Prodigy - "Young Veterans" (mp3)

When Prodigy dropped Return Of The Mac last year and it was widely (and rightly) hailed as the best thing he'd done in years, he was quick to point out all along the way that it was merely an 'official mixtape,' an appetizer for the forthcoming album H.N.I.C. Pt. 2, and all along the way pretty much everyone (rightly) assumed that he wouldn't top himself with the proper album. Of course, that was back when it seemed like he might actually release a solo album on G-Unit, which would inevitably be fucked up the same way Blood Money was. Instead, the album ended up on an even smaller indie than the one Return came out on, Koch. And it's not as good as its prequel, yeah, but not by too wide a margin.

While the journeyman Alchemist got a chance to shine with his best full-length production job to date on Return, on Pt. 2 he splits duty with the less consistent (these days) Havoc and some obscure dude named Sid Roams, whose off-kilter trebly beats, especially weird-as-fuck single "ABC," are a nice balance to the more professional other producers on the album. For all of Mobb's boasts about inventing the widely bitten 'dun language,' P's vocabulary has always been bluntly but effectively basic. On H.N.I.C. Pt. 2, his idea of tough talk is "I'll make you look stupid, sound real lame," and on "Young Veterans," he lets loose a barrage of G-rated insults like "rude," "jerk" and "chump." Despite the terrible cover, and the fact that it lacks both the consistency of Return and a standout on the level of the first H.N.I.C.'s "Keep It Thoro," but it's a solid record, and it's a good thing P left some decent Mobb music before he started his bid, because we sure as shit can't count on Havoc to drop a good solo album.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, June 18, 2008 at 9:28 AM. You can skip to the end and leave a response.