Mobb Deep Dropped “Juvenile Hell” 29 Years Ago

Mobb Deep is an iconic group in the world of Hip-Hop. The true fans won’t ever dispute how much the duo contributed. We know who Mobb Deep is now, but there was a time when they were just two black teenagers trying to get a record deal.

Mobb Deep Drops First Album 29 Years Ago. Image source: Chi Modu

The Beginnings

Havoc and Prodigy used to stand outside the music labels’ office buildings, hoping to get someone to listen to Mobb Deep’s demo tape.

“When me and Hav first met and started doing our demo tape, we’d get the address off the back of albums and go stand outside whatever company,” Prodigy explained.

Prodigy was also the first of the two members who got a deal. According to Classic Hip Hop Magazine, Prodigy signed with Jive Records. However, he was still searching for a record deal that would include Havoc. Mobb Deep eventually would get a deal with 4th & Broadway.

Mobb Deep’s “Juvenile Hell” album cover.
Image source: Aldo Sampieri, George Dubose

“Juvenile Hell” was the first project the duo started to work on under a label. The two released the album on April 13, 1993. The Source states that Prodigy and Havoc were 19 when “Juvenile Hell” hit the streets. DJ Premier and Large Professor also produced some of the tracks on the album. “Peer Pressure” and “Hit It From the Back” were produced by DJ Premier, and Big Noyd featured on the “Stomp’ Em Out” track.

“We about to take you somewhere you ain’t never been before/It’s called Juvenile Hell,” Mobb Deep’s “Intro (Juvenile Hell)” claims.

Mobb Deep Moves On

Eventually, 4th & Broadway released them from the label. They then released the album that put them in the spotlight, “The Infamous.”

Mobb Deep created a unique sound. With hood and direct lyrics, their sound was just what hip-hop needed. The Infamous gave hip-hop “Give Up The Goods,” “Survival of the Fittest,” and “Shook Ones Pt. 2.”

Mobb Deep
Image source:Paul Hampartsoumian/Shutterstock

Mobb Deep’s first album, “Juvenile Hell,” didn’t push them into the spotlight, but that didn’t stop them. Prodigy and Havoc also found out that hip-hop would not just let them in, and they would have to work to have success in the game.

Fortunately, they didn’t stop rapping, and we can enjoy their music 29 years later.

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Xavier “Writer X” Griffin | Facebook @WriterX93 |Twitter @WRITER_X_713