Review Summary: Episodes of a Hustla continues the success of early Mobb Deep... with their best weed carrier!
Episodes of A Hustla is an album very characteristic of mid to late 90s Mobb Deep material, and is consistent with that in quality. Very dark beats, street tales, ace MCing, and generally well-constructed works. In ’96, the sound of the Mobb was still quite fresh, and with the group growing in affiliation,
Episodes doesn’t have make it so Big Noyd has to completely carry it. Big Noyd’s MCing is reminiscent of his ace verse on “Give Up The Goods”, rushing through his verses in an almost stream-of-consciousness way, but in lyrics themselves, don’t stand out as much. Thankfully, this is more Havoc’s album than it is Big Noyd’s. Havoc’s production is the same drab works that led
The Infamous, ominous piano loops, chopping drums, and heavily filtered, spaced-out basslines that combine to create an effective street environment.
As a whole,
Episodes of A Hustla wears away from the listeners head, but a couple of highlights stick out and make it into the listeners head. “Recognize & Realize [Pt.2]”’s minimalistic frantic nature creates a chaotic backdrop for Prodigy and Big Noyd’s consistent verse flipping. Speaking of which, Prodigy’s four appearances are where the album truly shines, contrasting well with Noyd’s all blood rushing style with Prodigy’s terrifying street lyricisms. Despite the lack of Big Noyd highlighting his own album, however, he still sounds better than ever on
Episodes Of A Hustla, and thanks to the album’s short length, his words and rapid-fire flow kick with a force only amplified by the dreary atmospheres of Havoc. This is one of the many hidden gems of nineties rap music, cherish it.
