Mobb Deep and more specifically Prodigy have always held a kind of weird position in the hip-hop game. While Prodigy came onto the scene as a young lyrical monster with enough balls to take shots at Tupac there was always something preventing him from becoming true hip-hop royalty. Back then I don’t know what it was. Today, however, I can understand why Prodigy can’t be on the same level as some of the more upper echelon hip-hop artists.

While I always had my reservations H.N.I.C 2 is definitely the straw that broke the camel's back. Prodigy can without a doubt be very lyrical in spurts but consistency is definitely not his strong point. The album starts out bangin’ with “Real Power is People”.

P sounds good as he spouts off hot lyrics where he swears he dosen’t care about money and he continues his “new revolutionary” act. How true is it? Only time will tell. “Young Veterans” and “Illuminati” deliver more of the same with Prodigy denouncing the greed and materialism of the world. Just when the album becomes almost unbearable “ABC” comes on. Prodigy did his thing on the track lyrically but the stars of the show were without a doubt, production duo, Sid Roams. This creepy beat was obviously crafted with attention to details and brings back that mid-1990’s New York hip-hop feel.

“Veterans Memorial 2” is Prodigy’s ode to his friends who didn’t make it. While it sounds cliché, it’s actually one of the hottest songs on the album and shows Prodigy in a good light. Unfortunately, that’s pretty much where it stops. The rest of the album is not very good at all. Songs like “New Yitty” and “Field Marshal P” make you wonder what exactly Prodigy was thinking when he crafted these two songs. The titles alone are enough to make the average hip-hop fan cringe.

Whether it’s his new goal to save the world or the fact that he’s coming off the poorly received Blood Money, this album is far from Prodigy in his prime. Overall, this album is average at best with only a few bright spots to make it worth the 12 bucks. If you’re a true Mobb Deep fan, you’ll appreciate this album. If you’re a casual listener this album is not your best bet.