Key Takeaways On April 25, 1995, New York rappers Mobb Deep released The Infamous , the follow-up to Juvenile Hell , their debut album, which had flopped. Self-produced and cinematically dark, the Queensbridge classic is widely considered one of the best rap albums of the '90s. For this story we talked to Havoc, Prodigy, Q‑Tip, Raekwon, Big Noyd, and Loud Records execs to break down the making of key tracks like "Shook Ones Pt. II," "Survival of the Fittest," "Eye for a Eye," and "Temperature's Rising," from dusty sample digging and chaotic low‑budget studio sessions to real Queens crime stories that shaped the lyrics. The piece shows how Q‑Tip's mixing and re‑production, hands‑on A&R guidance, and Wu‑Tang and Nas collaborations sharpened the album's sound and helped cement it as a top‑tier '90s New York rap landmark.…