Is The Infamous good?

Riffiter listeners rate The Infamous 4.3/5 from 172 ratings.

What is the highest-rated track on The Infamous?

Eye for an Eye (Your Beef Is Mines), rated 5.0/5 by 2 listeners on Riffiter.

When was The Infamous released?

The Infamous was released in 1995 on RCA Records Label.

How many tracks are on The Infamous?

The Infamous has 16 tracks, with a runtime of 67 minutes.

What genre is The Infamous?

The Infamous is catalogued under Hip-Hop, Gangsta Rap, Boom Bap.

What BPM is The Infamous?

The Infamous runs at a median tempo of 95 BPM across its tracks, most often in A# major, measured from audio analysis.

What albums are similar to The Infamous?

Listeners of The Infamous also rate It Was Written by Nas, Lifestylez ov da Poor & Dangerous by Big L, Only Built 4 Cuban Linx... by Raekwon.

Who produced The Infamous?

Mobb Deep produced 3 of the 16 tracks on The Infamous.

Who wrote the songs on The Infamous?

The Infamous was written by Prodigy and Havoc. Prodigy wrote 3 of them.

AlbumE · 1995

The Infamous

by Mobb Deep

The Infamous is a 1995 hip-hop album by Mobb Deep. It runs 16 tracks across 67 minutes on RCA Records Label. Riffiter listeners rate it 4.3/5 from 172 ratings.

prod.

Mobb Deep 46connections

Hip-Hop · Gangsta Rap · Boom Bap

Best albums of 1995→

#1 in Best albums of 1995 · #18 in Best hip-hop albums

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4.3 /5
172 ratings: 91 /100
10 critics: 16
Tracks: 67 min
Runtime: 95 bpm
Tempo: A# major
Key

Ratings

172 ratings · avg 4.3

0.5★5★

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Reviews

2 reviews

3.5
hugot Oct 10, 2026
Shook Ones is the classic and I'm not fighting anyone over that Herbie Hancock flip. The one I actually put on is Temperature's Rising: Q-Tip co-produced it, Crystal Johnson's hook gives it a pulse, and it's the only spot where Havoc and Prodigy sound like they'd let somebody else in the room. The middle is my problem. Trife Life and Q.U. - Hectic sit at the same head-nod and the same tempo, and by the back half I'm checking the tracklist to know where I am. It needs Drink Away the Pain sequenced straight after Temperature's Rising, two warm songs back to back, before I'd call it a front-to-back record.
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5.0
Riffiter Jun 7, 2026
Queensbridge noir at its bleakest and most precise: The Infamous runs on Havoc's smoke-damaged loops and a teenage Prodigy delivering some of rap's coldest verses — "Shook Ones, Pt. II" is the genre's definitive threat assessment. No glamour, no relief, total command. East Coast hardcore's high-water mark.
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30 people have played it start to finish

4 people are spinning it this week

Critics

10 publications

Scores collected from the English Wikipedia ratings box (CC BY-SA). Ratings belong to the publications; follow a link to read the review.

The Infamous album cover

The The Infamous cover was photographed by Chi Modu and art-directed by Merge One.

Photography: Chi Modu
Art direction: Merge One

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Tracklist

16 tracks · 67 min

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Also released as

Every pressing below shares this page's rating and reviews — they are the same record.

The Infamous - 25th Anniversary Expanded EditionAnniversary edition · 2020 · 21 tracks
1. 1The Start of Your Ending (41st Side)
2. 2(The Infamous Prelude)
3. 3Survival of the Fittest
4. 4Eye for a Eye (Your Beef Is Mines) (feat. Nas & Raekwon)
5. 5(Just Step Prelude)
6. 6Give Up the Goods (Just Step) (feat. Big Noyd)
7. 7Temperature's Rising (feat. Crystal Johnson)
8. 8Up North Trip
9. 9Trife Life
10. 10Q.U. - Hectic
11. 11Right Back at You (feat. Ghostface Killah, Raekwon & Big Noyd)
12. 12(The Grave Prelude)
13. 13Cradle to the Grave
14. 14Drink Away the Pain (Situations) (feat. Q-Tip)
15. 15Shook Ones, Pt. II
16. 16Party Over (feat. Big Noyd)
17. 17Shook Ones, Part I (Original Version)
18. 18The Money (Version 2) (Infamous Sessions Mix)
19. 19Lifestyles of the Infamous (Infamous Sessions Mix)
20. 20Shook Ones, Pt. I (Instrumental)
21. 21Shook Ones, Pt. II (Instrumental)

Videos

3 videos

Ranked by listeners

top 5 · 7 rated tracks

According to Riffiter listeners, the best track on The Infamous is Eye for an Eye (Your Beef Is Mines) — rated 5.0/5 by 2 listeners.

More by Mobb Deep

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About

"The Infamous..." is the second studio album by the American hip-hop duo Mobb Deep. It was released on April 25, 1995, by RCA Records and Loud Records. The album features guest appearances by Nas, Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, and Q-Tip. It was largely produced by group member Havoc, with Q-Tip also contributing production while serving as the mixing engineer. Most of the leftover songs from the album became bonus tracks for Mobb Deep's "The Infamous Mobb Deep" album. Although they are now considered a legendary group, leading into the release of their second album, The Infamous, it was far from a given that Albert “Prodigy” Johnson and Kejuan “Havoc” Muchita would enjoy such long and fruitful careers. Their first album "Juvenile Hell" had been a commercial flop, although it did yield a minor hit, “Hit It From The Back,” and led to them being dropped by their first label, 4th & Broadway. Prodigy even admits in his new autobiography, My Infamous Life, that him and Havoc didn’t really take the songwriting and producing process serious for their debut. It’s understandable given that both were teenagers at the time.

Besides, if it was the impetus for what was to come, then it was definitely a good thing. While only producing three songs on "Juvenile Hell", the group produced a majority of The infamous, carving out a unique and unmistakable sound. Dark, moody, brooding, and sinister, the music was apocalyptic and Havoc and Prodigy’s unyielding and unremorseful lyrics painted a very bleak picture of what life was like growing up in Queensbridge (yeah, we know Prodigy is from Hempstead, Long Island, but it’s obvious he spent a lot of time in QB). It may have been unnerving to think that a duo so young could entertain such cold-blooded thoughts, but given the overwhelmingly positive response, the realness seemed to resonate. The album contained huge smashes with “Shook Ones, Pt. II,” and “Survival of the Fittest,” and disseminated their unique dunn slanguage all over the world.

From Last.fm, text available under CC BY-SA 3.0.

In brief

Is The Infamous good?: Riffiter listeners rate The Infamous 4.3/5 from 172 ratings.
What is the highest-rated track on The Infamous?: Eye for an Eye (Your Beef Is Mines), rated 5.0/5 by 2 listeners on Riffiter.
When was The Infamous released?: The Infamous was released in 1995 on RCA Records Label.
How many tracks are on The Infamous?: The Infamous has 16 tracks, with a runtime of 67 minutes.
What genre is The Infamous?: The Infamous is catalogued under Hip-Hop, Gangsta Rap, Boom Bap.
What BPM is The Infamous?: The Infamous runs at a median tempo of 95 BPM across its tracks, most often in A# major, measured from audio analysis.
What albums are similar to The Infamous?: Listeners of The Infamous also rate It Was Written by Nas, Lifestylez ov da Poor & Dangerous by Big L, Only Built 4 Cuban Linx... by Raekwon.
Who produced The Infamous?: Mobb Deep produced 3 of the 16 tracks on The Infamous.
Who wrote the songs on The Infamous?: The Infamous was written by Prodigy and Havoc. Prodigy wrote 3 of them.