Released May 29, 1995 Length 3:43 | Recorded 1994 Label Loud Records | |
Format CD, 12″ vinyl, cassette Genre East Coast hip hop, hardcore hip hop | ||
"Survival of the Fittest" is a song by American hip hop duo Mobb Deep from their second album, The Infamous (1995). It was released as the second single from the album on May 29, 1995 by Loud Records. The song was produced by Havoc, using a sample of 1976's song "Skylark" by The Barry Harris Trio and Al Cohn.
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The single had moderate success, it peaked at number 69 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and hit the Top 10 on the Hot Rap Singles chart. The song received acclaim from music critics and is widely considered a classic of 1990s New York hip hop, along with the lead single from the album, "Shook Ones Pt. II".
Recording
"Survival of the Fittest" was produced by Havoc at his apartment in Queensbridge, where the duo worked on the album, recorded at Battery Studios, and mixed at Unique Recording Studios. The instrumetal for the song is based on a sample from 1976's song "Skylark" by The Barry Harris Trio and Al Cohn. According to Prodigy, Havoc didn't like the beat at first and wanted to delete it. Prodigy asked him to play the beat to their friends and they convinced him to keep it. The lyrics for the song were written in one day. According to Schott Free, Loud Records' executive producer and A&R, Q-Tip helped the duo with drums for the song. In the interview with Complex magazine Schott Free said the drums "[intensify] the entire record" and "[add] so much" on top of the original beat, which he described as "ill", "gloomy", and "street". The original instrumental also featured sample of a James Brown's song, but it was removed after the label couldn't come to an agreement with publishers.
Release and promotion
"Survival of the Fittest" was released as the second single from The Infamous on May 29, 1995. On July 8 Loud Records arranged a paintball competition to promote the single. Loud Records' artists Cella Dwellas and Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, and Loud Records' staff joined Mobb Deep in the competition.
Music video for "Survival of the Fittest" was also released. It was directed by Musa "Choice" Moore and shot in Queensbridge. The video features cameos from Nas and Puff Daddy.
In 2015, Mobb Deep released a remix of "Survival of the Fittest" in collaboration with ESPN. It was used in the network's NBA Countdown show.
Critical reception
"Survival of the Fittest" received acclaim by critics. Vibe noted that the song "[features] Mobb Deep's usual combination of deep lyrics, sinister keyboard chords, earth-shattering bass, and crisp drum tracks". Los Angeles Times praised the song, calling it "a mosaic of slow, stealthy beats that rarely lets in any melodic light" and commending the duo's "dark poetic talents".
Legacy
"Survival of the Fittest" is widely considered a classic of 1990s New York hip hop. Consequence of Sound stated that it's "as gritty as New York hip-hop could get". HipHopDX called it "one of the most melancholy, rigid Hip Hop songs of all-time".
According to Pitchfork, the line "There's a war going on outside no man is safe from" became the album's most famous and often quoted lyrics. Complex named it one of the 100 best opening lines in hip hop history and wrote, "Prodigy's opening bars on "Survival of the Fittest" convey the high-wire balancing act that is life in America's most dangerous neighborhoods with a single phrase".
"Survival of the Fittest" was featured in the soundtrack for the video game Marc Ecko's Getting Up: Contents Under Pressure.
Track listing
- "Survival of the Fittest" [LP Version] – 3:43
- "Survival of the Fittest" [Remix] – 4:20
- "Survival of the Fittest" [Extended Version] – 5:19
- "Survival of the Fittest" [Remix Instrumental] – 5:20
- "Survival of the Fittest" [Acappella] – 4:17