Customer Reviews

Amerikaz Nightmare

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(36)
3 star:		(20)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(10)

 

 

Okay...so it's obvious that this album isn't as good as The Infamous or Hell On Earth. But all these people giving this album one star because of that reason really isn't fair. That's the same principle behind people giving a new Nas album one star because it's not Illmatic.

But it's true that the Mobb haven't had a really decent album in a while. Murda Muzik had mixed reviews, but Infamy was tacky, and Free Agents (or whatever that album was called) was so bad that stores stopped carrying it after a while. And while Amerikaz Nightmare isn't exactly their best album, it's quite an improvement.

There is still one problem, however. With the last few albums, while Havoc continues to impress, Prodigy's rhymes have been slumping. This can be shown on tracks like "Shorty Wop"; and sorry, but in "We Up", his entire verse is wack: "I'm havin' dreams of squeezin' a gun that don't work/And some n with a tek come and wet my shirt/I catch bullets in my stomach and them ish's burn/I wake up sweatin' holdin' my stomach cause it hurt..." But actually, the chorus is pretty lame too.

Don't think there aren't any gems to be found on this album, though. As I'm sure everyone's heard by now, Alchemist slowed down the music from Thomas Dolby's hit "She Blinded Me With Science" to provide the great backdrop for "Got It Twisted". But even better than that is the remix, where Twista stops in to rip up the mic. Another good one is "Get Me", where Noyd shines as usual while Littles also impresses (too bad he had to resort to trying to start a feud within the group later on).

Other good songs are "Win Or Lose" and the title track. And guest stars Nate Dogg and Jadakiss make good performances on "Dump" and "One of Ours Part II", respectively. But there are still a few more songs that are lame and made even lamer by their choruses, like "Flood the Block" and "Neva Change". There's also the obligatory Kanye West-produced track, "Throw Your Hands (In the Air)", which lazily samples the classic Cypress Hill song.

I still think Hav and P have a ways to go before they get back to their old status, but I was just about to give up on them until I heard this album. Amerikaz Nightmare might not be as good as the classics, but it's still a step in the right direction.

Anthony Rupert

After the struggle for Mobb to get back on top, they came back with a solid effort with Amerikaz Nightmare where they have decided to bring back terror in your stereo. With superb production mostly delt with Havoc, along with the Alchemist with many other guests. Blazing back on the charts with their first single "Got It Twisted" which got Mobb Deep back on the scene, it's going to be a long road but many can say they've half way reached there.

First off, i'm only giving 4 stars cuz it's '04...it's honestly more a 3. anyway, it's pretty tight. there aren't a lot of colabos, and the ones that they kept are decent to pretty good. nate dogg's hook on "dump" is sick, jada's verse is nice, littles and noyd actually outshine p and hav on their cut...twista sucked, but hey, it's just a bonus remix.
the beats are pretty hot. you've all heard get it twisted, there are 2 other great alchemist beats, the kanye beat on "throw your hands" is arguably his best since his tracks on blueprint (!), lil jon's beat...well, some will knock it for (a) being on a mobb deep album in the first place and (b) not being too good, but i thought it worked surprisingly well. and havoc's beats are good, not infamous quality, but good. none as good as his beat on "why" for jada, but some come close. now for the rapping...it's solid, that's the best you can really say. hav continues to step up his game from where he started, and he delivers a few really hot verses. p's a whole other story. sometimes his flow is really lazy, and you can even catch 3 seconds of beat between lines, and trust, it sounds awful when he does it. his lyrics just aren't what they used to be either. there's no one verse where he really comes correct, the best he gives you is six or seven lines of fire before he slips into some "my tecs are bigger than yours, you're no thug" ish. so, coming from a guy with so many gems under his belt, it's really sad. at this point i might prefer a hav and nore joint to hav and p, that's where it is almost. and my last complaint is very little storytelling. you don't get any joints like "trife life" or "temperature's rising," it's really all "the mobb is the clique, all you other guys are biters" over 15 tracks. still, hav is strong, the beats are some of the best you'll hear all year long, no filler, no r&b, and "win or lose" is one of the best songs i've heard in a long while. so definitely buy it, you'll enjoy it.

Mobb Deep return with their sixth album "Amerikaz Nightmare" (2004). Having followed the duo of Prodigy and Havoc for over ten years I have to say I am really happy to see another release from them. It has been three years since they have released a full-length group album (not including Murda Mixtape) and they are now with a new label Jive Records. I am still bumping their previous albums on a regular basis, and consider "The Infamous" & "Hell on Earth" to be Classic albums. Mobb Deep has always excelled at delivering reality street Rap and continue to do so with this long awaited release.

The albums opener, which shares its name, has a hungry Mobb Deep providing a grimy track showing that they're still holding their spot down. Mobb Deep then deliver an excellent track with "Win or Lose", feeling the lyrics and background chorus to this cut. Havoc leads the way on the hardcore "Flood the Block". The first guest appearance comes from Nate Dogg on "Dump Dump", feeling this collaboration. By now most people have heard the hit single "Got It Twisted" which has been getting a lot of play in the clubs and surprisingly the radio. I find that I am not feeling a lot of lead singles these days because artists change their formats to get that commercial appeal, Mobb Deep does not do that at all on this joint and end up providing an outstanding track. Long time Mobb beat provider Alchemist laces "When you Hear the" with a sick beat which P and Hav kill. Mobb then breaks things down on thugged out tracks "Real N***az" and "Shorty Wop". Not a Lil' Jon fan and not feeling his trademark yeah's which are featured on "Real Gangstaz". Jadakiss on the other hand is an MC I appreciate so it's nice to see him on "One of Ours Part II". Not to forget it was Havoc who provided the addictive beat for Jada's hit lead single. Mobb come hard with "On the Run" and follow it up with the banging "Throw Your Hands" (In the Air), which is my favourite track on this album. Kayne West provides an insane beat for this cut, Prodigy shines lyrically while Havoc provides a memorable chorus. Fellow QB MC's Littles and Noyd hook up with Mobb on the decent "Get Me". Mobb Deep then supply two more impressive tracks with the dangerous "We Up" and sick "Neva Change". Twista has finally gotten the credit he deserves this year so its good to see him hook with P and Hav on the remix of "Got it Twisted".

Nothing can surpass the original Mobb Deep albums for me, all the same this one easily gets five stars as it's a complete album with a number of outstanding tracks. Mobb follow their winning formula and provide the hardcore tracks Rap fans have come to love them for. Although both Mobb Deep MC's impress on this release, I really feel Havoc shines, and I hope he follows this up with the solo album many of us have been waiting for. Mobb Deep has succeeded in creating a first class album with "Amerikaz Nightmare". This is easily one of my favourite releases of the year and I highly recommend checking it out.

3.75 stars for this album. Its alright, seems like they went way mainstream with it though, comparing this album to recent releases. Still got some good tracks though, the ones that dont sound mainstream, thats why I gave this a 3.75 stars, because there IS tracks on here that dont sound mainstream, but theres some that DO, so its half and half. This album gots really good production, and the lyrics are pretty good. But you want a GOOD Mobb album, check out "Infamous". That ones the best.

My Top 5 Songs
1.Amerikaz Nightmare
2.When U Hear The
3.On The Run
4.We Up
5.Get Me

Another legendary rap group or rapper to fall off in 2004! Mobb was bragging about the 10 mill deal they got with jive now it blows up in they face! Got It Twisted had some decent buzz but mobb's lack of pull at the label prevented this album to come out when it was hot. Kanye West provides the best track on this album which should of been a single. Other than that this album is pretty bland with mobb switching they style to appeal to the commerical fans that wouldn't buy them anyway. Prodigys lyrics drop to a all time low as well on this album. I guess the sickel cell is really getting to him cause for some reason he still thinks he is ill. If it's not apparent this album was a failure just look at mobb now they all broke up. They took out there frustration on poor alchemist as he got beat down and their great manager littles left them to continue his own lacking career. RIP mobb deep maybe havoc will now get the shine he deserves!

1. Amerikaz Nightmare - 3.5
2. Win Or Lose - 4.5
3. Flood The Block - 4
4. Dump - 3.5
5. Got It Twisted - 5
6. When U Hear The - 5
7. Real N***az - 1(BORING!!!)
8. Shorty Wop - 3.5
9. Real Gangstaz - 4.5
10. One Of Ours Part II - 3
11. On The Run - 3.5
12. Throw Your Hands (In The Air) - 3.5
13. Get Me - 4
14. We Up - 4.5
15. Neva Change - 4
16. Got It Twisted Remix - 5(TWISTA!!!)
17. BONUS 1 Bustin Ya Hammer - 4
18. BONUS 2 We Don't Love Em - 3.5

I love Mobb but this was not one of their better efforts definately not the caliber of Free Agents which was just phenonmenal. I believe the problem is in the production. Most of this joint was the same ole same. Alchemist is not what he has been put up to be in my opinion. I will always be a supporter of Mobb and Prodigy is my man.

"Infamous" Mobb Deeps first album; has stood the test of time and can rightly be said to be a classic in hip-hop history (right along side illmatic, reasonable doubt, all eyez on me, chronic, doggystyle)
Classic songs like "Survial of the Fittest" and "Shook Ones Pt2" are not recreated on this album.

If thats what your expecting, then you'll be disappointed.
BUT, overall, this a good album. A few fillers here and there, but there are some nice songs on here.

Best songs:
Throw Your Hands in the Air
We Up
Win or Lose
Got it Twisted

Runners-up:
On The Run
Amerikaz Nightmare

Everything else is so-so or not worth mentioning.

This album is going to go over far differently with casual rap fans than with more serious and informed critics. On the one hand, Amerikaz Nightmare boasts mid-to-high quality mainstream pop beats best suited for club scenes or suburban demographics. On the other hand, the album suffers from an almost complete lack of hardcore street narratives and fails to deliver the level of underground production consistent with previous albums such as Juvenile Hell and Hell on Earth. For long-time Mobb Deep fans, this album will likely dissapoint. It is a far cry from the lyrical genius of Murda Muzik, and its pop-saturated tone prevents it from even beggining to compete with albums like The Infamous and H.O.E.

Amerikaz Nightmare is, on many levels, a failure on Mobb Deep's behalf. Havoc, who has retained control of the beat production on previous albums, opens the door to Kanye West and Lil' John - not necessarily bad choices, but a sharp contrast to the Mobb's foundational style of true-to-life crime rap. For prospective buyers, try to determine whether you are looking for a gangster rap classic or simply a decent summer rap album. You may find the latter, but certainly not the former. There are some good tracks on the CD, but I have never seen so much filler on any of the group's other projects (Excluding the Free Agents demo tape). For those who do buy it, play it back to back with Murda Muzik - I think that comparison sheds the most light on the duo's shift in style.

For Mobb Deep fans who are in bad need of a return to hardcore NY street rap in 2004, Amerikaz Nightmare is not going to satisy. With this potential slip-up by Havoc and Prodigy, look for Styles P and The L.O.X. to move into the foreground. I have no doubt that Mobb Deep will hit back with something stronger in the future, but their latest album definetly leaves plenty of room for improvement.

Hope it helps guys.