Murda Muzik

Murda Muzik is the fourth studio album by American hip hop duo Mobb Deep, which was released on August 17, 1999, through Columbia Records and Loud Records.^[2] 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,^[3] 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.

Murda Muzik
Studio album by Mobb Deep
Released	August 17, 1999[1]
Genre	East Coast hip hop hardcore hip hop gangsta rap dirty rap
Length	72:26
Label	Columbia Loud
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

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.

Critical reception

The duo toured on the Family Values Tour for the album. Appearing on the second edition in 1999 with other Nu Metal, Hip Hop and Rap Rock acts at the time, they supported the first half of the tour; appearing on the first 12 dates alongside headliners Limp Bizkit with support from Filter, Staind, The Crystal Method, Run-DMC, Korn from September 21st - October 8th.

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[1]
Christgau's Consumer Guide	B−[4]
Entertainment Weekly	C+[5]
RapReviews	8.5/10[6]
Rolling Stone	[7]
The Source	[8]
Spin	8/10[9]

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 X1)

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

Credits adapted from the album's liner notes.^[10]

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"Intro"			0:44
2.	"Streets Raised Me" (featuring Big Noyd & Chinky)	Kejuan Muchita Albert Johnson Tajuan Perry Shalene Evans	Havoc	4:33
3.	"What's Ya Poison" (featuring Cormega)	Muchita Johnson Cory McKay	Havoc	3:45
4.	"Spread Love"	Muchita Johnson	Havoc	4:04
5.	"Let a Ho Be a Ho"	Muchita	Havoc	3:35
6.	"I'm Going Out" (featuring Lil' Cease)	Muchita Johnson James Lloyd	Havoc	3:45
7.	"Allustrious"	Muchita Johnson	Havoc	4:09
8.	"Adrenaline"	Muchita Johnson	Havoc	4:42
9.	"Where Ya From" (featuring 8Ball)	Premro Smith Triston Jones Muchita Johnson	T-Mix	4:02
10.	"Quiet Storm"	Muchita Johnson Melvin Glover Sylvia Robinson	Havoc	4:25
11.	"Where Ya Heart At"	Muchita Johnson Sade Adu Stuart Matthewman Andrew Hale	Havoc	4:27
12.	"Noyd Interlude"			0:19
13.	"Can't Fuck Wit" (featuring Raekwon)	Muchita Johnson Corey Woods	Havoc	4:12
14.	"Thug Muzik" (featuring Infamous Mobb & Chinky)	Alan Maman James Chandler Lionel Cooper Jamal Raheem Evans	The Alchemist	4:34
15.	"Murda Muzik"	Muchita Johnson	Havoc	4:11
16.	"The Realest" (featuring Kool G Rap)	Maman Muchita Johnson Nathaniel Wilson Barbara Gaskins	The Alchemist	4:27
17.	"U.S.A. (Aiight Then)"	Robert Taylor Muchita Johnson	Epitome Shamello Buddah	4:04
18.	"It's Mine" (featuring Nas)	Muchita Johnson Nasir Jones	Havoc	4:24
19.	"Quiet Storm (Remix)" (featuring Lil' Kim)	Muchita Johnson Kimberly Jones Glover Robinson	Havoc Jonathan "Lighty" Williams	4:04

Samples

Intro

• "Crime Inc. Theme" by Giles Swayne
• contains an excerpt from a speech of Ronald Reagan^[11]

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 You" 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)[12] 6 Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[13] 63 German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[14] 67 UK Albums (OCC)[15] 81 US Billboard 200[16] 3 US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[17] 2

Year-end charts Chart (1999) Position US Billboard 200[18] 136 US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums[19] 46

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[20]	Platinum	1,000,000^
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

1. DiBella, M.F.. Murda Muzik at AllMusic
2. "Murda Muzik (1999)". Genius. Retrieved March 1, 2017.
3. "Gold & Platinum - RIAA". RIAA. Retrieved March 1, 2017.
4. Christgau, Robert (November 30, 1999). "Consumer Guide: Turkey Shoot". The Village Voice. p. 126. Retrieved July 7, 2024.
5. Sinclair, Tom (September 3, 1999). "The Week: Music". Entertainment Weekly. No. 501. p. 70. Archived from the original on November 29, 2014. Retrieved February 26, 2010.
6. Chandler, Justin 'Tha Shiznute' (March 13, 2007). "Mobb Deep :: Murda Muzik :: Loud Records". RapReviews.
7. Ex, Kris (April 15, 1999). "Tiny Terrors". Rolling Stone. No. 810. p. 107. Archived from the original on May 14, 2008. Retrieved July 7, 2024.
8. Rodriguez, Carlito (May 1999). "Record Report: Mobb Deep – Murda Muzik". The Source. No. 116. New York. pp. 207–208.
9. Gross, Joe (November 1999). "Reviews: Mobb Deep – Murda Muzik". Spin. SPIN Media LLC – via Google Books.
10. Murda Muzik (booklet). Loud, Columbia. 1999.
11. "Remarks at Ceremonies Marking the 75th Anniversary of the Federal Bureau of Investigation". Reagan.utexas.edu. July 26, 1983. Archived from the original on June 4, 2011. Retrieved March 2, 2012.
12. "Mobb Deep Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard.
13. "Dutchcharts.nl – Mobb Deep – Murda Muzik" (in Dutch). Hung Medien.
14. "Longplay-Chartverfolgung at Musicline" (in German). Musicline.de. Phononet GmbH.
15. "Mobb Deep | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart.
16. "Mobb Deep Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard.
17. "Mobb Deep Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard.
18. "1999 Year-End Charts – Billboard 200 Albums". Billboard. Retrieved May 14, 2016.
19. "1999 Year-End Charts – Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop Albums". Billboard. Retrieved May 14, 2016.
20. "American album certifications – Mobb Deep – Murda Muzik / Mobb Muzik". Recording Industry Association of America.

External links

• Murda Muzik at Discogs (list of releases)