Mobb Deep

Opening with the excellent 2Pac tribute "Shed So Many Tears," The Mix Tape Before 9/11 loses some momentum here and there, but is generally one of the best platforms Mobb Deep has experienced in years. The recording often sends the meters far into the red and the sound spectrum is narrow, but it sounds like a street-level mixtape home for the Mobb as they keep the lyrics tight and vital. Member Havoc is the man behind most of the raw beats, and even though sounds get sonically murky, he keeps things lively and inspired. The evil robot thwack of "Know How to Get It" perfectly suits the hard track, and when the boys spit "That's the Mobb, kid/And everything else is straight garbage," it's a lot more convincing than the bravado on their major-label releases. Eerie G-funk, Kanye West as seen by Kutmasta Kurt, and strings that would make Jay-Z drool are just some of the great sounds here, but it's the bite of Cameo's "Candy" that makes the greatest impression as it sets "See the Same Hoes" on fire. It's the album's towering highlight, with guest Nate Dogg singing a chorus nobody is going to forget anytime soon. The numerous instrumentals -- frustratingly placed right next to their vocal counterparts -- keep this from being a straight-up classic, but Mobb Deep fans rarely get to hear their boys so raw, so hood, so on point. ~ David Jeffries, All Music Guide