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Blood Money (Mobb Deep album)

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Blood Money
A photo of Mobb Deep with a pile of money on a table in front of them. Behind them is a green badge labeled "MOBB DEEP" and "BLOOD MONEY", with the Eye of Providence symbol in the middle of it.
Studio album by
Mobb Deep
ReleasedMay 2, 2006 (2006-05-02)
Recorded2005–2006
Studio
GenreHip hop
Length59:55
Label
Producer
Mobb Deep chronology
Amerikaz Nightmare
(2004) 		Blood Money
(2006) 		The Infamous Mobb Deep
(2014)
Singles from Blood Money
  1. "Have a Party"
    Released: March 2, 2006
  2. "Put Em in Their Place"
    Released: March 14, 2006
  3. "Give It to Me"
    Released: May 2, 2006
  4. "Creep"
    Released: 2006

Blood Money is the seventh studio album by American hip hop duo Mobb Deep. Originally scheduled for an March 21, 2006 release, it was released on May 2, 2006 via G-Unit/Interscope Records, making it the their only studio album for the label.

The recording sessions took place at Bass Clef Studios in Ozone Park, at Right Track Recording and Sound On Sound in New York, at LiveWire Remote Recorders in Toronto, at Digital Insight Recording Studios in Las Vegas, at Record Plant, Nate's Crib and Record One in Los Angeles.

Production was handled by Havoc, Sha Money XL, Ky Miller, Chad Beat, Exile, J. R. Rotem, K-Lassik Beats, Product & Whitton, Profile and The Alchemist, as well as Dr. Dre, Fredwreck and Mike Elizondo, who produced bonus tracks. It features guest appearances from Mary J. Blige and G-Unit members 50 Cent, Lloyd Banks, Tony Yayo and Young Buck, with Nate Dogg on one of the bonus tracks.

The album was supported with singles and accompanying music videos for "Put Em in Their Place", "Give It to Me" and "Creep". Blood Money is the only Mobb Deep studio album to not feature their frequent collaborator Big Noyd.

Background

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Fellow Queens-bred rapper 50 Cent had a personal connection to member Havoc, who provided production on G-Unit tracks, such as Lloyd Banks' "Ain't No Click", The Game's "Don't Need Your Love", and Tony Yayo's "Dear Suzie". In June 2005, Mobb Deep announced they had signed with G-Unit Records. The same year, under their new label, the duo were featured on the special edition of 50 Cent's The Massacre on the track "Outta Control (Remix)" and contributed to Get Rich or Die Tryin': Music from and Inspired by the Motion Picture, including the song "Have a Party".

They set to work on their new album, Blood Money, due March 21, 2006.[1] It was re-scheduled for an April 11, 2006 release, but was postponed to finish sample clearance.[2]

Critical reception

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Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic55/100[3]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[4]
Blender[5]
Entertainment WeeklyA−[6]
Now[7]
Pitchfork4.6/10[8]
PopMatters5/10[9]
SpinB[10]
StylusD[11]
USA Today[12]
XXL4/5 (XL)[13]

Blood Money was met with mixed or average reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album received an average score of 55 based on seventeen reviews.[3]

Margeaux Watson of Entertainment Weekly praised the album, calling it "the duo's finest body of work since their 1995 masterpiece, The Infamous".[6] Vibe reviewer expanded with "although there remains a sheen throughout, the body of the set showcases the Mobb in darker, more familiar territory".[14] Sean Fennessey of Spin stated: "instead of the poppy makeover many anticipated, the Mobb's seventh album is a curious blend of gunz-money anthems, G-Unit-ized sex romps, and visions of the great beyond".[10] Josh Eells of Blender found "their new boss's hooks are often slicke rand less arresting than the minor-key grit they thrive on".[5] Steve 'Flash' Juon of RapReviews resumed: "in terms of their long career of certified bangers it comes as a slight disappointment".[15]

In mixed reviews, Jason Richards of Now saw "not surprisingly, the resulting cameo-plugged record sounds more like a G-Unit album than an Infamous one".[7] AllMusic's Andy Kellman stated: "the flashes of brilliance that were once routinely delivered by Havoc and Prodigy are few and fleeting here".[4] Quentin B Huff of PopMatters wrote: "if Mobb Deep didn't have their own history, their own discography, and their own mythos, contributions from 50 and friends wouldn't be a hindrance. But here, those contributions become intrusions that keep the Mobb from telling their own stories, flashing their own green, getting their own groupies".[9] Tom Breihan of Pitchfork found "too much of Blood Money represents something sad and fascinating-- two demons domesticated, two artists who have willfully transformed themselves into hucksters".[8] Azeem Ahmad of musicOMH concluded: "the album is a 60 minute blur, and while there are brief moments of clarity there's just nothing special about Blood Money".[16]

In negative reviews, Ian Cohen of Stylus Magazine reported that "it's hard to imagine another album in 2006 doing a worse job of justifying its existence than Blood Money".[11]

Commercial performance

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In the United States, the album debuted at number three on the Billboard 200 and number-one on the Top Rap Albums charts with 106,000 copies sold in its first week of release.[17] As of December 2006, Blood Money had sold 257,000 copies in the US.[18] In his 2012 autobiography titled My Infamous Life, Prodigy claims the album went gold, with 500,000 copies sold.[19]

Track listing

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No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Smoke It"
2:57
2."Put Em in Their Place"
  • Johnson
  • Muchita
  • Clervoix
  • Kyerne Miller
  • Havoc
  • Sha Money XL
  • Ky Miller
4:00
3."Stole Something" (featuring Lloyd Banks)
Havoc3:57
4."Creep" (featuring 50 Cent)
Havoc4:01
5."Speaking So Freely"
Havoc3:11
6."Backstage Pass"
K-Lassik Beats3:05
7."Give It to Me" (featuring Young Buck)
Profile3:08
8."Click Click" (featuring Tony Yayo)
Havoc4:25
9."Pearly Gates" (featuring 50 Cent)
Exile4:16
10."Capital P, Capital H"
  • Johnson
  • Muchita
  • Clint Richmond
  • Johnathon Whitton
Product & Whitton4:15
11."Daydreamin'"
  • Johnson
  • Muchita
  • Chad Dexter Burnette
  • Clervoix
Chad Beat3:15
12."The Infamous" (featuring 50 Cent)
The Alchemist3:53
13."In Love with the Moula"
J. R. Rotem3:13
14."It's Alright" (featuring 50 Cent and Mary J. Blige)
Havoc4:25
Bonus tracks
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
15."Have a Party" (featuring 50 Cent and Nate Dogg)
Fredwreck3:56
16."Outta Control (Remix)" (featuring 50 Cent)
4:07
Total length:59:55
Exclusive bonus track
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
17."So Ill"
  • Johnson
  • Muchita
  • Miller
Ky Miller3:02
Sample credits[20]
  • Track 3 contains samples from "Puella Puella" by Man.
  • Track 4 contains samples from "Dil Tha Akela Akela" by Lata Mangeshkar.
  • Track 5 contains samples from "Solitude of the Mountains" by Gil Flat.
  • Track 7 contains samples from "Tujhe Yaad Na Meri AA Yee" by Jatin–Lalit.
  • Track 8 contains samples from the Knight Rider theme.
  • Track 9 contains samples from "The Judgement Day" by Tavares.
  • Track 12 contains samples from "Gangbusters" written by Fab Five Freddy with scratch mix by Grand Wizzard Theodore.
  • Track 14 contains samples from "The Loneliest Man in Town" by Side Effect.
  • Track 15 contains samples from "I Love Rock 'n' Roll" by Joan Jett and the Blackhearts.[21]

Charts

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References

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  1. ^ Gitlin, Lauren (February 15, 2006). "Mobb Deep Get Hand From 50 Cent". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on February 23, 2006. Retrieved September 23, 2024.
  2. ^ Moss, Corey (March 15, 2006). "50 Cent Says Eminem Wants Him To Hold Off On Summer LP | News | MTV". MTV. Retrieved December 5, 2023 – via Wayback Machine.
  3. ^ a b "Critic Reviews for Blood Money - Metacritic". Metacritic. Retrieved September 23, 2024.
  4. ^ a b Kellman, Andy. "Blood Money - Mobb Deep | Album | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved September 23, 2024.
  5. ^ a b Eells, Josh (June 2006). "Blender :: The Guide: Mobb Deep – Blood Money". Blender. p. 142. Retrieved December 6, 2006 – via Wayback Machine.
  6. ^ a b Watson, Margeaux (April 28, 2006). "The Reviews: Mobb Deep – Blood Money". Entertainment Weekly. New York. p. 135.
  7. ^ a b Richards, Jason (May 18, 2006). "Discs: MOBB DEEP Blood Money (G-Unit/Interscope)". NOW Toronto. Vol. 25, no. 38. Archived from the original on November 13, 2006. Retrieved September 23, 2024.
  8. ^ a b Breihan, Tom (June 12, 2006). "Mobb Deep: Blood Money". Pitchfork. Retrieved September 23, 2024.
  9. ^ a b Huff, Quentin B (May 15, 2006). "Mobb Deep: Blood Money, PopMatters". PopMatters. Retrieved September 23, 2024.
  10. ^ a b Fennessey, Sean (April 20, 2006). "Reviews: Mobb Deep, 'Blood Money' (G-Unit/Interscope)". Spin. Vol. 22, no. 4. SPIN Media LLC. p. 95. ISSN 0886-3032. Retrieved September 23, 2024.
  11. ^ a b Cohen, Ian (May 3, 2006). "Mobb Deep - Blood Money". Stylus Magazine. Retrieved May 9, 2012 – via Wayback Machine.
  12. ^ Jones, Steve (May 1, 2006). "Neil Young goes to 'War'; Pearl Jam joins the battle". USA Today. Retrieved July 12, 2006 – via Wayback Machine.
  13. ^ Johnson, Gregory (March 24, 2006). "Mobb Deep Blood Money - XXL". XXL. Archived from the original on November 16, 2006. Retrieved September 23, 2024.
  14. ^ "Revolutions". Vibe. April 2006. p. 150.
  15. ^ Juon, Steve 'Flash' (May 2, 2006). "Mobb Deep :: Blood Money :: Interscope Records". RapReviews. Retrieved September 23, 2024.
  16. ^ Ahmad, Azeem (May 7, 2006). "Mobb Deep - Blood Money | Album Reviews". musicOMH. Retrieved September 23, 2024.
  17. ^ "Tool Tops Album Chart With '10,000 Days'". Billboard. May 10, 2006. Retrieved September 23, 2024.
  18. ^ Brandle, Lars; Bruno, Antony; Butler, Susan; Christman, Ed; Cobo, Leila; Garrity, Brian; Hope, Clover; Mitchell, Gail; Rosen, Craig; Tucker, Ken; Waddell, Ray (December 9, 2006). "Winners & Losers 2006". Billboard. Vol. 118, no. 49. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. p. 31. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved September 23, 2024.
  19. ^ Johnson, Albert; Checkoway, Laura (2012). My Infamous Life: The Autobiography of Mobb Deep's Prodigy. Touchstone Books. p. 259. ISBN 978-1-4391-4933-1.
  20. ^ Mobb Deep (2006). Blood Money (liner notes). G-Unit Records/Interscope Records. 0602498520673.
  21. ^ Breihan, Tom (May 29, 2020). "The Number Ones: Joan Jett And The Blackhearts' "I Love Rock 'N Roll"". Stereogum. Retrieved September 23, 2024.
  22. ^ Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010 (PDF ed.). Mt Martha, Victoria, Australia: Moonlight Publishing. p. 191.
  23. ^ "Ultratop.be – Mobb Deep – Blood Money" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved September 23, 2024.
  24. ^ "Mobb Deep Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved September 23, 2024.
  25. ^ "Lescharts.com – Mobb Deep – Blood Money". Hung Medien. Retrieved September 23, 2024.
  26. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Mobb Deep – Blood Money" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved September 23, 2024.
  27. ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved September 23, 2024.
  28. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Mobb Deep – Blood Money". Hung Medien. Retrieved September 23, 2024.
  29. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved September 23, 2024.
  30. ^ "Official Album Downloads Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved September 23, 2024.
  31. ^ "Official R&B Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved September 23, 2024.
  32. ^ "Mobb Deep Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved September 23, 2024.
  33. ^ "Mobb Deep Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved September 23, 2024.
  34. ^ "Mobb Deep Chart History (Top Rap Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved September 23, 2024.
  35. ^ "Year-End Charts: Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums". Billboard. 2006. Archived from the original on November 10, 2016. Retrieved September 23, 2024.

See also

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