Havoc & Prodigy are back with a new EP titled “Survival of the Fittest”. So you ask, how does this album measure up? Well, I think there’s a lot to be said about Mobb Deep. Reality is, they are in a rebuilding stage with their career. Yes, they are legends in hip-hop, and that can never be taken away from them, regardless of what drama happens along the way. You can’t hide the fact, though, that things have happened in their history that were a little damaging. At a time when it should be about the music, it becomes about something else that unfortunately overshadows the talent they have. 

These brothers are madd talented, and I’m sure it didn’t take me saying that for you to know. They’ve worked with the best of the best, and they’ve released some pure hip-hop classics that will never die. I still play “Shook Ones”, the original ’Survival of the Fittest”, Quiet Storm (with & without Lil’ Kim) and many of their collaborations with artists like Raekwon & Mariah (Rooftop) regularly, so their impression on even myself is evident. This EP, “Survival of the Fittest”, could very well be considered classic. 

On this EP, they get back to the true essence of hip-hop; the real reason they are even here. This is what they love to do, and it shows with the way they crafted this EP. It’s one that you can play straight through, non-stop. “Survival of the Fittest” follows their 2014 release, ‘The Infamous Mobb Deep”, which was their first album in nearly a decade. Honestly, this EP should have come then. In this rebuilding stage, it’s not about an LP full of guest appearances and whatnot. You want to be able to fully re-establish yourself as an artist. You want to get right to the point without all the fluff, and they do that rather well with ‘Survival of the Fittest”. 

I honestly can’t name one track as better than the other, because the entire EP bangs! I will say that I’m really feeling “Survival of the Fittest Pt 2, the ESPN Remix), but I reiterate that this entire EP is fire! I’m happy for these brothers, moreso because you hear in the lyrics that they’re having a good time and enjoying their careers. That’s what it’s all about at this stage in the game, and more importantly this stage in life. If you’re not enjoying it and it doesn’t make you happy, then there ain’t no point in doing it! They’re enjoying life, and that will always exude in the product. I recommend this EP to any hip-hop fan out there looking for that real!