Blogs

Videos After The Jump

Mobb Deep's re-introduction to the world is coming November 25, in the form of their new Black Cocaine EP.

"We're doing the EP first just to give 'em a little appetizer, a little warm up project before the album drop. And the album is coming right behind it at the end of February," Prodigy told MTV host, Sway.

Although the music landscape has changed dramatically in the last several years, Havoc says you can expect the same infamous sound from the group.

"We are who we are," he explained. "We're not really trying to fit in. We just us... that's who we are in today's hip hop environment. We not trying to do what everybody else is doing. We doing what works for us. I think people can appreciate that on a certain level, even if you're into a Drake and your Weezy's and all of this. When you look at us you go 'oh that's a brand we all know and can trust."

The duo purposely kept the the features light on Black Cocaine. Choosing to work only with Nas and Bounty Killa.

"We got Nas on there. We got Bounty Killa, that's about it because it's a warm up project so we didn't want to put too many features on there.," Prodigy said. "We worked with Nas because that's the home team. I know people miss hearing that Mobb Deep/ Nas collaboration, because every time we do a song, it always comes out real good and stands the test of time, always. So when I got out we reached out to him and made that happen."

Many people were surprised when Mobb Deep linked up with Roc Nation artist Jay Electronica for the song "Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 3," given their history of beef with his boss, Jay-Z.

That old beef has been put to bed apparently because the duo is now open to recording with Hov.

"We was at Jay's studio when we recorded that [Call of Duty]," P says. "I was on the phone with J. Cole the next day congratulating him on his album and all that. We're supposed to be doing some work together too. Tell Jay to get in the studio. He gotta come to Infamous Studios in Queens though. Everything else is irrelevant... all the feelings, dudes wanna act feminine; put that to the side man."

One collaboration that is in the works is a Mobb Deep/Officer Ricky record. Illuminati P explains how that came about and what 50 Cent's reaction to it was.

"I'mma be honest; we come from an era of longevity and consistency. So in the beginning I didn't really see that in him [Officer Ricky]. And then when I was locked up I started seeing he was dropping more and more music. I was like 'damn, I'm starting to like this dude.' That's when I was like when we need to holla at son and do some music," Prodigy explained.

P says he and 50 talked about the collaboration, and the G-Unit boss didn't object.

"Actually the first day I had came home, 50 had flew to New York to come see me. And I went over to the G-Unit office and I told him 'Mobb Deep need to start doing songs with everybody. We need to start reaching out to people even if we got little conflicts," P said. "People like Rick Ross, people like Lil Wayne, people like whoever. Just reaching out to everybody that we respect and we like their music and start doing songs with them. Because Mobb Deep is the type of group we always do songs with other regions, or other parts of America, even overseas. We always like to find artists we like and respect and do songs with them. Why stop now? And {50 Cent] was like 'yeah, you right.'"

It's been well documented that Prodigy spent three years in prison on gun charges. He was released in March 2011. At one point both he and Lil Wayne were locked up at the same time in separate prisons. P said the two kept in touch and that they plan on working together in the future.

"While was both locked up we was in communications with each other. He mad a little quote for me on my autobiography, on the cover of the book. So, we supposed to be doing some music in the future."

Mobb Deep talk Black Cocaine, working with Nas