Murda Muzik

Murda Muzik is the fourth studio album by Mobb Deep, which was released on August 17, 1999.[7] It features one of the group's best-known tracks, "Quiet Storm." It is also the duo's most commercially successful album to date, for shipping over 1 million copies in the United States and was certified Platinum by the RIAA on October 26, 1999,[8] debuting at #3 on the Billboard 200 charts. Murda Muzik also garnered positive reviews from The Source and Allmusic, among others. A censored version of the album, titled Mobb Muzik, was released simultaneously. Since its release the album has been certified 2x platinum.[9]

Murda Muzik
Studio album by Mobb Deep
Released	August 17, 1999 (US)[1]
Recorded	1998-1999
Genre	East Coast hip hop, hardcore hip hop, gangsta rap, dirty rap
Label	Loud Columbia
Producer	Mobb Deep (exec.) Jonathan "Lighty" Williams (exec.) Baby Chris (exec.) Buddah Epitome Havoc Shamello T-Mix The Alchemist
Mobb Deep chronology
Hell On Earth (1996) Murda Muzik (1999) Infamy (2001)
Singles from Murda Muzik
"Quiet Storm" Released: March 14, 1999 "It's Mine" Released: August 31, 1999 "U.S.A. (Aiight Then)" Released: March 21, 2000

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[1]
Entertainment Weekly	C+[2]
RapReviews	8.5/10[3]
Robert Christgau	B−[4]
The Source	[5]
Spin	8/10[6]

Background

The release of Murda Muzik was originally planned for the beginning of 1999, but Loud Records switched distributors from RCA to Columbia. Murda Muzik was shelved until this deal was finalized. Within this time the album was heavily bootlegged and Mobb Deep had to record new songs to make sure fans would still buy the album. The duo recorded 5 new songs:

• Spread Love
• I'm Going Out (featuring Lil' Cease)
• Can't Fuck Wit (featuring Raekwon)
• It's Mine (featuring Nas)
• Quiet Storm (Remix) (featuring Lil' Kim)

These songs replaced earlier recorded tracks.

Bootleg tracks

Murda Muzik leaked in early 1999. The following tracks were on multiple bootlegs that didn't make the final cut.

Full tracks:

• Feel My Gat Blow
• Thrill Me (featuring Big Noyd)
• 3 The Hard Way (featuring Big Noyd) = also called "You Fuckin’ Wit" and "3 From NYC"
• This One (featuring Big Noyd) = also called "Pyramid Points."
• Perfect Plot (featuring Big Noyd) = also called "Mobb Coming Thru" and "We Got The Drop"
• Pile Raps = also called Power Rap
• Nobody Likes Me
• Shiesty (featuring Big Noyd) = also called "Fuck That Bitch"
• QB Meets Southside" (featuring Sticky Fingaz and X-1)

Remixes of retail tracks:

• Deer Park ft. Cormega (What's Ya Poison with intro) = also called "How You Want It"
• Hoe Gonna Be a Hoe with intro
• Streets Raised Me (OG Mix) (also called "That True Shit") = different sounding hook. There supposedly is also a version where children are singing the hook.
• Street Kingz (featuring Nas) = U.S.A. (Aiight Then) with a Nas verse. Colombia didn't want to clear Nas for two songs. They had to cut his verse from U.S.A. (Aiight then) since he also appears on the It's Mine song.
• White Lines (Quiet Storm without Havoc on the hook). Prodigy talked in between verses, it was mastered in a way that this talking sounded like it came out of a megaphone.
• Thug Muzik = Has a verse of Mike Delorean from Bars & Hooks instead of Prodigy.
• Murda Muzik = Longer track with a final verse from Prodigy that ultimately ended up on Thug Muzik in the retail release. There's also a version without that final verse but a freestyle from Cormega instead.

Track listing

No.	Title	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"Intro"		0:44
2.	"Streets Raised Me" (featuring Big Noyd and Chinky)	Havoc	4:33
3.	"What's Ya Poison" (featuring Cormega)	Havoc	3:45
4.	"Spread Love"	Havoc	4:04
5.	"Let a Ho Be a Ho"	Havoc	3:35
6.	"I'm Going Out" (featuring Lil' Cease)	Havoc	3:45
7.	"Allustrious"	Havoc	4:09
8.	"Adrenaline"	Havoc	4:42
9.	"Where Ya From" (featuring 8Ball)	T-Mix	4:02
10.	"Quiet Storm"	Havoc	4:25
11.	"Where Ya Heart At"	Havoc	4:27
12.	"Noyd Interlude"		0:19
13.	"Can't Fuck Wit" (featuring Raekwon)	Havoc	4:12
14.	"Thug Muzik" (featuring Infamous Mobb and Chinky)	The Alchemist	4:34
15.	"Murda Muzik"	Havoc	4:11
16.	"The Realest" (featuring Kool G Rap)	The Alchemist	4:27
17.	"U.S.A. (Aiight Then)"	Epitome, Shamello, Buddah	4:04
18.	"It's Mine" (featuring Nas)	Havoc	4:24
19.	"Quiet Storm (Remix)" (featuring Lil' Kim)	Havoc, Jonathan Williams	4:04

Samples

Intro

• "Crime Inc. Theme" by Giles Swayne
• contains an excerpt from a speech of Ronald Reagan[10]

Adrenaline

• "Ballad Of The Decomposing Man" by Steve Hackett

Where Ya Heart At

• "Fear" by Sade

It's Mine

• "The Boy Is Mine" by Brandy & Monica (interpolation)
• "Scarface Cues" by Giorgio Moroder

Quiet Storm

• "White Lines (Don't Do It)" by Grandmaster Melle Mel
• "A Quiet Storm" by Smokey Robinson

The Realest

• "Born to Lose" by Ecstasy, Passion & Pain

I'm Going Out

• "Farewell" by Miklos Rozsa

Thug Muzik

• "The Toys" by George Winston and Meryl Streep

What's Ya Poison

• "1000 Rads" by David Axelrod

Where Ya From

• "The Champ" by The Mohawks

Quiet Storm (Remix)

• "10% Dis" by MC Lyte

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (1999) Peak position Canadian Albums (Billboard)[11] 6 Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[12] 63 German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[13] 67 UK Albums (OCC)[14] 81 US Billboard 200[15] 3 US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[16] 2

Year-end charts Chart (1999) Position US Billboard 200[17] 136 US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums[18] 46

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[19]	Platinum	1,000,000^^
^*sales figures based on certification alone ^^shipments figures based on certification alone

References

1. Allmusic review
2. EW review
3. RapReviews
4. Robert Christgau
5. The Source review
6. Spin Reviews
7. "Murda Muzik (1999)". Genius. Retrieved 1 March 2017.
8. "Gold & Platinum - RIAA". RIAA. Retrieved 2017-03-01.
9. RIAA [@RIAA] (15 January 2014). "Congratulations to @kanyewest on his 7th @RIAA #Platinum album award for 'Yeezus" – he's 7 for 7! W @DefJamRecords" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
10. "Remarks at Ceremonies Marking the 75th Anniversary of the Federal Bureau of Investigation". Reagan.utexas.edu. 1983-07-26. Retrieved 2012-03-02.
11. "Mobb Deep Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard.
12. "Dutchcharts.nl – Mobb Deep – Murda Muzik" (in Dutch). Hung Medien.
13. "Longplay-Chartverfolgung at Musicline" (in German). Musicline.de. Phononet GmbH.
14. "Mobb Deep | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart.
15. "Mobb Deep Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard.
16. "Mobb Deep Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard.
17. "1999 Year-End Charts – Billboard 200 Albums". Billboard. Retrieved May 14, 2016.
18. "1999 Year-End Charts – Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop Albums". Billboard. Retrieved May 14, 2016.
19. "American album certifications – Mobb Deep – Murda Muzik / Mobb Muzik". Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH. 

External links

• Murda Muzik at Discogs (list of releases)