In celebration of their 20 years together and forthcoming album, the infamous duo of Queens, Mobb Deep celebrated their big achievement last night at Stage 48 in NYC.
The night kicked off with several opening acts gracing the stage of the NY venue. Queens rapper and Infamous Records signee, Boogz Boogetz warmed up the crowd who waited for several hours to see their favorite duo.
Before Mobb Deep hit the stage, concert goers were treated to a performance by special guest of the night, Joe Budden. The Slaughterhouse representative performed several songs from his most recent LP No Love Lost. Joe gave the fans his baller anthem “N.B.A.,” “Last Day,” and closed his set with his smash hit that catered to the ladies of Stage 48, “She don’t put it down. ” Joe even went vintage during his set when he performed his first hit record “Pump It Up” to the delight of the crowd.
As the clock struck close to midnight,  Mobb Deep’s DJ began to set up for the headliners of the night. Taking things back to the Golden Era, the DJ played classic records from Biggie, Nas, Noreaga, and others to set the tone for The Infamous ones. Shortly after, the DJ dropped the instrumental to “Survival of the Fittest” and  Capital P and his partner Havoc, made their grand entrance spitting the lyrics to the classic Queens record.
In honor of the twenty years of the duo, Prodigy and Havoc performed cuts from their 1995 critically acclaimed album, The Infamous. Fans could be heard reciting word by word the lyrics to “Eye for an Eye,” “Temperature’s Rising,” and “Give Up The Goods” giving you that nostalgic feeling of a East coast Hip-Hop concert in the mid 90’s.
The hits continued as Mobb Deep ran through their extensive catalogue. Even Capital P did a few of his solo joints and guest verses. The night would’ve been fitting with a guest appearance from Alchemist, but even though the super producer was not in attendance his presence was definitely felt through his music and the shout outs of of P and Havoc. The Queens duo closed out their set, with what probably is said to be one of the greatest Hip-Hop records of all time, “Shook Ones,” which had the Stage48 crowd in a frenzy. P and Havoc congratulate one another for the success of twenty years after tearing the stage and tell the crowd to look out once again for that upcoming Mobb Deep album.
In an era where a rappers career may last less than five years, it’s good to see a group like Mobb Deep, through all their ups and down, have the longevity and the success that they have had so far in their careers. One thing is for sure, the Infamous Mobb Deep will live on for plenty of years to come, through their music and loyal fans.
Roger Krastz @walldoe
Pictures By: Retina Stewart
