There are few sounds in hip hop more haunting — or more iconic — than the first piano notes of Mobb Deep’s “Shook Ones Pt. II.” That cold, calculated beat. The air-tight rhyme schemes. The chilling realism. That song — and the album it belonged to — helped define an entire era of East Coast rap. And at the heart of it was Havoc: producer, lyricist, and the sonic architect of Mobb Deep.

This year, at the BET Experience 2025 Class of ’95 Picnic, Havoc takes the stage solo, but never alone. He’s bringing Queensbridge with him. He’s bringing Prodigy’s spirit with him. And he’s bringing a catalog that changed rap forever.

Mobb Deep’s The Infamous dropped in 1995 and instantly shifted the culture. While Biggie and Nas were painting cinematic portraits of New York, Mobb Deep gave it to us grainy and grayscale. Their verses weren’t just hard — they were surgical. They cut through bravado and glamor to deliver unfiltered stories of paranoia, survival, and betrayal.

At the center of it all was Havoc. His production set the tone — murky, menacing, minimalist — while his rhymes anchored the duo in raw authenticity. Tracks like “Survival of the Fittest,” “Give Up the Goods,” and “Right Back at You” weren’t just bangers — they were warnings. The streets weren’t pretty, and Mobb Deep didn’t sugarcoat them.

But while the late, great Prodigy was often the more visible half of the duo, Havoc was its heartbeat. He made the beats, tightened the mixes, and penned some of the coldest verses of the '90s. His talent behind the boards earned him respect from legends like The Alchemist, Kanye West, and 50 Cent.

Since Prodigy’s untimely passing in 2017, Havoc has carried the weight of Mobb Deep’s legacy with grace and grit. He’s continued to produce, dropping solo albums and collaborative projects, including a powerful team-up with Styles P. And yet, every stage he steps on is a tribute — to Prodigy, to Queensbridge, and to the golden age of East Coast rap.

At BETX, fans will hear those hard-knocking beats live and direct. But they’ll also feel something deeper — reverence. Havoc’s solo performance is both a celebration and a memorial. Expect the anthems (“Shook Ones,” “Hell on Earth”), the deeper cuts, and maybe even unreleased gems. And don’t be surprised if other New York legends show up to pay respect — because Mobb Deep was never just a duo. It was a movement.

Havoc is proof that producers can be frontmen. That realness doesn’t expire. That grief can fuel greatness. And that no matter how much the industry changes, certain voices, certain beats, certain truths — they endure.

This isn’t just a performance. It’s a salute. To the block. To the boom bap. To the brotherhood.

Don’t miss Havoc of Mobb Deep live at the BET Experience 2025. Watch the BET Awards on Monday, June 9th at 8 PM ET on BET and grab your tickets for all BETX events now at bet.com/topic/betexperience.