Watch Havoc, Q-Tip, and Raekwon Recount The Making of Mobb Deep's 'The Infamous'

"That was just our way of living at the time."

Havoc was joined by Q-Tip and Raekwon for a discussion of Mobb Deep's seminal sophomore album, The Infamous. 

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Hosted by Ebro in a live video call on Beats 1, the chat commenced with Havoc recounting his first meeting with Prodigy and how the late rapper was the one to introduce him to production, showing him how to operate the gear that would become central to their workflow.

Soon after, The Chef hops on the line, recalling the level of competition he felt in the studio and in a flourishing New York rap scene at the time. "It was the Olympics," Raekwon tells the group, referring to the caliber of talent assembled for the project. Eventually, Tip joins the call to debunk the perception of The Infamous being a street life manifesto, underscoring how Hav and P's second time out was akin to hearing "a young black man finding his way, his identity, his realization of self through a desperate time."

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Watch the full interview via Apple Music. Stream the expanded 25th-anniversary edition of Mobb Deep's The Infamous below. A vinyl pressing of the deluxe edition will be available later this year, featuring unreleased songs and alternative takes.