Posted on: July 22, 2007 Posted by: James McQuiston Comments: 0

Havoc is one half of the musical force that rap fans have to come to know and love as Mobb Deep. For the past 14-years, Havoc (along with partner Prodigy) have become one of Hip-Hop’s most influential entities and has released a string of indelible LP’s including acclaimed classics like The Infamous, Hell On Earth and Amerikaz Nightmare. To date, Mobb Deep has sold over 4 millions records.

While Havoc’s partner Prodigy has already leaped into the solo-realm, Havoc has previously not done so due to a hectic recording schedule with Mobb Deep where he has produced some of the most essential Hip-Hop tracks of the last decade (“Shook Ones Pt.2,” “Drop A Gem On Em,” “Quiet Storm,” and “The Learning” among just a handful of classics) and due to the fact that he is one of Hip-Hop’s most sought after producers (as he has previously worked with a who’s who list of artists including: Nas, Capone & Noreaga, Foxy Brown, 50 Cent, LL Cool J, Mariah Carey, Lloyd Banks, The Game, Jadakiss, Lil Kim, Method Man, Notorious B.I.G., etc) as Havoc reaffirms “I was always ready (to drop a solo-album), but the reason why it took me so long is because the timing wasn’t right. I was always working on Mobb Deep material and working with other artists and I used allot of the material I was going to use for a solo-LP for Mobb Deep records.” However, that all changes with the release of Havoc’s debut, The Kush, (the prequel to his official solo-LP) on 9-18-07.

Havoc’s debut has been buzzed about for quite some time and is eagerly anticipated by the group’s fan base and fans of the duo’s hardcore brand of NY hip-hop. Over the years, Havoc’s eerily chilling production has influenced countless producers, set the bar for NYC producers and become the identity for the “Queensbridge sound.” That trend continues with The Kush, as the LP is entirely self-produced by Havoc and as he laments he’s keeping it grimy “basically, The Kush is dark and gutter, I really wanted to go that direction.”

Forsaking littering The Kush with numerous guest-appearances, Havoc choose to keep things entirely in-house and make it an all-family endeavor by design states Havoc “Besides Prodigy, I did not want a bunch of big stars on it, as it would have taken away from the real objective of the LP, which is grimy and down to earth.”

After working with virtually every big name artist in the Urban genre and creating some of the most timeless music Hip-Hop fans have had the pleasure to lay ears upon, Havoc did not need to step out of his zone to stay motivated for The Kush, as he states “the thing that keeps me motivated is just my love of music, I just love to create. The Kush represents me as an individual and my growth as a producer and lyricist.”

The Kush; another Queensbridge classic!

Tracklisting and credits for Havoc’s The Kush:

1.) NY For Life (produced by Havoc)
2.) I’m The Boss (produced by Havoc)
3.) By My Side f/40 Glocc (produced by Havoc)
4.) One Less Nigga (produced by Havoc)
5.) Ride Out f/Nyce (produced by Havoc)
6.) Balling Out f/Un Pachino (produced by Havoc)
7.) What’s Poppin Tonite (produced by Havoc)
8.) Class By Myself f/Nitti (produced by Havoc)
9.) Set Me Free f/Prodigy & Nyce (produced by Havoc)
10.) Be There (produced by Havoc)
11.) Hit Me Up f/Un Pacihno (produced by Havoc)
12.) Get Off My Dick (produced by Havoc)

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