hometown hits you in the head like a Mike Tyson comeback punch." The Source Dimitry Leger stated, "Mobb Deep earn credibility, winning the crucial battle between style and substance, who's real and who's a move-faker. Havoc and Prodigy simply report what they know." Writing for Rolling Stone, Cheo H. Coker called it "a darkly nihilistic masterpiece". Legacy Since its initial release, The Infamous has earned additional critical praise and has been widely regarded as a cornerstone album of New York hardcore rap. AllMusic's Steve Huey wrote that it stands as "Mobb Deep's masterpiece, a relentlessly bleak song cycle that's been hailed by hardcore rap fans as one of the most realistic gangsta albums ever recorded [...] it has all the foreboding atmosphere and thematic sweep of an epic crime drama. That's partly because of the cinematic vision behind the duo's detailed narratives, but it's also a tribute to how well the raw, grimy production evokes the world that Mobb Deep is depicting." According to Consequence of Sounds Okla Jones, it "solidified Mobb Deep in hip-hop lore" and became "the blueprint for the traditional New York hardcore sound". In 2002, The Source reappraised The Infamous and gave it a perfect five-mic rating, stating: "Prodigy's thugged-out entertainment and Havoc's sonic production on cuts like the bone-chilling 'Shook Ones Pt. ll' ... proved to be timeless street joints in the same vein as 'Life's a Bitch' and 'You Gots to Chill.' The album was a staple for all hardheaded delinquents comin' up in the game." In 2004's The New Rolling Stone Album Guide, critic Chris Ryan called it "one of the greatest rap albums of the [1990s]". XXL magazine gave it a classic rating of "XXL" in its retrospective December 2007 issue. In 2013, hip-hop journalist Jeff "Chairman" Mao hailed The Infamous as "an iconic New York record", while noting Q-Tip's understated role in its creation. Reviewing the album's 2014 reissue, Pitchfork critic Jayson Greene remarked on its lasting impact: Track listing "Up North Trip" is omitted from cassette versions. Sample credits "The Start of Your Ending" contains a sample from "Maybe Tomorrow" performed by Grant Green. "Survival of the Fittest" contains a sample from "Skylark" performed by The Barry Harris Trio and Al Cohn. "Eye for a Eye" contains a sample from "I Wish You Were Here" performed by Al Green. "Give Up the Goods" contains a sample from "That's All Right