thanks to crafting cuts fir the likes of Drake, J. Cole, Conway The Machine, Westside Gunn, Mach-Hommy, Tyler The Creator, and JID, many expect this project to be a legit sizzler when it drops.



6. Griselda

WWCD2

Production: unknown

Guests: unknown


In December of 2019, Westside, Conway, and Benny dropped their first collab album together under the Griselda banner, WWCD (or What Would 'Chinegunn Do, with Chinegunn being the fallen brother of Benny and best friend/cousin of Gunn and Conway).  The album, mainly handled by Griselda boardsmith, Daringer, and another tremendous producer in his own right, Beat Butcha, the album was dark, gritty, and dusty, filled with the harrowing street narratives that we had come to expect from the three-headed monster that is this crew.  With this being their only album as a group released through Shady Records, the album was extremely authentic and never gave a single impression that the album was co-executive produced by Eminem, as their traditional raw and rough sound wasn't compromised in the slightest.  Now 5 years after the effort, plans had been in the works to bring the three-headed monster back, in between each artist's individual efforts.  According to both Conway and Benny, WWCD2 will finally see the light of day near the second quarter of the year.  No news as to production work or guests, but anytime the three of them get together for a track in itself, its flames, so it's no wonder another full-length between the three of them will be hopefully as nuts as their debut together.



5. Clipse

Let God Sort 'Em Out

Production: Pharrell Williams

Guests: Nas, Kendrick Lamar, John Legend, Pharrell, others


When's the last time you heard The Clipse?? Well, it's been about sixteen (YES, 1...6) years since the Thornton brothers from VA have legitimately made an album together. This particular album of 2009, Til the Casket Drops, spawned the hits "I'm Good" with Pharrell and the Kanye-featured, "Kinda Like a Big Deal".  While not the outstanding prior releases of their debut Lord Willin' and especially their follow-up, Hell Hath No Fury, the album was still very dope and rotational. This would mark, however, the last time you would hear the two together on a full-length album from that point on.  Pusha became an artist under Kanye's G.O.O.D. Music, deliver four outstanding albums, and even became the president of the label. Malice would get born again and convert his life to Jesus Christ and Christianity, thus denouncing all secular hip-hop and becoming No Malice.  Heads were in high anticipation of a Clipse reunion album once we got Pusha on his brother's track, "Shame the Devil", from his debut solo album, Hear Ye Him, and then later No Malice appeared on his brother's cut, "I Pray For You" from Pusha's stellar album, It's Almost Dry.  Well, kiddies, the time has finally come for No Malice & Pusha T to officially reunite, and we're finally getting their LONG overdue follow-up to Til the Casket Drops, Let God Sort 'Em Out.  This will be No Malice's first fully secular project since his conversion to Christianity in 2013 so this alone should be interesting considering how much he denounces the same coke-riddled streets that his brother still occasionally raps about and is still successful from.  They also reunited with Pharrell to give them the full Clipse experience like their prior works.  With the album dropping any time now, the excitement levels of the reunited Clipse are super high, and longtime fans are hopeful that we will get the same magic that made them among the most in-demand duos of the thousands.  Likely mixing spiritual themes with street narratives, this could prove to be the most ambiguous Clipse project yet, but with guests such as Nas, Kendrick, John Legend, and Pharrell being all in, it's a great bet that this will be among the best comeback albums of the decade.



4. Yasiin Bey & The Alchemist are Forensics

Forensics

Production: The Alchemist

Guests: N/A

Available: 3/2025


Around the 4th quarter of 2024, there was footage of the emcee formerly known as Mos Def, Yasiin Bey, performing at a venue over some previously unheard Alchemist production.  From there, rumors were going around that Uncle Al was doing an effort with the man responsible for one of hip-hop's most exquisite efforts, Black On Both Sides.  After some speculation, the rumors turned out to be true, as the cover for the album of he and Alchemist was unveiled on Instagram, with them being known as Forensics.  One track that was released onto YouTube was the track, "Kijani", and just based upon this track, even if it's unmastered, unmixed raw audio, it has tons of promise.  Imagine if the rest of the album sounds this dope.  It's no secret that Alchemist can make anything and anyone sound crazy, and there's little to no doubt that this could be one of the most magical outings of the year once this gets released.  Uncle said in an interview that "this would be his biggest year yet" and just based upon their livestreamed album preview on Bandcamp, the album will be not just one of Yasiin's most ambitious projects, but one of the game's most sonically otherworldly efforts to bless our ears in over the past decade or two.  We never knew we needed Forensics until the announcement was made, and with "Kijani" and the rest of the eight-track effort, this will be one that will be on your best albums list and will NOT leave your top five or ten.



3. Westside Gunn & Conway The Machine

Hall & Nash 3

Production: The Alchemist, Daringer

Guests: unknown


At the end of 2023, Uncle Al, himself, dropped a post-Christmas gift to the masses in the form of a previously unreleased album he completed with Westside Gunn and Conway The Machine, Hall & Nash 2, which was the sequel to Gunn & Conway's underground mixtape favorite, Hall & Nash from 2016.  While some of the tracks ended up on other projects, mixtapes, and even one of Alchemist's albums, a few other tracks were previously not heard before.  When released, Al went to social media and stated that there was a "real" version that he was working on with Griselda's in-house beat monster, Daringer.  These two together are vicious together, as they were responsible solely for both Tana Talk 3 and Tana Talk 4 from Benny, as well as The Plugs I Met.  Having these two together for what's been loosely titled Hall & Nash 3 makes for the probability of something menacing, possibly even more than Hall & Nash 2.  Hopefully this drops sooner in 2025 than later.




2. Common & Pete Rock

The Auditorium Vol. 2

Production: Pete Rock

Guests: unknown


What Chi-town legend, Common, and Mt. Vernon's favorite son, Pete Rock, put together in 2024 in the form of The Auditorium Vol. 1 is something that will be remembered for many years and decades to come.  Deemed an instant classic by many, and solidified the relevancy of Rock especially, the album was perfect and shined above any other effort that was an otherwise remarkable and memorable 2024 in terms of releases.  Hoping to repeat the same formula that made The Auditorium such an amazing project, they're releasing the second installment of this apparent series.  While no release date or any other info is currently available, the pressure is very high to replicate the acclaim their first album delivered. However, is it impossible? Not when you have two of the most legendary artists at what they respectively do linking up together to deliver more of the same magic.  The bar has been very damn high, but one wouldn't be quick to doubt the wizardry of Common and Pete Rock, as we've seen already.



1. Nas & DJ Premier

untitled

Production: DJ Premier

Guests: unknown


What seems like an eternity for these two marvelous masters of their respective crafts to finally deliver a full effort together is something most hip-hop fans pretty much gave up on years ago. This was until the god of Queensbridge, Nas, and arguably the game's most respected and valued producer, DJ Premier, dropped the knocking single, "Define My Name", on the thirtieth anniversary of the game's most revered epic, Illmatic.  At the end of the track, Nas confirmed one of our biggest dreams ever: a Nas and Preemo album was finally going to be unleashed to the masses.  Since their three cuts together on Illmatic, these two have continued to work with each other off and on, but never on a full-length project together.  The thought of the two artists that constructed the likes of "Memory Lane", "NY State of Mind", the BLISTERING sequel to the aforementioned track, "NY State of Mind Pt. 2" "Nas Is Like", and "I Gave You Power" doing a full collaborative project is the collective wet dream of longtime fans of both legends.  Although there's no current title or release date as of this pressing, the hope is that this album thirty years in the making will see the light of day, and based on the standard both men have set within their careers, this is almost certain to be a career benchmark for both, and will further cement them as the best to ever do it within their respective fields.



Other Highly Anticipated (speculated) Albums

*Updated upcoming releases*


Che Noir & The Other Guys- untitled

Che Noir & 7XVETHEGENIUS- untitled

Roc Marciano & DJ Premier- untitled EP *

Roc Marciano- Criminal Jazz *

Lil' Wayne- Tha Carter VII

Common & Pete Rock- The Auditorium Vol. 2 *

Earl Sweatshirt- untitled

Big Noyd & Havoc- Dunn Language

Big K.R.I.T.- untitled

Doechii- untitled full-length debut album

Flipmode Squad- untitled

Jadakiss- untitled

Styles P- untitled

The Lox- untitled

Cyhi The Prince- The Story Of EGOT

Ludacris- untitled

Saba & No I.D.- From the Private Collection Of...

Noname- untitled

Boldy James & V DON- untitled

Boldy James & Chuck Strangers- Token of Appreciation * (mixed & mastered by The Alchemist) (available now)

Boldy James & Nicholas Craven- untitled

Boldy James & Futurewave- untitled

Domo Genesis & Conductor Williams- untitled

Method Man & Havoc- Dirty P

Blu & August Fanon- untitled

Benny The Butcher & Harry Fraud- The Plugs I Met 3

Mach-Hommy & Conductor Williams- untitled

Elzhi & Conductor Williams- untitled

Larry June, 2 Chainz, & The Alchemist- Life Is Beautiful (available now)

Xzibit- Kingmaker

Joey Bada$$- untitled

Smif-N-Wessun- Infinite (executive produced by 9th Wonder & The Soul Council) (available now)

GR8GAWD & Roc Marciano- GAWDTALK

Raekwon- The Emperor's New Clothes

T.F. & Khrysis- untitled

The Game- The Documentary 3

DJ Quik- untitled

Nicholas Craven- N4

Conway The Machine- Reject 3

Stove God Cook$- untitled

Boldy James & J Dilla- Drug Dilla

CRIMEAPPLE & V DON- untitled *

Rome Streetz & V DON- untitled *

Ransom, Boldy James, & Nicholas Craven- untitled *

RJ Payne & Erick Sermon- 3 Piece EP* (available now)

Ransom & Dave East- The End Game (available now)

Fly Anakin- The Forever Dream (executive produced by Quelle Chris) *

Curren$y & Harry Fraud- Never Catch Up (available now)

Wu-Tang Clan- Black Samson: The Bastard Swordsman *

Evidence- The Unlearning Vol. 2 *

August Fanon- untitled