Customer Reviews

H.N.I.C.

5 star:		(47)
4 star:		(13)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Prodigy of mobb deep has always told stories of the street life and personal struggles, he has always put all that he has into each record that is why every cd that is released by the queensbridge duo is about the dopest cd yet. Prodigy shines on basically every track on this record, some of my favorites include the first single from the cd, keep it thoro, on "what you rep" P joins the infamous Noreaga and tells anyone who wants to know where they are from, and describe how proud they are about their heritage. On the hard hitting track "delt w/ the bull s**t" P joins his partner in rhyme havok and takes it back to the streets on this low voiced, havok produced track, a must hear. My favorite song on the album would have to be track 21, "you can never feel my pain" P describes his life long struggle with SCA while telling other people that you have no clue what his life is about, or how much pain he has endered unless you have lived it. All in all this is easily the best release next to the big L cd the big picture, both cd's represent the true powers of hip hop in the year 2000, so go pick them up.

Mobb Deep has always been known for the real hip hop. They have always been known to bring us memorable tales from the QB. The three CDs they have released that everyone has paid attention to are "The Infamous", "Hell On Earth", and last year's "Murda Muzik". Real hip hop fans will know their hits like "Shook Ones Part 2", "Survival Of The Fittest", "Give Up The Goods", "Drop A Gem On Em", "Quiet Storm" and "It's Mine" w/Nas. This time around, however, Prodigy decides to test the solo waters. Havoc, who is usually known for producing all of Mobb Deep's songs, is given a break this time around and only raps on and produces 2 tracks. The Alchemist takes most of the weight this time around but the formula stays the same as Prodigy still has haunting stories to tell about the QB and rappers trying to stand in his way. This is definitely evident on the first single, "Keep It Thoro", which is also featured on DJ Clue's "Hard Knock Life: Backstage Mixed Tape" CD. Prodigy, over a wicked track by The Alchemist, gives his fans more than what they are probably ready for on this track. The mood is kept the same on this whole CD with songs like "Three" w/Cormega, "What U Rep" w/Noreaga, "Wanna Be Thugs" w/Havoc & "Diamond" w/Bars & Hooks. The stand out track on the CD has to be "Infamous Minded". The track starts out as a parody of the BDP classic "Criminal Minded" and Prodigy rips it throughout. "H.N.I.C." has the Mobb Deep sound throughout and that will win fans over just because of that fact. Although Havoc only produces two tracks, Prodigy still keeps the Mobb Deep sound with his solo release. Any Mobb Deep fan will enjoy this CD.

There is no doubt that Prodigy deserved a solo joint and he gets it here. For the most part this is a very good album, but there are some weak spots. Unlike Mobb Deep tracks, every song on P's album is not produced by Havoc and sometimes this is a bad thing. The other thing this leads to is several songs don't sound like typical Mobb stuff. The top tracks are Rock Dat Sh**, What U Rep, Can't Complain, Infamous Minded, Wanna Be Thugs, Trials of Love, Do It, Diamond, and Gun Play. Keep It Thoro, Three, Delt with the Bullsh**, and Veteran's Memorial were pretty good. The only songs I didn't like were YBE and HNIC. I think Infamous Minded and Wanna Be Thugs are two of the best hardcore songs of the last couple years. As mentioned before, the production is done by several different people including Havoc, Bink Dogg, Hang Men 3, The Alchemist, Prodigy, Shim Kirkland, EZ Elpee, Rockwilder, Just Blaze, and Ric Rude. Overall a very good solo debut, but Mobb fans should be warned not all of the songs sound like Mobb songs.

If you are considerning whether you should buy this album or not, i can greatly help you. However, this album isn't for everyone ! If you listen to Cash Money Millionaires and like machine gun beats this album is not really for you. If the only thing you only listen to songs because the artist is popular than this album isn't really for you. You need to understand and appreciate REAL HIP HOP! This has everything bomb-beats, killa-rhymes, and excelent overall producing. Just by listening to the album you can see how much work was put into it and that this is actually an album! You can listen to it frm begining to end without getting bored or skipping tracks. This is an album which deserves your money. There are some hot tracks like ROC DAT SHI#,WHAT U REP, KEEP IT THORO, INFAMOUS MINDED,TRIALS OF LOVE, DIAMOND, VETERANS MEMORIAL, YOU CAN NEVER FEEL MY PAIN ETC. If you get CD's illegaly, i swear to god you should go to the music store and pickup this album because it's worth it. Every song is like a story. To me this is definetely the best CD of 2000. Its the only CD that has come out in a while which doesn't just featue a single and then the rest of it is trash, this is a solid album. Go cop this right now!

Before there was Hollywood P, there was Prodigy aka the H.N.I.C, aka the most rugged, vicious and nihilistic voice coming out of Queensbridge.
As the most lyrical half of the infamous mobb deep, P always revolved around that sacred gangsta trinity of gunz, drugs and sex, and if anything, with this solo album, P endulges in that gangsta sound, evolving from thug to superthug, with more hood tales of everyday hustle, getting bent and pushing weight.
The surprise is the actually decent production, and though Havoc is missing, that minimal, sample-driven QB sound is present on most tracks.
U gotta love P's young black and don't give a f*** mantra, but even the most hardcore Mobb fan will feel the lack of variation. Fortunatly P was smart enough to bring heavy collabos, most of them from QB, and they do supply with a much needed diversity.
22 tracks of gangsta gangsta with above average production, some highlights ( "Genesis", "Trials of Love", "H.N.I.C", "Gun Play" ), and overall a good effort.

This was a very good album. I just wanted to say though that P was not born in Queensbridge, like one of the reviewers said he was. He was born and raised in the town of Hempstead in Nassau County.

Prodigy's solo debut "H.N.I.C" is harcore hiphop at its best.
"Genesis" is a nice quick starting track where P spits to a dope beat, "What you Rep" has Nore of CNN, and is a nice collab which has P talking about QB and Nore Iraq. Next comes the title track of the album "Keep It Thoro" its straight solid and has a nice replay value to it. "Infamous Minded" featuring Big Noyd has got ill beat. On "Wanna Be Thugs" Prodigy and Havoc, come out strong, showing true mobb form. Next track is called "Three" feat Cormega, and is another ill collabo. In "Trials of Love" P takes a minute aside to talk about relationships. "H.N.I.C" and "Veterans Memorial" keep the album formula of ill beats, matched with Prodigys memorable flow. "Veterans Memorial" is a dedication to lost friends and family, and is deep. "Y.B.E." feat B.G is a smooth joint, with piano tinges. "Diamond" shows the potential of Bars and Hooks, the group that is signed on Mobbs label. The last track is called "You Can Never feel my Pain", on it Prodigy talks about his real life illness (sickle Cell Anemia) and life, and this without a doubt is Prodigy at his realist and deepist. H.N.I.C is classic, real and harcore hiphop at its best.

I don't really listen to lot of rap. But i enjoy listening to this cd. My roomate offered me to listen to this cd and i immediately hook on to it. Compare to Outkast and Mystikal, I think Prodigy is one of the top rap artist.

Mobb Deep, probably one of the greatest rap duos of all time, have continued to supply the hip-hop community with great beats and lyrics! Their last album left me a bit disappointed, but with this album the things i disliked about the last aren't here i.e. Havoc rapping on every track, only Havoc's beats (although I love 'em, and horrible guest appearances.) HNIC places Prodigy in the spotlight where he shines behind beats from Havoc, Rockwilder, and the MOST AMAZING PRODUCER SINCE DJ PREMIER, The Alchemist! This guys beats are amazing, he's behind the first single keep it thoro and has done work for other artists like Freddie Foxx, Pharoahe Monch, and Mobb Deep! Overall this album isn't PERFECT but you have to get it especially if you like Mobb Deep and really ill beats that aren't corny! COP THIS! (Puchase this!)

Prodigy, one half of the group of Mobb Deep, came out with his debut in mid-late 2000 called H.N.I.C. When I first heard this album was the first time I heard Mobb Deep, and fell in love with it right away.

Just about all the cuts are mostly uptown grimy normal Queensbrigde cuts. Some are dark as heard on the second track called "Genesis" and on the track "Three" which features Cormega, where Prodigy enforces the quote "Queensbridge heads don't play..."

P's lyrical content is also swell behind the mic. On the lead single "Keep It Thoro" where he says "I throw a TV at you crazy/ b*****s say 'P you crazy'/ a pain in the a**, nah but f*** you, pay me..." Or on the story about cops accusing them of a murder on the next track "Can't Complain" which features Twin Gambino of The Infamous Mobb. "Infamous Minded" if you haven't noticed, is that it borrows BDP's song "Criminal Minded", a track that features Big Noyd and Havoc doing the ad-libs. Speaking of Hav, the other half of Mobb Deep, he makes two more appearances on the songs "Wanna Be Thugs" and "Delt With The Bulls**t". One of the best tracks is "Y.B.E." (was that another single?) which features former Cash Money/Hot Boy's member B.G. The second to last track on the album "You Could Never Feel My Pain" Prodigy talks about his genetic disease Sicle Cell and what he has been going through with the problems.

There are some tracks I didn't like that much. "Rock Dat Sh**" which uses elements from the Mobb Deep hit back in 1999 "Quiet Storm (remix)" to make the hook. The track "Diamond" sounds okay which features local QB group Bars & Hooks.

Overall Prodigy proves to Mobb Deep fans that he can carry a solo album while his friends from QB come and make a few appearances (Havoc, Noreaga, Noyd, Cormega, and others). Like I said, this was the frist Mobb Deep album that I purchaced and enjoyed mosy of it from beginning to end. Recommended to Mobb Deep fans or people who like what classics have came from QB in the past.

Lyrics: A-
Production: A-
Guest Appearances: B+

Standout Tracks: Genesis, Keep It Thoro, Wanna Be Thugs, Three, YBE,