Mobb Deep producer and rapper Havoc takes fans behind the scenes of their official music video for rap classic “Shook Ones, Pt. II” from their album The Infamous in the latest installment of Vevo Footnotes, premiering today. The exclusive content is part of Vevo’s celebration to honor the historic 50th Anniversary of Hip-Hop.
During the episode, Havoc describes creating “Shook Ones, Pt. II” inside the apartment of his childhood home in Queensbridge. He notes the pressure Mobb Deep had to make a hit after releasing a failed album the previous year. He recalls that the song gained a lot of traction and everyone in their crew was excited to shoot the music video in their neighborhood.
However, during the shoot, Havoc got into a fight with someone from his block who was upset about not getting enough shine in the video, and discusses almost being electrocuted. He also reveals his favorite scene when they are wearing the Hennessy jerseys that Prodigy got made. He explains that they filmed in Queensbridge to give the visual a grimey and authentic feel and that if he was able to reshoot the music video in 2023, he wouldn’t change a thing.
Below is a complete outline of “Shook Ones, Pt II” I Vevo Footnotes:
00:15 – I recall Prodigy super focused and calmly-excited to have worked on ’The Infamous’ album. He played the “Shook Ones, Pt. II” demo months before its release, and I knew instantly it’d be a hit. – Kiki (The Prodigy Estate)
00:27 – The writing and recording process for “Shook Ones, Pt. II” started in the apartment where I grew up in Queensbridge. I made the beat there and we finished it up at a major recording studio. I produced it all myself, and then me and Prodigy came up with the hook and lyrics. – Havoc
01:04 – There wasn’t any specific conversation about the song, but the assignment was clear: we needed to redeem ourselves after releasing a failed album a year before. – Havoc
01:33 – Everyone on set was hype because the record had gained so much traction. The label, the around the way crew Prodigy and myself – we were all excited to shoot a visual for the record. – Havoc
02:04 – One shocking moment was when me and a guy from my block got into an argument because he felt he wasn’t getting enough shine in the video. We started fighting and we both fell into a puddle of water, and one of the movie lights fell in it with us. We could have gotten electrocuted to death. That was wild.
02:33 – The whole video was shot in QueensBridge, which gave it more of a grimey edge and authentic feel. My favorite scene is when we have the whole crew behind us, and Prodigy and myself have on the Hennessy jerseys. I loved those shirts. Prodigy got them made. – Havoc
03:04 – It’s a timeless record. No matter how old it is, “Shook Ones, Pt. II” is always going to be a banger. – Havoc
3:29 – The most challenging part of making the video was staying awake, because we shot non-stop from early that morning to 7AM the next day. – Havoc
3:49 – It was unlike anything ever heard – the hardcore drums/beat, passion behind the lyrics and “fashion-forward” drive of them both was captivating. To this day, it’s one of the most memorable hip-hop songs of the 90’s. – Kiki (The Prodigy Estate)
04:13 – If we were to make this video in 2023, I don’t think I’d change a thing. The way it is has contributed to its longevity and timelessness. – Havoc
