Lukewarm take: I've never gotten why The Infamous vs. Hell On Earth is a debate

[FunkDoc1112]

To me, The Infamous is a no-brainer. Don't get me wrong, Hell on Earth is a dope problem, but to me it has the same problem I have with It Was Written compared to Illmatic - on HoE, you lose a lot of the gritty, down-to-earth humanity that made The Infamous so raw and visceral. Like, The Infamous is all tough-guy talk too but it's less exaggerated and has more pathos to it, and then on Hell on Earth they basically turn into cartoon characters Super Thugs. Plus, without Q-Tip's influence the beats, while hard as fukk, were just a little more one-dimensional. Just my two cents.

 

[hex]

You could definitely argue "The Infamous" is the better album but no album in history better epitomizes a mood or vibe (in this case, gloomy cold winter days and nights) than "Hell On Earth".

For some people that reason alone is enough to place it above "The Infamous".

Personally, I think they're equal. But like I said, I can't even play "Hell On Earth" unless it's like 34 degrees or below out. It doesn't feel natural otherwise.

Fred.

 

[987654321]

You could definitely argue "The Infamous" is the better album but no album in history better epitomizes a mood or vibe (in this case, gloomy cold winter days and nights) than "Hell On Earth".

For some people that reason alone is enough to place it above "The Infamous".

Personally, I think they're equal. But like I said, I can't even play "Hell On Earth" unless it's like 34 degrees or below out. It doesn't feel natural otherwise.

Fred.

I feel the exact opposite. Infamous is my favorite by far, but it feels like summer/autumn nights rolling into winter. Like a bright outside but you can still see your breath kind of tape. I usually get the urge to run through “Hell on Earth” in the spring/summer time.

I love a lot of “hell on earth” but it got bland to me over the years. I know they weren’t, but at times it felt like they were trying too hard to be dark. Still tied as my second favorite Mobb album though.

 

[Barney Rubble]

Havoc and P were at their absolute peak with Hell On Earth. I vividly remember buying the album on a winter night and just being in awe the whole listen. Album still give me the chills.

 

[987654321]

To me, The Infamous is a no-brainer. Don't get me wrong, Hell on Earth is a dope problem, but to me it has the same problem I have with It Was Written compared to Illmatic - on HoE, you lose a lot of the gritty, down-to-earth humanity that made The Infamous so raw and visceral. Like, The Infamous is all tough-guy talk too but it's less exaggerated and has more pathos to it, and then on Hell on Earth they basically turn into cartoon characters Super Thugs. Plus, without Q-Tip's influence the beats, while hard as fukk, were just a little more one-dimensional. Just my two cents.

I wish a lot of 90’s rappers had done an album produced by prime q-tip. He was really good at making soundscapes with the samples he used. He would have probably done well scoring movies.

 

[JMD]

Havoc and P were at their absolute peak with Hell On Earth. I vividly remember buying the album on a winter night and just being in awe the whole listen. Album still give me the chills.

this

similar to the Illmatic vs. It Was Written debate where Nas was a better rapper on IWW

 

[Grand_Verbalizer]

Only thing I'll say is this

I've probably played The Infamous 50 times for every one H.O.E. spin.

 

[Devil Plisken…CMS]

Prodigy was a better rapper on HOE
Liked HOE’s beats more

 

[CP3.]

but no album in history better epitomizes a mood or vibe (in this case, gloomy cold winter days and nights) than "Hell On Earth".

 

[Grand_Verbalizer]

Actually one thing H.O.E might have over The Infamous is that it arguably closes out stronger

The title track, Still Shining and Apostle's Warning are some of the best Mobb tracks ever.

 

[Peak]

To me, The Infamous is a no-brainer. Don't get me wrong, Hell on Earth is a dope problem, but to me it has the same problem I have with It Was Written compared to Illmatic - on HoE, you lose a lot of the gritty, down-to-earth humanity that made The Infamous so raw and visceral. Like, The Infamous is all tough-guy talk too but it's less exaggerated and has more pathos to it, and then on Hell on Earth they basically turn into cartoon characters Super Thugs. Plus, without Q-Tip's influence the beats, while hard as fukk, were just a little more one-dimensional. Just my two cents.

Hell On Earth is their best album

 

[Redwood]

I respected Hell on Earth a little bit more for it's consistent vibe since it was all Havoc

 

[Boonapalist]

Hell on Earth is to one note for me production wise. Prodigy and Havoc both improved on the mic but it was like one long ass song to me

 

[CourtesyFlush]

I think the highs are higher on infamous but I like the overall flow of Hell more

 

[987654321]

Hell On Earth is their best album

Second best to most. There’s a reason “The Infamous” is the most celebrated out of everything they dropped.