Nas as well as Method Man, Ghostface Killah and Raekwon of Wu-Tang Clan appear on Hell on Earth. Mobb Deep's third album, Hell on Earth was released in 1996, debuting at number six on the Billboard Album Chart the album continued the duo's portrayal of harsh street life while further pushing them to the forefront of Hip Hop scene along with contemporary East Coast Rappers like The Notorious B.I.G., Jay-Z, LL Cool J, Wu-Tang Clan and fellow Queensbridge rapper Nas. Furthermore, the hit single " Shook Ones Part II", a remix to the hit "Shook Ones", received critical acclaim. The production of this album was very dark and sample-based thanks to Havoc, who produced the beats from this point forward, although Q-Tip also contributed to the production and mixing. Following the release of The Infamous, Mobb Deep became some of the most prolific artists of the East Coast.
In this album, Mobb Deep portrayed the struggles of living in New York City's Queensbridge Houses where Havoc grew up. Mobb Deep catapulted to the top of the hardcore hip-hop scene through Havoc and Prodigy's straightforward narration of street life. The group saw its first major success with their second album, The Infamous, released in 1995.
Jive decided not to sign Poetical Prophets as a duo, however, they were featured in the Unsigned Hype column of The Source in July 1991, which helped promote their demo Flavor for the Nonbelievers. The only artist who stopped to hear their music was Q-Tip of A Tribe Called Quest Prodigy recalled, " introduced us to Chris Lighty that day and a bunch of people in the Rush Associated Labels in the Def Jam office-that's how we met everybody." Shortly after, Prodigy signed a solo demo deal with Jive Records and had an uncredited feature on the song "Too Young" by Hi-Five, which appeared on the Boyz n the Hood. They would find the addresses of record label headquarters on the back of albums, bring a cassette player, and ask passing artists to listen to their music. In 1991, they originally went by the name "Poetical Prophets" and began making a demo tape. Havoc and Prodigy met while both were students at the High School of Art and Design in Manhattan.