In Brief

* * * 1/2 Mobb Deep, “The Infamous,” RCA. Mobb Deep’s Prodigy and Havoc may be the toughest young force in hip-hop. Songs such as “Survival of the Fittest” employ a mosaic of slow, stealthy beats that rarely lets in any melodic light. Add the duo’s dark poetic talents, and the result is tracks that will make you squirm.

New albums are rated on a scale of one star (poor), two stars (fair), three stars (good) and four stars (excellent).