"Hell On Earth (Front Lines)" very much marked Mobb Deep's transition from young upstarts to full scale Mafiosos. The seminal record on the eponymous Hell On Earth described a faithful unit that showed many signs of discord. The NY streets that Prodigy and Havoc navigated were maybe not as treacherous as described but in their deep state of paranoia, and after the contusion of prison life, an 'Eye for an Eye' became a physical reality. No one best describes impoverished conditions of the mind, like Mobb Deep, and especially Prodigy, all the way up to his passing in 2017.
In the interest of Rap Beef, nobody lived as precariously as Prodigy of Mobb Deep, his flippant words often bordered on side on the dangerous retaliation. On "Hell On Earth (Front Lines)," Prodigy describes a climate where individuals either "lose stripes or lose life." Millenarians often posit spiritual warfare begins after death. Havoc & Prodigy who faced plenty hardship, fixed their eyes in places you wouldn't think imaginable.
Hell On Earth received unanimous praise upon its release. Many remember it fondly for a particular diss record levied at 2Pac, in which Havoc threatened to "smoke his ass like a loosie." "Drop A Gem On 'Em" was subsequently pulled from radio rotation out of respect for his passing a mere one month later.
RIP 2Pac & Prodigy.
Quotable Lyrics:
Quiet as kept, I lay back and watch the world spin
I hear thugs, claimin' that they gonna rob the Mobb
When they see us, I tell you what Black
Here's the issue, it's a package deal, you rob me
You take these missiles along with that.
-Prodigy
