Mobb Deep
The Infamous Mobb Deep
(Infamous Records / RED)
⋆⋆⋆
It’s a minor miracle that New York’s hip-hop duo Mobb Deep are releasing records in 2014. Since 2006’s Blood Money, Havoc and Prodigy have endured jail, feuds (chiefly with each other) and a stint as cornerstones of 50 Cent’s G-Unit family. Now reconciled and on the comeback trail, this eighth studio set – not to be confused with their 1995 breakout album The Infamous – gazes towards the past and the future. New music fills the first disc; the second side features unreleased tunes from The Infamous studio sessions. Of the fresh material, an often stiflingly claustrophobic vibe is broken by Dirt, with widescreen beats allowed to breathe, and a ray of almost sunny positivity via Legendary. Disc two peaks early when the fellow Queens legend Nas and the Wu-Tang Clan’s Ghostface Killah and Raekwon are invited into the booth for the grimy, back-in-the-day treat Eye for an Eye. While pairing classic with contemporary is risky, it’s an interesting demonstration of the development of Mobb Deep’s thuggish methodology. At two hours, though, the entire experience might test the patience of the uninitiated.
aworkman@thenational.ae
Forced%20Deportations
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Violence%20
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Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
BULKWHIZ PROFILE
Date started: February 2017
Founders: Amira Rashad (CEO), Yusuf Saber (CTO), Mahmoud Sayedahmed (adviser), Reda Bouraoui (adviser)
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: E-commerce
Size: 50 employees
Funding: approximately $6m
Investors: Beco Capital, Enabling Future and Wain in the UAE; China's MSA Capital; 500 Startups; Faith Capital and Savour Ventures in Kuwait
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The biog
Name: Abeer Al Shahi
Emirate: Sharjah – Khor Fakkan
Education: Master’s degree in special education, preparing for a PhD in philosophy.
Favourite activities: Bungee jumping
Favourite quote: “My people and I will not settle for anything less than first place” – Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid.
Zayed Sustainability Prize
The biog
Favourite films: Casablanca and Lawrence of Arabia
Favourite books: Start with Why by Simon Sinek and Good to be Great by Jim Collins
Favourite dish: Grilled fish
Inspiration: Sheikh Zayed's visionary leadership taught me to embrace new challenges.
Global Fungi Facts
• Scientists estimate there could be as many as 3 million fungal species globally
• Only about 160,000 have been officially described leaving around 90% undiscovered
• Fungi account for roughly 90% of Earth's unknown biodiversity
• Forest fungi help tackle climate change, absorbing up to 36% of global fossil fuel emissions annually and storing around 5 billion tonnes of carbon in the planet's topsoil
