It's hard to believe that the second Mobb Deep album was created by teenagers, but the fact remains that this 14-track masterpiece puts many of the duo's older rivals to shame. With a grim, cinematic feel, underpinned by sparse snare beats and ominous bass rumbles, their raps give a depressing, but poetic account of life in the crime-ridden housing projects of Queensbridge. The quality of guests they attracted (Q-Tip,Nas, Raekwon) is a measure of the respect the pair commanded on the strength of their only hit single that year, "Shook Ones Pt II". That track, with its catchy bassline and hummable guitar sample, shows Mobb Deep at their sinister best, delivering lines like "I'm only 19, but my mind is old / When things get for real my warm heart turns cold"--lyrics that go far beyond crude gangsterism, and provide an irresistibly chilling thug's-eye view of the world. --Chris Elwell-Sutton