In celebration of the classic Mobb Deep album The Infamous, Havoc gives his blessing for a live version of the album. Havoc entrusts Benny Reid with the reigns on the project, seeing the entire arrangement put together and performed by Reid. Benny Reid, an alto saxophonist from New Jersey, breaths new life into the project with his fresh twist of jazz-infused arrangements. While the current tracks out from the project do not feature vocals from Havoc, his name attached to the project can be seen as the stamp of approval.
From the Fat Beats pre-order page:
Reimagining Mobb Deep’s iconic 1995 opus ‘The Infamous’, NYC-based saxophonist and composer Benny Reid’s ambitious new project is a collection of acoustic, sample-free renditions, built from the ground up, performed entirely by the multi-instrumentalist auteur.
The forthcoming ‘The Infamous Live’ comes on the heels of Reid’s Billboard-charting take of Eric B & Rakim’s ‘Follow The Leader’. From this, Mobb Deep’s Havoc discovered his work and authorized him to reconstruct the timeless Mobb Deep album, giving Reid input and working with him in the studio to complete the project. His limited 7″ of “Shook Ones Pt. II” previewing the project, sold out quickly upon release in December 2022.
Reid is a forward-thinking jazz musician with a bent toward mixing expansive post-bop improvisation with atmospheric contemporary jazz styles. He released his first two albums on the prestigious Concord label and has been working with Fat Beats to create interesting, progressive tributes to the hip-hop albums that defined his youth.
Pre-Order The Infamous Live on Fat Beats
The tracklist is as follows:
- The Start Of Your Ending (41st Side)
- Survival Of The Fittest
- Eye For An Eye (Your Beef is Mines)
- Give Up The Goods (Just Step)
- Temperature’s Rising
- Up North Trip
- Trife Life
- Q.U. – Hectic
- Right Back At You
- Cradle To The Grave
- Drink Away The Pain (Situations)
- Shook Ones, Pt. II
- Party’s Over
- Shook Ones, Pt. II (PYRMDS Remix)
- Shook Ones, Pt. II (Extended Jazz Remix)