ThaFormula.com - P, the last time I spoke to you was when you were up in the hood with Cormega. At that time you told me that you don't make diss records. What happened?

Prodigy - Well we really don't in a way, you know what im sayin’? Its just like we’re making our music. There is no song on the album called "fuck Jay-Z." These songs are all songs not about Jay-Z, but it might have something referring to him, but not a response record.

ThaFormula.com - Why wasn't Cormega featured on your album?

Prodigy - Because every album is different. We don't try to do the same things.

ThaFormula.com - Was the direction of this album your choice 100%?

Prodigy - No doubt, everything. Singles, videos, everything.

ThaFormula.com - What made you guys decide to do a southern bounce type track?

Havoc - To me, it sounds like Mobb Deep to me, because whatever we put out that's what's in us and that's my shit. I like that song to death. It's a gangsta song to me. If you listen to the lyrical content ain't nothin’ changin’.

Prodigy - What's so strange about the track that you feel like we never did nothin’ like it?

ThaFormula.com - Well a lot of people were disappointed in the fact that you guys did a bounce track and a love song on this album. Mainly because it's something that a lot of people never really expected from the Mobb. Basically I'm just wondering what made you guys finally decide to go that route?

Prodigy - Well as far as that bounce song is concerned or the one you call bounce, I have no idea why they would say, "hey yo, they are straying away from their sound." That's our sound completely. Havoc made the beat and the lyrics is straight gangsta shit. That track right there they need to listen to a little closer. As far as the 112 song goes, on that song we’re just talkin’ about takin’ bitches from niggaz. Straight takin’ a niggaz shorty from him so it ain't a love song.

Havoc - The track is kind of mellow enough to where it's just a laid back track. I mean some people ain't gonna like it. Everybody ain't gonna like everything. Everything ain't for everybody. Certain people might want us to just stay the same.

ThaFormula.com - They want you to remain the Infamous Mobb Deep...

Havoc - We not changing and that's what we gonna be. If we gonna make a track about a shorty, we gonna say it the best way we can and do it the best way we can. Certain people when they hear you, they want you to just remain this way. They are not artists, so they don't know what it is to grow as an artist. Some people can take one piece of music and they can listen to that same music forever, but the world is not like that. The world changes.

Prodigy - To me, we didn't go no route, we stayed on our street and the only way we growin’ is because we older. Our music ain't even changin’. Our music is the same gutter shit. That song, "Hey Love", that's some shit that niggas be scared to hear. That's some shit where you in a club and you’re standing next to a nigga and he with his chick and when the nigga is lookin’ away you just hollerin’ at his shorty. That's grown man shit and grown men fuck bitches and get sex.

ThaFormula.com - Do you think that it's reached the point where hip-hop should be separated into types of hip-hop like grown folk hip-hop and kiddie hip-hop?

Havoc - I wouldn’t say that. On a certain level something might not be suitable for somebody that's real young. The message can go either way right or wrong. I would never wanna make music for grown or old people because music is youthful and the main percentage of people that's buying music is young people and I try to reach out to both audiences instead of just talkin ’ to just young kids or trying to reach an older mature audience. I try to make it so everybody can understand it. I doubt it if the majority of people is disappointed in us. Based on our sales and shit like that. As far as maybe some of our older fans, they might not get where we are headed, and what we doing, and how were growing as artists and if they can't grasp it then fuck it, what can I say.

Prodigy - Whoever don't like "Hey Love" has got homo tendencies man. That's what that's about. You got to remind them that if you don't like "Hey Luv," then you must be a homo. That song is about going at bitches man so make sure you put that in there so them niggaz will know, “Oh shit, word, we must have been buggin'.”

ThaFormula.com - Now I wanna know is all this drama with Jay and all this beef going on for real? I mean is this really real or is it more for record sales then anything else?

Havoc - I mean after it hit a certain level and everybody started paying attention to it, the shit started becoming hype. It don't start off like that. I mean we didn't ask to get into no drama, it just came and we handled it accordingly. That's the bottom line and we ain't trying to sell no records off of this shit because we never been sellin’ records off of this shit. That's not us, but if somebody is attacking us, we got no other choice but to defend ourselves and hope that it don't escalate any further than that. I mean hip-hop basically started off like that, with MC's battling in the basement, corner, or whatever. That's how hip-hop started off. Hip-hop is real competitive so whether it's good or bad, it's hip-hop. What's bad is if somebody get killed over it. Now that's foul. It's just music you know what I mean, but if somebody is screamin’ out something personal, then I don't know because that's a thin line between music and real life.

ThaFormula.com - Do you think that independent is the way to go now as an artist?

Prodigy - I mean it's a good thing and it gives you a chance to control your own shit and get some more money. Everybody got their own way they wanna handle things. It's not just independent and being signed. There is many different roads you can travel as far as getting your music out there. It's not just those two. There’s all kinds of shit in between it. It's just like how much you wanna handle your own business and how much of your shit do you wanna take care of on your own. That's what it all boils down too.

ThaFormula.com - If you had to do it all over again, would you guys have gone independent or done the same thing?

Havoc - Nah, I wouldn't change a thing because everything happens for a reason. For certain individuals, going independent may be the way to go, but I think a lot of people got the concept twisted. They think it's easy so for a lot of people that think that, they might fall trying, but you have to learn. Whatever works for you, you try and if it don't work try something else or try again.

ThaFormula.com - How is the Havoc project looking?

Havoc - Oh, it's looking real good. I'm working hard on it and it should be out there in the summer time, and it's definitely gonna be something for people to go pick up. It's gonna be a major mark in hip hop.

ThaFormula.com - Did you produce that track with Kool G Rap?

Havoc - The one that I rhymed on him with?

ThaFormula.com - Yeah.

Havoc - Nah, I didn't do that track. It was hard, but nah I didn't do it. I did the hook on there so it was all good.

ThaFormula.com - Now another thing I don't understand is why did Nas diss you guys on his album?

Havoc - I don't think it was so much that he tried to diss us. I think he was trying to make a point in some kind of way that we don't really understand. That's something that he's got inside of him.

ThaFormula.com - Did you know this was coming?

Prodigy - Yeah, people told me what happened and that he had said something in a song, so I will handle that when I see him you know what I'm sayin’?

ThaFormula.com - As far as the "Ether" track and "Takeover" track goes, who do you think won?

Prodigy - I don't know, but it sounded like Nas killed him to me!

Havoc - It probably was better then Jay's or whatever, but to tell you the truth we don't give a fuck about that shit. I know what your sayin, but for the record we don't give a fuck about that. They both ill in they own ways.

Prodigy - That's why you got to print exactly what we say. We don't give a fuck about that!

Havoc - We understand that a lot kids out there on the boards be arguin’ for hours and hours and that's good for that to cause a debate.

Prodigy - These kids gotta know how we feel about this shit for real though.

Havoc - That's hot that all this is causin’ a debate, because it's just stirring more interest.

Prodigy – I mean it can be a good thing and it can be a bad thing, but the bottom line is we’re not in this game for none of that bullshit. We’re not in the game for none of that bullshit. That shit is petty bullshit to us. We ’re here to make good music, good beats, good lyrics, and anything that get's in our way, we gonna knock it down.

ThaFormula.com - Do you consider Alchemist part of Mobb Deep?

Prodigy - Yeah, he's definitely part of the family. He travels with us everywhere. He tours with us, he is our DJ, you know what I mean?

ThaFormula.com - Tell me about the Havoc album man. What is that gonna be like?

Havoc - The Havoc album is gonna be 90 percent produced by me because I'm trying to show off my production skills, and my lyrical skills stepped up a notch, and I'm gonna have some guest appearances on there from big name artists and a couple of unknown artists. I'm gonna get the Alchemist to do something and I might get a track from Dr. Dre or something like that, but for the most part I want people to be wildin’ over my shit so people can really see my production skills and see me as a top producer. As far as the Mobb Deep album goes and certain people being disappointed, we expected it. But those are the chances you have to take as an artist. If certain people had it their way, we would be one of those groups, like some unsung heroes and shit. We will be just like right here at this level, still making the same Mobb, like "Shook Ones" and people would be happy with that, but I think the majority of people will be like, "I appreciate their music, I respect it, I see what they doing," and you don't see us in no fucking video dancin’ or some shit like that. We never wore no shiny shoes or shit like that. We like on the next level. At the same time you got to give the fans what they want at a certain point, but at the same time you have to be you too. We make this for them. We lead the direction. We are the trendsetters and either your with us or against us.

ThaFormula.com - How is the production on your album gonna be different from the production on the Mobb album?

Havoc - It's gonna be a a lot of experimenting going on, but nothing too left. But a lot of just me doing shit that I didn't get a chance to do with the Mobb. More of my personality. Not straying too far off, but it 's gonna be shit that niggas gonna be like “damn!” ‘Cause I know there is a lot of people wondering what the Havoc album is gonna be like, and what can he bring to the table, and why should I go cop the Havoc album. Yo, let me tell you like this. From day one, I progressed as a artist and a producer. If you look at all the albums and how we have progressed, I had a major hand in that. So just imagine a Havoc album, what type of energy I’ma put into that. You think I’ma just put it out there for it just to be another album? Nah! I'm puttin’ some real shit out there. Some shit that's gonna blow your mind. It's gonna be an album that's gonna last for 20 years. So far I been working on it before I even started the “Infamy” album, but I had to stop because it's Mobb Deep first. So I just recently started again after I finished the "Infamy" album. Right now I'm seeing how my creativity level is and my shit is in full throttle right now. That's how focused I am right now.

ThaFormula.com - Now Havoc, you were quiet for a long time about this beef. What made you finally decide to speak out?

Havoc - Because that's what type of person I am. I'm one of those quiet niggaz in the background. I don't say much. I just analyze the whole situation. I'm more of a thinker, before I react type person. I think before I react. So that's what I was doing. I was just thinking about the whole situation and when it was time for me to react, it was gonna be in the correct way. But it's over. I mean it's dead. Jay took the "Source" diss for what it was and did what he wanted to do, and we did what we wanted to do. It's over and it's out of my system. It's over so much that I don't even fucking think about it. I never really did ever think about it. I'm more concerned with what's going on with Mobb Deep and how we can elevate.

ThaFormula.com - Why do you think the golden years of ‘92 to ‘95 were so special?

Havoc - Cause I think hip-hop was just raw. It was like everyone had that raw mentality. Like ‘95 was like the middle of fuckin’ everything. 1994 and 1995 was just man, I don't know! You know Biggie started comin’ up, we was comin’ up, Nas was doing his thang. Everybody was just trying to really just do it without this fuckin’ politics shit. It wasn't really too much of that shit. Shit was like a little bit more free. But history always repeat itself and that shit is gonna come back around. We might not be making music or rappin’ because I’ma always be makin’ music.

ThaFormula.com - Do you think that it is starting to happen now?

Havoc - I think it's trying, but at the same time a lot of people are trying to put they hands on that shit so it's gonna fuck it up. People are trying, but people are gonna try and commercialize that shit and regulate it. People was trying to do it like with the battling shit that's going on, but now you got these radio stations, companies and all that shit comin’ in and trying to make a show out of it. It's trying to happen but it ain't gonna ever be like before.

ThaFormula.com - Yeah I know man and that's too bad…

Havoc - Word! But you can't go back in time son...

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