Search - Mobb Deep :: Amerikaz Nightmare

3-1/2 stars -- Slowly returning to form...

Anthony Rupert | Milwaukee, WI | 12/07/2004

(3 out of 5 stars)

"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"

Buy it...hot for '04... but it's no classic

A. Steinberg | Philly | 08/14/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"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- Amerikaz Nightmare

Constant | Vancouver, BC Canada | 08/10/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"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.





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