Released towards the end of 2000, H.N.I.C., short for Head Nigga In Charge, is the first solo release from Mobb Deep member, Prodigy. Consisting of heavyweight producers like Rockwilder, The Alchemist, Just Blaze and his Mobb Deep partner, Havoc, the album stays loyal to the grimy, dark and gritty sound that was previously introduced on other Mobb Deep releases such as The Infamous or Hell On Earth. Feature-wise, Prodigy stays close to home, working with artists who previously featured on Mobb projects such as Big Noyd, Twin Gambino, Chinky, his partner Havoc, and also the “Bling Bling” rapper, B.G.. The album follows the same narrative as other Mobb albums: vivid thug tales, gunplay, and drugs. Prodigy’s bassy, rough and pain-containing voice deliver scare-straight raps—as he describes: The music is beautiful because it’s a perfect painting of the lifestyle that we live. And the lifestyle of millions of other people in the ghettos. Niggas that’s fucked up, they consider that shit beauty. They like, ‘Yo, that’s my life. He’s talking about my life.’ Beauty ain’t always a little cute colored flower. Beauty is anything where people be like, ‘Damn…’ The chorus-less single “Keep It Thoro”, helped the album peak at #18 on the Billboard 200 and receive a gold certification. The project is widely considered as Prodigy’s best solo work and a classic record.