Shook Ones Pt. II

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"Shook Ones Pt. II"
"Shook Ones Pt. II" cover
Single by Mobb Deep
from the album The Infamous
Released March, 1995
Format CD single
Genre Hip hop
Length 5:24
Label Loud Records
Writer(s) Havoc
Prodigy
Producer(s) Havoc
Chart positions

#59 (US)

Mobb Deep singles chronology
"Hit It From The Back"
(1993)
"Shook Ones Pt. II"
(1995)
"Survival Of The Fittest"
(1995)

"Shook Ones Pt. II" is the first single from Mobb Deep's The Infamous album. The song was hailed as an instant classic and in many ways, the pinnacle of Mobb Deep's critical acclaim. In 2006 it was included on the album Life of the Infamous: The Best of Mobb Deep.

Contents

[edit] Overview

Prodigy in the video for Shook Ones Pt. II
Prodigy in the video for Shook Ones Pt. II

[edit] Content

The song is told from the perspective of inner-city youths engaged in territorial warfare and struggling for financial gains. It does not, however, offer any apologies for its grim tone, nor does it offer any solutions to the problems it discusses. This factor plays a key role in its impact, as the intentions of the song, with its threatening perspective, is left up to the listener to interpret. Because of this, the song is one of the more thought-provoking, and complex hardcore rap songs to emerge in the aftermath of Death Row's dominance in mid-1990s Hip hop. The song samples "Kitty With The Bent Frame", released in 1972 by Quincy Jones and also "Dirty Feet", released in 1979 by Daly Wilson Big Band.

[edit] Pop Culture References

"Shook Ones Pt. II" was voted #27 in an online poll by About.com of The 100 Greatest Rap Songs. "Shook Ones Pt. II" was also included in the soundtrack to the motion picture, 8 Mile, and the instrumental for the song is used in the climatic freestyle battle of the movie. It was also on the True Crime: New York City soundtrack. It is also featured on the Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories radio station The Liberty Jam (the city's rap radio station). The song has also been sampled by Mariah Carey for her single The Roof, Sublime in their song April 29, 1992 and the Canadian R&B singer Keshia Chanté for her 2003 debut single "Shook (The Answer)". It was also sampled in american rapper Mims debut single in "This Is Why I'm Hot".

Audio samples of Shook Ones Pt. II

[edit] Track listing

Side A

  1. "Shook Ones Pt. II" [LP Version]
  2. "Shook Ones Pt. II" [Instrumental]
  3. "Shook Ones Pt. II" [Acappella]

Side B

  1. "Shook Ones Pt. I" [Original Version]
  2. "Shook Ones Pt. I" [Instrumental]