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Shook ones12/16/2023 ![]() ![]() ![]() Or put otherwise, the vocalist is not afraid of death, and he remains cool under fire. And again, the verse is not only about Prodigy depicting himself as a tough guy but also advising others, in a threatening way, that they shouldn’t feign thugism unless they’re truly willing to go all out in living up to that ideology. ![]() In other words, he possesses the type of wisdom derived from being experienced on the street. This includes Prod acknowledging that he too can catch a bullet. But in that regard, he concludes that he was to leave the mortal plane in such a fashion, he’d prefer to do so in his hometown of Queens. Then comes perhaps the most-memorable part of the entire track, in which the vocalist notes that despite being “only 19” years old at the time, his “mind is old”. The verse proceeds to take on a more personal tone, in which Prodigy is calling out an unnamed rival in particular. And in that regard, he depicts his crew as being more dangerous than that of his enemy’s. For instance, Prod commences the verse by giving a shoutout to his crew and his ‘hood. Then he goes about alluding to their formidability – and especially his in particular – when it comes to street.Īfterwards, the rapper points to the main topic of the song, which is calling out fake thugs. But his words take on a deeper meaning, implying how volatile the streets of New York can be in general, such as “the wrong ways” being able to promptly place a soul in danger. That said, the sentiments being relayed are common to this brand of rap music. The instrumental to the track is okay, but what really makes this song a classic is its first verse, as rendered by Prodigy. Any rapper worth his salt is able to relay tales from the ‘hood akin to this one. But Prod does so with an unprecedented level of clarity, where you can clearly make out every word being relayed, besides authentically coming off as someone who had genuine experience living that life. The music video to this track – which featured other rappers from the Queensbridge, NYC area beside Mobb Deep – was directed by Froi Cuesta. This was back in the days before the industry really began paying attention to samples used in rap songs, so neither Hancock or Jones are acknowledged as composers. And to note as for the original “Shook Ones”, which came out in 1994, that particular tune has more or less slid into obscurity and is only remembered as serving as the predecessor to Part II. In putting together the instrumental, Hav sampled 1970’s “Jessica” by Herbie Hancock, 1972’s “Kitty with the Bent Frame” by Quincy Jones, as well as the original “ Shook Ones“, which he also produced. “Shook Ones (Part II)” served as the lead single to “The Infamous”, which also proved to be Mobb Deep’s best-selling album (though others fared better critically). This song was written by the aforementioned Prodigy and Havoc, with the latter also producing the track. Logic would dictate that Mobb Deep would still be around to this day if not for the passing of Prodigy, who suffered from sickle cell anemia, in 2017 at the age of 42. His Mobb Deep co-star, Havoc, is still technically active, but there aren’t any entries in his discography post-2017. So these days when you hear about Mobb Deep, it’s usually along the lines of the pair being recognized as an honorable hip-hop act. ![]() Moreover, this track proved to be Mobb Deep’s breakthrough single and remained their signature song throughout the duo’s nearly three decades of existence and beyond. You can view the lyrics, alternate interprations and sheet music for Mobb Deep's Shook Ones Part II at .īut for rap aficionados who were actually around during the 1990s, this song is recognized as an indisputable classic, with Prodigy in particular providing one of the best lyrical performances in the genre’s history. For example, Eminem used this song, not one of his own, during the intro of 2002 semi-autobiographical film 8 Mile. ![]()
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