Consisting of rappers/songwriters/record producers Prodigy and Havoc, they are considered to be among the principal progenitors of hardcore East Coast hip hop.

[4] Their best-known albums are The Infamous (1995), Hell on Earth (1996) and Murda Muzik (1999),[5][6] and their most successful singles were "Shook Ones, (Part II)" and "Survival of the Fittest".

[12] The name Poetical Prophets was a testament to Prodigy, then Lord-T (The Golden Child), and Havoc's gravitation toward New York conscious hip-hop.

[14] They would find the addresses of record label headquarters on the back of albums, bring a cassette player, and ask passing artists to listen to their music.

"[14] Shortly thereafter, Prodigy signed a solo demo deal with Jive Records and had an uncredited feature on the song "Too Young" by Hi-Five, which appeared on the Boyz n the Hood soundtrack.

However, they were featured in Matty C's July 1991 "Unsigned Hype" column in The Source,[12][15] which helped promote their demo Flavor for the Nonbelievers.

The Source dubbed Poetical Prophets a "dynamic duo ... that are fast making a big name for themselves in talent shows and radio stations in the New York area.

"[15] The following year, the duo changed their name from Poetical Prophets to "Mobb Deep", in part based on the suggestion of Puff Daddy who was courting them to be the first artists on his newly created imprint, Bad Boy Records.

[14] The album was released in 1993 and featured production from DJ Premier, Large Professor, and Public Enemy-affiliate Kerwin Young.

[18] Mobb Deep catapulted to the top of the hardcore hip-hop scene through Havoc and Prodigy's straightforward narration of street life.

[18] In this album, Mobb Deep portrayed the struggles of living in New York City's Queensbridge Houses where Havoc grew up.

The album title was inspired by a friend Yamit, a Golden Gloves boxer, who resided on Havoc's block in Queensbridge.

In 1996, they appeared on the Red Hot Organization's compilation CD, America is Dying Slowly, alongside Biz Markie, Wu-Tang Clan and Fat Joe, among many other prominent hip hop artists.

When the album was officially released, it eventually debuted at number three on the Billboard 200 and quickly received Platinum certification and was further promoted by the popular single "Quiet Storm".

The album marked a major stylistic change in which the duo moved away from a raw, minimalist, stripped-down beat toward a commercial friendly in terms with such songs as "Hey Luv (Anything)".

Fellow Queens-bred rapper 50 Cent had a personal connection to Mobb Deep, and Havoc provided production on tracks by G-Unit, Lloyd Banks, The Game, and Tony Yayo.

It features G-Unit members 50 Cent, Lloyd Banks, Tony Yayo, and Young Buck, as well as Mary J. Blige and Nate Dogg.

[25] Mobb Deep appeared on Papoose's debut album The Nacirema Dream on the track "Aim, Shoot".

[26] On March 22, 2013, the group officially reunited for an interview and explained that music was the most important thing in their lives and that they had been friends for too long to break up the friendship.

On June 20, 2017, Prodigy died from accidental choking in Las Vegas, Nevada, while hospitalized for complications caused by sickle cell anemia.

The term "dunn" supposedly originated in the Queensbridge housing projects with an acquaintance of Prodigy's, Bumpy, whose speech impediment prevented him from pronouncing the letter "S", such as in "son".

Mobb Deep has attempted to claim ownership of this body of slang; additionally, they were going to release an album called The Dunn Language, in 2002, but the project was shelved, due to label issues.