Your perception of Mobb Deep's Blood Money will depend on where you stand on their decision to align with the G-Unit brand. Those who view the Mobb glass as half-empty will detest the G-Unit patented hooks and syrupy production, while the half-fullers will reluctantly welcome 50 Cent's radio-friendly fingerprints all over the album.
Mobb Deep's Party
Either way you look at it, this is still Havoc and Prodigy's party, and they're ultimately accountable for the misfires on this album. Let's face it, you can't blame 50 Cent for Prodigy's post-H.N.I.C. lyrical nosedive. However, Blood Money is dragged to dungeon by G-Unit's 11 guest spots including 7 by Fif. Sometimes, Fiddy's physical absence is substituted with ghost-written hooks, like on the Young Buck assisted "Give It To Me." Although producer Profile works a snake charmer beat, Hav's sing-songy chorus will make the half-emptyers cringe more than a Mobb Deep-112 collaboration.
The Infamous
The half-fullers will observe that not all the G-Unit features are horrendous, though, and Prodigy still has his moments on Blood Money. For instance, a rejuvenated Lloyd Banks lends his vocals to "Stole Something," where ominous low-scale keys and rugged snares play the backdrop for Mobb's beastly boasts. As always, P doesn't bite his tongue: "200 calls coming on my celly/I had to cut the calls like 'f**k everybody'", and he later quips, "it's not like I look for trouble, it seems trouble always finds me." Even the 50 Cent-assisted "The Infamous" manages to reach the hardcore edge the duo was aiming for on their lukewarm single, "Put 'Em In Their Place."
Too Much G-Unit?
Everyone will agree that the G-Unit overdose threatens to submerge Mobb's mantra on the listless "Backstage Pass" that features - to borrow P's words - Curtis Billion Dollar Budget Jackson, and "Click Click" is bogged down by Tony Yayo's iffy delivery. Also, the brow-raising inclusion of "Have A Party" (from the Get Rich or Die Tryin' soundtrack) makes you forget momentarily that this is a Mobb Deep album.
The Bottom Line on Blood Money
Ironically, Hav and P do fine when they're not surrounded by the Unit on the outstanding "Capital P, Capital H," and the creative "In Love with the Moula." Half-full or half-empty, "Hollywood Hav" and "V.I. P" manage to balance their street anthems with radio - ready gems throughout Blood Money. Ultimately, the album's G-Unit patented blueprint is a gift and a curse, and in the words of Talib Kweli, "the conversation is rich but that depends on what you think is broke."
Top Tracks
- The Infamous
- In Love With The Moula
- Capital P, Capital H
