Shook Ones, Part II

"Shook Ones (Part II)" is the lead single from Mobb Deep's 1995 album The Infamous.... The song is a sequel to the group's 1994 promotional single "Shook Ones", with similar lyrics, but less profanity. The original song is featured on the b-side of some releases of "Shook Ones, Part II" and was also included on the international version of the group's album Hell on Earth. The narrative is told from the perspective of inner-city youths engaged in territorial warfare and struggling for financial gains. The phrase "shook one" refers to someone who acts tough and hardcore but when faced with murder and crime, they are scared and run away.

"Shook Ones (Part II)"
Single by Mobb Deep
from the album The Infamous
ReleasedFebruary 7, 1995
Recorded1994
Genre
Length5:26
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Havoc
Mobb Deep singles chronology
"Hit It from the Back"
(1993)		 "Shook Ones (Part II)"
(1995)		 "Survival of the Fittest"
(1995)
Music video
"Shook Ones (Part II)" on YouTube

The song contains a pitched down sample of "Jessica" by Herbie Hancock and "Kitty with the Bent Frame" by Quincy Jones. The drum break is sampled from "Dirty Feet" by Daly-Wilson Big Band.[1] The Herbie Hancock sample was slowed down and the pitch was altered to create the beat in the song.[2]

In 1997, the song was sampled by Mariah Carey in her single "The Roof (Back in Time)". For its single remix, Mobb Deep recorded additional raps and also appeared in the music video.

In 2010 Pitchfork Media included the song at number 25 on their Top 200 Tracks of the 90s.[3] Rolling Stone magazine placed the song on its list of The 50 Greatest Hip-Hop Songs of All Time and their list of the "Top 500 Best Songs of All Time" at No. 215.[4][5] while Complex ranked "Shook Ones (Part II)" at #23 on their list of the 25 most violent rap songs of all time.[6]

The song appears in the 2002 movie 8 Mile and in the 2005 video games Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories in the in-game radio station The Liberty Jam and in True Crime: New York City. It also appears in NBA 2K13 and NBA 2K18.

Background and composition

KiKi of The Prodigy Estate stated: "I recall Prodigy super focused and calmly-excited to have worked on The Infamous album. He'd played the 'Shook Ones Pt. II' demo months before its release, and I knew instantly it'd be a hit."[7]

Mobb Deep member Havoc stated: "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." He also commented: "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."[8]

Mobb Deep member Prodigy revealed that while checking on Havoc who was in the middle of making beats, the beat for "Shook Ones, Part II" was playing, and Havoc almost deleted the beat for "Shook Ones, Part II" as he didn't like the beat and wanted to start making a new one, but Prodigy managed to stop him in time from deleting it as Prodigy liked the beat that Havoc made.[9]

Havoc called the song "a timeless record" and that "[n]o matter how old it is, 'Shook Ones, Pt. II' is always going to be a banger."[10]

Music video

The music video shows Prodigy and Havoc rapping in different parts of Queensbridge at different times of the day. It also shows Prodigy rapping while driving a car, and Havoc rapping in the backseat of the car that Prodigy is driving.

Havoc recalled: "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." He also stated: "The whole video was shot in QueensBridge, which gave it a more 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 also commented: "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."[11]

While shooting the music video, Mobb Deep got into a fight with a guy who was complaining about not getting enough screen time in the music video.[12]

Track listing
  1. "Shook Ones (Part II)" (LP version) — 5:26
  2. "Shook Ones (Part II)" (instrumental) — 4:41
  3. "Shook Ones (Part II)" (A Cappella) — 3:49
  4. "Shook Ones (Part I)" (original Version) — 4:13
  5. "Shook Ones (Part I)" (instrumental) — 4:13

Charts

Weekly charts
Chart (1995) Peak
position
US Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs[13] 52
US Billboard Hot Rap Singles[14] 7
US Billboard Hot 100[15] 59

Certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[16] Gold 45,000‡
United Kingdom (BPI)[17] Platinum 600,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References
  1. "Who sampled? Shook Ones Pt.II". Who Sampled.
  2. "How Mobb Deep's Prodigy Saved 'Shook Ones,' Hip-Hop's Most Mysterious Masterpiece (Video)". The Wrap.
  3. "The Top 200 Tracks of the 1990s: 50-21 - Page 3". Pitchfork.
  4. "50 Greatest Hip-Hop Songs of All Time". Rolling Stone. December 5, 2012.
  5. "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time". Rolling Stone. 2021-09-15. Retrieved 2022-07-18.
  6. "The 25 Most Violent Rap Songs of All Time". Complex.
  7. Mobb Deep - The Making of 'Shook Ones, Pt. II' (Vevo Footnotes)
  8. Mobb Deep - The Making of 'Shook Ones, Pt. II' (Vevo Footnotes)
  9. Havoc Almost Deleted the 'Shook Ones 2' Beat?
  10. Mobb Deep - The Making of 'Shook Ones, Pt. II' (Vevo Footnotes)
  11. Mobb Deep - The Making of 'Shook Ones, Pt. II' (Vevo Footnotes)
  12. Mobb Deep - The Making of 'Shook Ones, Pt. II' (Vevo Footnotes)
  13. "Mobb Deep - Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs". Billboard. Retrieved November 28, 2021.
  14. "Mobb Deep - Billboard Hot Rap Singles". Billboard. Retrieved November 28, 2021.
  15. "Mobb Deep - Billboard Hot 100". Billboard. Retrieved November 28, 2021.
  16. "Danish single certifications – Mobb Deep – Shook Ones (Part II)". IFPI Danmark. Retrieved September 27, 2022.
  17. "British single certifications – Mobb Deep – Shook Ones (Part II)". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved July 7, 2023.
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