The Breakfast Club - INTERVIEW: Havoc Talks New Mobb Deep Album, Prodigy's Legacy, 50 Cent, Jazmine Sullivan + More

Episode Date: October 7, 2025

Today on The Breakfast Club, Havoc Talks New Mobb Deep Album, Prodigy's Legacy, 50 Cent, Jazmine Sullivan. Listen For More!YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@BreakfastClubPower1051FMSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Morning, everybody. It's DJ Envy. Just hilarious. Salomey Nagar. We are the Breakfast Club. La Rosa is here as well. We got a special guest in the building. We have Havoc here.

Havoc, what's up, brother? What's going on? How are you feeling? Real good, real good. Havoc from Mobb Deep, of course. New album, Infinite out on this Friday. That's right. So many questions, so many questions.

So let's start off with first. How did you put this album together? Oh, man, it was a long time in the making because, you know, after the untimely death of prodigy, you know what I mean? It was something that I wanted to do. But it took me a minute because, you know, the family was in the grieving process.

But to make a long story short, linked up with ALC, Alchemist, and we knew we had to start, you know what I mean? Start the album, so flew out there. I had a couple of songs already, you know what I'm saying? Some verses from Prodigy's family, and Alchemist had a ton of verses already. So we just started putting it together and just breaking it down. I was going to ask, how did you pick which verses, like when you're going through Prodigy, you know, verses that we've never heard? Right.

How you pick which ones, because we were anticipating hearing it. Right, right. I mean, it was kind of hard, because, I mean, to me, you know what I'm saying? All prodigy verses is dope, you know what I mean? So it was hard. I mean, because we ended up with like, what, 25 songs, you know, ended up with 15. But I don't know, you know, just the best ones, you know what I'm saying? Out of Prodigies versus, if I could pick, it was really hard, though.

Now, were any of these songs done already from y'all already, or these were all, you had to get every new verses from, you know, whether his daughter, I see, his daughter of raps, his family, or Alchemist. I mean, you know, I thought that I was getting, most of the verses was like unheard verses, but like one of them was like, you know, released like 14 years ago. So, you know what I'm saying? We took, wiped the dust off and, you know, rocked with the songs or whatever. But most of them is just verses that nobody never heard before, especially, you know what I'm saying?

Some that Al has, like, it's like crazy verses, like, for real. But, you know, I was giving some verses from the family and I just, you know, technology, you could just take a verse if it's like nice. 82 BPMs, you could put it down at 88 or you could speed it up to 100, so it's like kind of seamless. How was the family we're doing this? Did the family want a new Mobb Deep album out? Were they cool with it or they were like, you know? They was cool with it.

They was cool with it, but they just wanted to make sure that they was part of the process and that they wasn't left out. So, you know, the first time that we started working on the album, we had Prodigy's daughter there, you know what I'm saying, and getting her blessings and she was, you know, she kind of got a little emotional when she was hearing her father, you know what I'm saying? As me and I was getting emotional, listening to Prodigy talk, like, you know, Acapella, talk about, yo, I see you on the other side and, you know, love you.

It's crazy. What was your relationship with before he passed? It was actually, I feel like I got my friend back. You know what I mean? Because right before he passed, like, real talk, we was shopping at Whole Foods, you know, trying to get on a healthy path. And after we did that, he knocked on my hotel.

Like, he never comes to my room. Came to my room and we was just kicking it. Like, just trying to go down. healthy journey because you know we had you know a little dust up before that what was that dust up for because i always was saying like mob deep is that one crew right like them they're never like they just so from the same area they didn't been through beefs and this and that and problems with money like they didn't been through it all so i figured they all that one group that was like nah but y'all had a little situation at one point i just say this like when it comes to alcohol just stay away for

social media you know what i'm saying just leave that alone um some things Like, brothers go through things, but that's supposed to be behind the scenes, you feel me? So it was just built up frustration and me taking the social media. Like, I wasn't taught to go to social media and there are my differences. So that's something that I did. And Prodigy kept it, like, real classy, like, with it. He was, you know what I'm saying, A class general, with it, he didn't even engage in that little dust stuff. But, you know, it was a little strain on the relationship.

We broke up for like a year. then we came back together, toured, and then slowly but surely just kept building that brotherhood back. And after that breakup, how did y'all get back together? Like, what was that conversation? Who reached out first? Or who put y'all together? Because we both got friends in common, right?

So it wasn't like, yo, okay, today y'all gonna meet up. It was like that gradual, gradual, gradual, and then we just ended up in the studio together. You know what I'm saying? And it was like, nothing never happened, right? Like, the beat is up, and we just like, yeah, you know what I'm saying? So we're going to do X, Y, and Z. And you know what I mean?

But we did get a chance to come. kind of like talk you know you know we I knew since I was 15 you know what I'm saying so that was like my brother brother for real you know what I'm saying and it was just crazy when he passed how close we was getting before that and y'all were in Vegas when he passed right yeah we was in Vegas we had just did a like you know one of those shows I think Icy be throwing those tours with a lot of the old school artists or whatever norie was there Ray Kwan a ghost and um he wasn't feeling Wells and you know I just thought it was just like one of those regular cigarette cell crises and he'll you know be back home in New York yeah is there

because I know that this is you work with Massapil yeah drop this is there anything just because this is also people are looking at this as like a comeback project or like a return project but it's also a tribute as well right is there anything when people are listening to the the music from Prodigy that we haven't heard like when you were putting together and producing all of this like what was the message you want to his fans to get from him in hearing him again well you know i don't think that it was so much of me like wanting a message to be put out there about prodigy the fans know what they wanted you know

what i mean like i'm constantly getting harassed by the fans like yo when you putting out that mom deep album i mean look i don't got no control over that you know what i'm saying like i don't own prodigy versus so it was a process you know what i mean but you know i hope that you know the supporters get from it like oh you know p was one of the ill emcees out there and I think that you know he had some unfinished business what was the pressure like for you if any because it's been what since 2014

since you've drafted a project? Yeah the pressure was crazy you know what I'm saying? Because of course you know the music landscape been changed you know what I'm saying on mob deep but we stay in our lane you know what I mean and I just kind of like that's all I wanted to do is just stay in our lane and I try to go above

and beyond and trying to sound like I'm doing some drill music or something like that you know what I just wanted to stay more deep Mm-hmm. Now, you did this deal with Nas' Mass Appeal, she just mentioned. Yeah. How involved was Nas with this project? And why did y'all decide to sign with the Nause and do the collaboration with Massapil? Nas kind of like took the hands off approach You know what I mean

We trusted Nas You know what I mean We know of course obviously Since the beginning You know what I mean from the top And he in position right now You know what I mean So we like

Tons of people would have did them all deep album You know what I mean But at the end of the day It was like who do we trust I trust Nause You know what I mean I'm like okay He over there at Mass Appeal

We sat with them And it wasn't about the money It's just more like Who would do justice to the project You know what I mean And then we trusted Nott's for that. And, you know, he took a hands-off approach. But when it was time to, you know, give a little bit of critique, he gave it.

He did two verses on it as well. Three. He did three verses on it. Yeah. I mean, three verses for Nyes. Yeah, you know what I'm saying? I think that's a good way to go out. You know what I mean?

On the Marl Deep album, that was cool, you know, featuring her, Georgia Smith, you know, two phenomenal artists and Porter Hennie. Yeah. You know, clips as well as on the album as well. Hell yeah. I said a lot of your stories have been going viral the last couple of days, right? Of course, the Pock stories always go viral. The JZ stories go viral. But the mind frame back then when you felt like the West Coast was taking a stab at the east, right?

And y'all said, nah, this can't happen. Break that down because y'all probably one of the first to jump out the window and be like, we ride in all day long. And how difficult was it when y'all were touring and going to these markets and seeing these people? And did you ever run into any of the people that you shot at on record? I should say. Yo, check it out. Like, when you're in places like Minneapolis

and you see people throwing up gang signs and holding up Tupac posters, you don't even know if you're going to make it out of there. You understand what I'm saying? So that's that. You know what I mean? Never mind going to the West Coast. You know what I'm saying?

But you know back in those days, we was in our 20s, you know what I'm saying? We're invincible. We're like, what? We got beef. It's on. I'm surprised more artists in New York didn't come out swinging.

You understand what I'm saying? This is NYC. And yeah, we love our West. Coast Brethren's for sure, but we're going to let you know if you clap at us, we're going clap back. You know what I'm saying? You know, a couple of artists came, represented New York, but not in the way where we like, yo, y'all kick it down the buildings? Like, nah, you know what I'm saying? We're not letting you do that. But it was, it was a test, you know what I'm saying? Because it was, it was serious back then. People was getting shot and things of that nature. But we came out. We

survived it. And that never ran into anybody on the West Coast. You never ran into a park back and it ain't nobody. Nah, and it's not like we was hiding. You understand what I'm saying? Like, we went to, we was in L.A. We had to be in L.A. You know, to promote the project. But he passed.

You know what I said? Like when the beep was about to be on, we came out with a project. We was about to, hell on earth. And he got shot. You know what I'm saying? That kind of just made everything like. And you all even switched singles

because they said the single was L.A. Right. He got killed or shot. Right. Because it was, no, it was drop a gem on them. Drop a gym on them. It was drop a gem owner. We put that out, and it was going on fire.

Like, you know what I'm saying? Hot 97. You know, pardon for saying another station, but I'm just saying. No, no, no, no. There's history. Yeah, so it was going viral, so to speak, for back then. You know what I mean? But then he got shot and it's like, yo, son, let's pull the record.

Like, me and Pete, like, yo, let's pull it. Not even the label saying that. And we pulled the record, and then eventually he definitely passed away. So it was like, damn. But we put it on the album. And pulling the record, I mean, I know it's common sense to be like, okay you're pulling it because now things are like so serious but in that moment when y'all made that decision

the conversations like I think a lot of people hear these stories too and it just sounds like it's like kind of like almost like a folk tell to us but you were like in that moment like what's the feeling of like is it okay we want to pull it because we just don't even want to be involved in this anymore even though you're already there or is it like out of respect like what's the real like for real for real yeah like why pull it because at that point y'all are already like

we're here we doing this like we've broken out our chest Look at the end of the day he was a brother he was our brother like we might have beef with him and all of that But we don't wish death on nobody you understand what I'm saying and we're not that thirsty like to be like Whatever he did like keep it moving like that would have been bad taste anyway you know what I'm saying it would be tasteless so we just like nah this just pull it You know your relationship with big was not the best What you what you mean was it was it good because I thought the relationship wasn't necessary the greatest you and B.I.G. Oh, for real? Me and B.L.G. We got the same birthday. Oh, I didn't know that. Did y'all ever have conversations? Because y'all were both

getting shot at like crazy. Did y'all ever have conversations? Like, let's do this together. Right. Now, unfortunately, that's another one that passed away so early. You understand what I'm saying? Because, you know, Puff said, yo, come to the studio. I need you to do some music with Big. I didn't even know the lock's going to be on the song last days. So I'm in there doing that. He in another room because I guess he was recording. and like crazy back then you know what I mean so um we've never got a chance to really have a conversation we went on tour together you know what I'm saying the last memories I have a big is being in Ohio and we're supposed to go on but big was like F that I'm going on before y'all

because they spraying mace in the crowd like like like you know like the gang members is wild and I ain't even know oh Ohio had gangs like that but those are the memories I have on him so we didn't get a chance to like really kick and kick it but I think if had he lived longer we'd have probably been partying together you know what I'm saying same birthday jeminato how did um watching you know the death of Tupac and then of Biggie change how you felt about just being an artist at the time like were you scared but did it change because y'all ain't stopped beefing y'all kept going y'all never stopped nah you know what to be honest with you it was like I felt it was mad disrespectful you understand what I'm saying for like it's like

no like you're just killing artists like y'all just you know what i'm saying i don't understand you know what i'm saying artists is human beings but it's like no respect for the artists like y'all like you're just murking the artist so that had me super concerned like you know i'm like wow like it's you know you already got your concerns when you're going on tour and making sure you're safe but now just people just get out of here like by you gone you that was crazy you know what i always wanted to ask i always tell everybody if we have a hip-hop conversation my favorite beat ever And I think I told you before, it's shook ones, right? It's just when you think of hip hop, there's nothing that out hip hop shook ones.

Just the raw, just uncut. It doesn't sound like it's ever filtered. It just doesn't feel like it's never mixed. And it just feels like that. But I also feel like when a lot of times when they talk about some of the greatest producers in this industry and in the game, they don't mention you. Right. How does that make you feel? Because they'll mention the drays.

They'll mention so many other people. But I never, a lot of times I don't hear have it. I mean, you know, it could get frustrating. You know what I'm saying? It gets frustrating, you know, when your name is not being mentioned, when you feel like it should be mentioned. But at the same time, we never got nominated for Grammys. And I'm sure we had albums that was platinum and gold during the time

when the other artists were platinum of gold and that, you know, and we never got nominated. So I just feel like it's in the same vein. But you know what? My peers, you know what I'm saying? When I see them, like I just seen Dr. Dre the other day, he's like, yo, you and so. inspired me and I'm looking at him like you know what I'm saying like you inspired me but I feel him I understand what he's saying because we all inspire each other so things like that kind of negate the frustration I feel of not being mentioned because I can see somebody like Dr. Dr. Dr. Dr. Jayne be like yo son like you know what I mean and that's all I be need that's all you need that's it's safe thing with prodigy with lyrics though I think a lot of people don't necessarily understand how nice he was lyrically he doesn't get into a lot of those conversations as well either he don't but then you have somebody like

Jay-Z if you ask him a question about Prodigy, he'd be like, Prodigy was one of those ones. You understand what I'm saying? So when people don't involve them in the conversation, but their favorite rapper is screaming their name, like not screaming their name, but giving them the credit, I think sometimes that's the Jess do sometimes. Eventually, the generation is just going to come after us when they start doing their little investigation, like we used to do with the, maybe not y'all because they're a little younger, but, you know, with the 70s, Like we're pulling like James Brown. We're pulling all these stylistic blue magic.

They're going to start pulling those mob deep records and be like, damn, what's this? This sounded crazy than all that other stuff that's supposed to be top 40. You know what I mean? Yeah. And you mentioned Jay. How did that beef ever start? And do you ever regret never producing for Hove?

Is that one of the things you say? Off top, of course. You know what I'm saying? As a producer, you want to produce for the best of them. Because you produce that for every New York great but that one. Right. That's the one I'm chasing. You know what I mean?

But shout out to Hope. but look when that beef happened I had to stand with my brother how did it start oh it started because back to what we was talking about with the you know Snoop

and Snoop came through and crushed the builders and then we came with LA LA and then I think Prodigy seen an article with wait matter of fact I think Jay Z says something in his line about New York and soft

since he didn't appreciate it and then he says something in a magazine and called hold out his name Oh is it You know what I'm saying This is a car tag sport You know what I'm saying

He in his prom He's going right back at Prodigy So it just started right there Right Do you feel like that beef hurt Maudeed I'm not going to say that it hurt Mald Deep But it could have did a little

Nice little delay You know what I mean Because when you Got somebody like that Just coming at you You know what I'm saying It's like it starts chipping away You know that armor

I always wanted to know what Nas said during that time because y'all all beefing together Right Did not say, yo let's do this together Like what was that conversation like Nah he was on his lone wolf real quick You know what I mean? He came out with that ether

It was like you know what I mean Nobody saw it coming you know what I mean We never ever had a conversation about like Yo yeah man let's go get him Let's jump him Let's jump him now That was never the conversation What myths about Mob deep

Do you hear and you don't or you hear and you kind of laugh at. I know there's the one with the hi-hat sound, like the burner. I'm still kind of confused about that. Was it a real burner? I saw two different answers at one point in time, but there's a lot of myths out there about you guys

that sometimes you say are better than the actual story, so you just let it rock. I mean, the one that you just said with the stove, like, you know what I mean? Everybody keeps saying like, if it's the stove, it's the stove. I'm not going to tell them if it's the stove or not. I just love the mystique of the stove. It's like, that's a dope story.

Well, break down the story. People are like, what the hell y'all are about? So in Shook On's part two, there's the flicking sound, and it sounds like you, you know how you crank up the stove and it's like, click, click, click, click. Yeah, so at one point, I thought I saw an interview from you and you said that it was a stove and you recorded it. I think that was drink champs.

And then I saw another interview where you were like, it was a high hat that you used. Right, yeah, yeah, I'll be messing with them. You know what I just, I just be messing with them. Like, I'm never going to reveal that one. Why? Because it just, you know, it sounds better. Yeah, you know, than the actual truth.

Tushay. And I know you guys got the comic book series that kind of leans into all of the myths about Mob Deep. It's you guys, Slick Rick, Ghostface, Nyes. It's like a one-time only series. So are y'all talking about more of the myths in that limited comic book series or is it just something that they're putting in? Well, when they was making it, they was asking me like what you think your strengths would be if you would be, you know what I'm saying a superhero or whatever. And they was asking me what I think prodigy strengths would be. And I just kind of gave him that, like, you know, everybody wanted to fly.

Be like Superman or have some kind of secret power, you know what I mean? So I don't think it added towards like any kind of myth, but more along the lines of like, if you had superpowers, what would you, which one would you pick? Gotcha. I thought it was going to lean into like all of the old, like the hip-hop stories that we hear that we don't ever get real answers to. That's a good angle. I like that. You might have to put Massapil up and start, you know what I mean? Rebamp some of their ideas.

With the rollout right now that you're doing because a lot of those conversations. are coming back up. People are learning it for the first time. How different is it for you now promoting your music and having these conversations with social media versus, you know, not even the last album, but like early on days when y'all were running around? I mean, it's way different because now, you know, back in them days, we didn't have no social media. We didn't have none of that. So, you know, the things that we're doing now, like hitting mad podcasts up and things of that nature is like it feels kind of different. But it's the work that you put in when you put out a project, you know what I'm saying? I love doing it. I love this time. You know what I mean? I get to really, you know, show what Marb Deep is all about. What artists came to you for a beat and you turned them down and then you kind of went back and like, damn, I should have did that beat?

Was there any one of those artists? Damn. I don't think so. I don't think so. You know, when I do work with an artist, you know, nine times out of ten, I'm feeling them. You know what I mean? But if I didn't want to work with an artist, they definitely didn't hear back from me. You know what beat did you give away

You wish you didn't give away You would have kept to yourself Nah Or every track that I gave away I was fine with You know what I mean I don't think I gave away anything Now I always

I always like to ask These are my two favorite beats My two favorite hip hop beats I want you to break down When you created shick ones And when you create a choir store Right And whose choice was it to put

Of every artist out there Why Little Kim So let's start off with breaking out Shik ones So where were you when you made When you made Shik Ones? And did you know that was going to be what it was? Shook ones.

I made that in Queens Ridge in my mom's apartment where I grew up at, right? Dirty records all over the floor, scratch, pop, vinyl. They didn't even really know what I was doing. Then the crew came in the crib, prodigy, all in this. Hey, what's this? I was like, oh, it's whatever, whatever. I'm about to turn the, you know, the drum machine. No, no, no, no, don't turn it off.

Keep it. We did a song to it. Actually, we had the shook ones part two. Part one, and then this became part two. And it took off. I had no idea I was going to do that. Quiet Storm,

I ran out of samples. You know what I mean? I ran out of anything to sample. So I'm just looking at this Sugar Hill gang record. Like, damn, let me just try you for it now.

Because that's a record that I always pass. Like, you know, white lines and all of that. Nobody's not putting that on. You know what I mean? So put that on. Sampled it.

I said, let me slow it down. Maybe, like, you know, slow it down, throw some rim shots to it. And just did it. Didn't think nothing of it. Prodigy used to come to my house,

go in the basement to the studio while I'm asleep. And then when I went down, he's like, yo, have, what's this? I was like, it's whatever. It wasn't nothing. And he did a whole solo song to it. And then we ended up making it the first single on, I believe, it was murder music.

And I was kind of a little upset by then because Chris Lighty God bless the day. He was like, yeah, we're making this the first single. I'm like, yo, I'm not on it. You know what I'm saying? He was like, you made the beat. And I think that was the time. when now everybody's just looking at me as a producer and not even a rapper so that was a that's

another story you know what I mean that I'm getting looked at just as a producer when I just be trying to like you know write my life away on the paper but it's all good and then how did y'all get what was the decision to put little kim why little kim of all the female emcees at that time why kim I mean come on evy you know what time it is we go in the club right now mob deeps in the club it's the sausage fest right you know what I'm saying so we like yo we need the we need to get the chicks involved who we could get who we could get little kem and she agreed to do it that went to the studio i seen her in there right in her verse she sung my hookover i'm telling you that record took off off like you couldn't it was genius it was to the day where you could put out a street

record and it could be a single and right this day is kim's one of kim's biggest verses just it just connects hot damn hole here we go again and she got that little the dance that she do to this day Still to this day. To this day. Yeah. I was thinking about, you mentioned like going in a club and like using that and bringing that back into the music. Maybe some artists do that now, but I think a lot of artists are geared toward like TikTok

and numbers and research because the industry has changed. Right. Envy always talks about how lit the club scene in New York was and all the artists and all the things. I was telling that everybody used to be outside. Yeah. When we was clubbing, like it was, there were no, I would say, Richard Broke. It was the dude for the dude from the.

the block on the left side right mob deep on the right hove in this corner kim and him on this side you would see naz was always in a cup by himself somehow some way wiggling in and out you would see the lost boys you would just see so many it would you would see everybody in the club and you would see how music reacts and like you said it wouldn't matter you'd play the gangsters record girls is rapping dudes is rapping and we would go from club to club night tonight it was just a feeling in new york i always tell about that you just could never change it was just something about that. I mean, it was an amazing time.

You know what I mean? Like when street records, you was able to dance to it, you didn't have to make a radio record, you know what I mean? But once your record took off in the clubs, you was kind of like pretty much out of there. I think the clubs dictated hits. Which is not as much anywhere. And I know you got the tour that you're going on with Requine.

Yep, we got that, the 30th anniversary of the Cuban Links and the infamous album. We're going to do the U.S., you know, about like 18 dates or whatever. And that's dope. Actually got rehearsal with Ray Kwan later on today. You know what I mean? Because we're taking it serious. Like, you know, we some OGs, you know, shit, got to do our two steps, make sure we're good. I wanted to know, too, when you signed with 50, when y'all did a deal with 50.

Break that down and why y'all decided to sign that deal. And where were y'all at that point as far as Maude deep to you? I mean, if you get offered some Ferraris, you're not going to sign a deal? Absolutely. but now um 50 called me we was free agents at that point i think we had been on jive yep we sold 150 000 records the first week that wasn't good enough for job today i mean that's like probably platinum or something like that absolutely but it was happy with 30,000 now exactly so i guess we was ahead of our time or not whatever it is but uh 50 called me i and i had already

worked with 50 like maybe a year before that before he was bubbling on the mixtapes i remember and he was one of my favorite artists you know what I'm saying we did bump dad and clap those things or whatever and that was supposed to be for my solo album loud folded never came out and then the next you know a year later somebody named 50 cents is just going bubbling right so we kept that relationship going and by time we became free agents gave me a call said I want to sign y'all he swept us up into the G unit umbrella went on tour and rest was history why how come you never sign more artists because you you were the producer you were the artist how can you did you could you You could, I'm sure, signed 50 early on.

Besides Big Noi, who did y'all? True. You know what it is? I guess I haven't ever found the artist that I truly like, yo, like I can. I just don't want to sign somebody just to sign somebody. Like, I guess my bar is high. You know, I really want to sign that artist. Now, this is an artist that I did want to sign that she was assigned at the time.

It was a Jasmine Sullivan. She just came into, like, right. Because back then I was, like, getting people to throw reference vocals. and Steve, I was working with StevieJ, and he knew her and got her to the studio. And I was like, God damn, I was like, yo, she's nice, you know what I mean? But she's one of those artists that you know is going to get a major record deal and get signed. You got to come with the business if you want to sign a Jasmine Sullivan. But for instance, like, I don't run across artists like that all the time.

And those are the artists that I really want to, you know what I mean? And they feel and far between. So you didn't sign her only because the deal situation wasn't going to be what you thought it should be? Or like, how did that not move forward? wasn't ready. You know what I'm saying? I ain't going to live. You know, you know, female artists is like high maintenance, you know what I'm saying? It comes with a lot. You know what I'm saying? I mean, because you got glam and branding and they get, and I will say, although Jasmine Sullivan. Yeah, no, our t-shirt and jeans is a little different. But Jasmine Sullivan is one of the best

singers, period, in the game, right? But I feel like it took people so long. It was hotels for me, when people even started recognizing her the way that they should have. And she had been working for so long before that so I'm sure a lot of money was poured into that absolutely so I understand what you're saying but y'all didn't even have a conversation in an attempt to see like what she would save to your offer I had the conversation in my mind you know what I'm saying like I wish that I you know because I was just you know I was in my own way you know what I mean but the artist in me wanted her to shine you know what I mean and not even you know try to get in her way but you know that's what it is like I never come across artists of that caliber it's really hard

art right like you know so that's why i want to go back to the 50 cent um signing y'all conversation i know when you guys signed with 50 and drop music a lot of the fans were happy about that yeah because you know why i always say it like this fans are like your parents right they never want to see the kids grow right oh i want you to stay my baby please don't get older and that's what all this are to the supporters and fans right they never want to see them go outside the box or grow or a little bit commercial, right, because it just ruined, you know, that, that relationship that they have. And I believe that the, our fans, right, because it probably was a mix of the audiences together, like, on one hand, 50 is grimy, right?

Like, he got the streets on a lot, but then he went super commercial, right? And sometimes, you know, the streets, they kind of resent that commercialness, you know what saying, of an artist going that big because they just want that foundational music. and they probably was scared that once we signed the G unit that we was probably going to become this commercial group but it couldn't have been further from the truth because the point of y'all signed an idea was you wanted that expansion of the brand of the business

do you feel like at that point y'all make it because when you released from the contract there was no more business with 50 after right no and was that because of the way the fans reacted or no no no no it wasn't because of that I think it was a lot of different factors surrounding that whole G unit in the scope thing you know I think 50 was getting push at Inescope regardless of anything because he was just so, you know, strong-minded.

You know what I mean? And at that time, it's like, okay, we sold this amount of records, all right, you know, go ahead, do what y'all need to do. Because 50 was fighting really hard to push us, and he was getting a lot of pushback, like MTV was inhabited, you know what I mean? They was like, play what? Maudee with, you know what I'm saying? And he would just sneak us on TRL with him, you know what I mean?

Like, come on what I mean? They didn't want us there. Why not? Because we don't fit into the genre of music y'all were? Yeah, we don't, we're from the streets. Like, you know what I'm saying? They like, you know, they gatekeeping a little bit up there. They're like, nah, we're good.

You know what I'm saying? Give us somebody else. Do you feel like, because I asked the question to get here, do you feel like because of the box, I guess, that the fans kind of put you guys in, it hurt my deep as a business, looking back then to where things are now? Man, it's different ways to look at that.

that I would say no, right? Because staying true to your fan base is cool. You know what I'm saying? I mean, you don't really want to do nothing outside of that. Like, I'm not trying to make no pop records with, like, Christina Aguilera and all of that stuff. I mean, you know what I mean? Because it's not who I am. Now the music just becomes fake.

You understand? But if I was of that, then sure, we'll make it. Like, certain artists was able to do that, but that wasn't more deep. Now, and if we was going to go that direction, we should have started that early on. But that wasn't all deep. We started grassroots from the bottom, like, you know. I do got a question. You produced for B.I.G, 50, Nas, Meth, Kanye, M.N.M. L.L. Mariah.

Just to name a few. Who was your favorite to work with besides prodigy? Who was your favorite to work with production and why? My favorite artist to work with that I produced for, I would have to say, probably was like Jadicus. Why? A little Kim. because those are artists that I really

respect and revile I mean, like, Jadikis is like one of the best lyricists out there. So, like, to work with him you know, it's a pleasure because he compliments your beat so well. You could give him a trash beat and he'll make it sound good. You understand what I'm saying? So it was really a pleasure because he, you know, he's kind of humble when it comes to, you know, being in the studio and the artist. He

wanted the producer to take him in that direction. Now you very humble. And now with production, what was your favorite beat to produce? Why? You know what I'm saying? By J. DeKiss.

Because I just, you know, it wasn't really too much of a big deal for me when I made the beat. I mean, the beat's not, don't got crazy bells or whistles. But as you can see, it's minimum production, but he just turns it into this whole big production.

You know what I mean? With Anthony Hamilton, then he's questioning, going why, why this, why that, you know, at the time is when we got a lot of questions, so I love doing that for him. Also wanted to ask, right? Besides why, what was the most difficult

track to get cleared? To get cleared. To get cleared. The most difficult track to get cleared probably was we did a print sample one time. Did he clear it? Hell no.

I was going to say because he ain't clearing nothing. So you had to send it to prints. Yeah, yeah, yeah, we sent it And he was like, hell, I was in the studio With you and everything But little bro, we ain't cleared that You was in a studio of Prince? Yeah, yeah, yeah, it was me

Explain the studio where you Havoc and Prodigy was in the studio And Snoop was there too Explain that How was Prince? Snoop made the pose So what happened? So I was in the studio one time

Electric Lady Electric Lady I think he even owned the studio At one point It's right there on West Falls Street Or whatever it was So I'm in there We're working on the album

I figured what album it was And one of my homeboys that I used to just have driving me around was like, yo, Prince is outside. I'm like, get the F out of here. You crazy? You bugging. Yo, Prince walked in my session, yo.

Get leather pants on? Nah, he didn't have leather pants on, but he was like my height and I'm short. Like, you know what I'm saying? I was like, damn. But, you know, but his presence is just like crazy. And he started helping me with the keys and playing on the keys and then just whist the way he just left.

Didn't even get a picture with him. No, nothing. Back then, I don't even think the phones was ready for pitches back then. You know what I mean? But that was my Prince story. So what was the beat? So y'all asked me. It was some song that ended up, I think, on Snoop Project.

Dalshanai Kiel. Yeah, yeah. I forgot where it ended up at. But, you know, it was Snoop on the record, Prince on the keys. And we just rap it. And you wouldn't even be able to tell that Prince played any keys on it because it was just really simple. But the fact that he did, you know what I'm saying?

It's something that I definitely would never. forget. That's crazy. I thought you're going to say Godfather the part three. Well, that was a hard sample to clear too. That definitely was. How did you, how did you, because that was my movie. I mean, that's, that's Steve Rifkin magic. You know what I'm saying? Steve Rifkin. He know how to do business to clear some samples. So we definitely cleared that. I saw a report that that song actually, wasn't that on the infamous archives, but you guys didn't prove it. Maybe it was. I, so long ago, I don't even remember, but you, you're probably right. You know what I mean, so fuzzy.

Y'all got some memories, me. No, he got so many memories. Yeah. I want to say, do you get paid every time I see one of these stores sell a mob deep, the infamous mob deep shirts? Do y'all get paid over that? Well, if it's official merch, yes, but I combat infringement every day, yo. I mean, they just, I mean, and it looks so good.

It's so real. Like, I want to buy it. I don't know if I should support it or not. I'm like, that's hard. I'm like, wow. You know, sometimes I go to shows and they be having on this merch that I know. Omar deep dent sanction. I don't want to say nothing to them.

But if we having problems, imagine Wu-Tang. It's the most, no. So these are things that we got to combat every day that people don't even understand. Like they say, oh, it's so easy to be an artist and you, y'all just sit back and go to shows. Nah, there's a business aspect where you got to protect the trademark. It's serious. What's the fight? I mean, it is very serious, especially because y'all have so many years or so much history

and your fans span across so many age ranges. What's the fight like right now, though? Like, are there certain stores or people? Like, where are you even aiming to? Because y'all stuff is everywhere. Everywhere. I mean, look, we do license deals with certain brands, whether it be, you know, whoever, like Supreme or things.

And that's another story. You know what I mean? We had a horrible time over there that something happened and they used the image and we got sued. It was like crazy, but those are things that you have to like kind of watch out for. But we license out the brand sometimes, you know what I mean? But more than not, infringement is rampant. So with Supreme, y'all used a picture that y'all didn't take and then the photographer came back and was like, nah, I need my piece.

It was the dragon image, you know what I'm saying? And I kind of forgot about it because I got the tattoo. So I'm not even really thinking about it. I think in the late 90s, early 2000s, they had used the image in some group. I'm not going to say their name. Say, oh, that's out. And nobody knows them. They probably got like, no lie, 200 followers on Instagram.

Nobody knows them. You know what I'm saying? But they took advantage of an opportunity. It is a federally trademarked image. You know what I'm saying? They got the rights. And they told us back in the 90s and say, hey, stop. And then I forgot.

You forgot? So, Prie was like, yo, it is this. yours? I was like, oh yeah, yeah, yeah. But, you know, the lawyers was like, okay, we're going to check it, right? That's the lawyer's job. They didn't check it. The lawyer said, like, I'm going to check it. You know what I'm saying? I'm like, all right, cool, you know, go check it. I'm making beads. Like, you know what I mean? Go ahead. But you got to really be diligent because getting sued is not fun. It's not funny. It costs a lot of money. You have to answer it. And we settled, of course and it's just you giving away free money right you understand hardworking money so

and i meant to ask you know with all the stuff that that you produced and and all of the records that you've done do you get all your money from that stuff because you hear a lot of times that when artists do something they don't get their money somebody else gets the money do you get all your money from that i was fortunate enough to do a publishing deal early that was super fair right i didn't sign away all my publishing and i'm down with people that collect diligently you know what i'm saying uh things But, you know, of course, there's going to be corners, pockets in the world where you're not collecting, and then new forms pop up. They're like, oh, yeah, back in the days, y'all didn't know that this was over here, and y'all could collect a bag, and there's a bag sitting over there, like, overseas somewhere for whatever it is. But for the most part, we get our bread, like, for real, you know what I mean?

I hear horror stories, and I feel bad for all this, and whoever took advantage of them, you know what I'm saying? They need to be, you know, it's a special place for them. I was going to ask what's the biggest bag you ever, you ever missed out on because just business-wise, you didn't plan for that. The biggest bag I missed out on was for a Super Bowl commercial. They wanted to use the Mob Deep music in the Super Bowl commercial. And for whatever reason, a lawyer took too long and we missed out on the opportunity. So yeah, that hurt.

Still hurt. So you're doing this album as a passion project because obviously you don't need the money if you're still getting paid like to do that. I say that. Infinite is out this Friday. And we appreciate you for joining us, man. I love these stories. And I just love to see the growth because I was a kid in Queens and I watched what y'all did.

And we admire that, you know, I mean, from the driving the cars, the shooting the shook ones video to all that, we got a chance to see it. So the fact that you're still heavy and you're still doing it, man. We appreciate you, brother. And this is that we got a date for the methadman COVID-O-W-H. Oh, yeah, the Memphis Man COVID. We don't have a date, but me and him are actively in the studio. And he tried to put me in the head like I didn't let him. But he said we got to finish this album

We've been actively for a couple months We went for a date, but okay I know We'll have one soon though Thanks for joining us though Thank you thanks for having me album comes out this Friday It's Havoc

It's the Breakfast Club good morning Hold up Every day I wake up The Breakfast Club Are you all finished or y'all's done Hi there This is Josh Clark From the Stuff You Should Know podcast

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