Mobb Deep wasn’t the biggest hip hop group from the ‘90s for obvious reasons. There’s an entire track on The Infamous dedicated specifically to speaking – and it is actually just a talk, not a rap or spoken word - on beatin’ down those who question. It’s clear that Havoc and Prodigy weren’t ever playin’ around or just in the game to be in the game. The duo loves this music and it was clear from the very beginning. Of course, subsequent to that first album, the duo saw a supreme fall off in the attention it was afforded. That doesn’t mean that the product ever hit the skids, but by the time Mobb Deep signed on with 50 Cent, a few complaints could be lodged.

Despite that and the fact that there was some speculation as to the relationship between Havoc and Prodigy – where it was going and would it continue after the emcee’s release from the clink. All of that guessing, though, was just jaw flapping. But if any of those doubts persisted, with the release of From Now On, Havoc has quelled them all. Included on that mix tape is a track simply titled “Letter to P.” There’s no narrative, instead the song basically functions as an open letter from Havoc to Prodigy in which the man on the outside relates the current ups and downs of life as well as assuring his friend that he’ll be waiting for him. It’s a surprisingly heart felt effort on the part of the producer and emcee considering his work in the past.

Scattered throughout the album and it’s endless list of guest spots including Lloyd Banks, Freeway and Termanology are few tracks that have appeared elsewhere prior to the release of From Now On. “Evil Deeds,” which comes off of the Wu Tang effort Chamber Music, works to re-affirm the fact that Havoc is in the game for the love of it as he figures that he’d, “do it for free.” Accompanied by Ghostface Killah and the GZA, the track winds up being one of the highlights of the mix tape despite it being birthed from a different source.

Much in the same way that the Wu Tang track sticks out so does“24k Rap” where Havoc and Raekwon work out a Dilla beat off of Jay Stay Paid. Again, the track isn’t detached from much of the other work here, but the production isn’t precisely the same as what Havoc would have concocted and for that very reason it begs the question, how long is it until Prodigy gets reunited with his other half?

The expectations for From Now On were probably unrealistically high solely based upon the universal deference afforded The Infamous. Even with that, though, there’s nothing here that Havoc’s gonna look back on regretfully. And if nothing else, the disc may have served to display a ratcheting up of his emcee skills. Prodigy would probably still be capable of besting Havoc if the two threw down, but he’s most likely been granted some time to sit around a practice a bit as of late.