BLOOD MONEY - MOBB DEEP
Some fans guffawed when Mobb Deep signed to G-Unit, wondering whether it would lose that maverick charm that makes the duo so special. But when the death threats of “Put Em in They Place” bust loose in the second track, it’s clear the group hasn’t strayed too far. Throughout, Prodigy and Havoc float through their classic murder rhetoric, while cursing out God and threatening to rough up Jesus. Musically, new beatsmith J.R. scores with “In Love With the Moula,” a rolling guitar joint featuring a drifting piano and vocal “I want you” sample. And while it’s surely hard to turn down a verse from 50 Cent, Lloyd Banks and Young Buck, with only seven of the 14 tracks on “Blood Money” cameo-free, Mobb Deep often sounds like a guest at its own party.
