"Survival of the Fittest" | ||||
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Single by The Infamous Mobb Deep | ||||
from the album The Infamous | ||||
Released | May 29, 1995 | |||
Format | CD, 12″ vinyl, cassette | |||
Recorded | 1994 | |||
Genre | East Coast Hip Hop, Hardcore Hip Hop, Gangsta Rap, Rap | |||
Length | 3:43 | |||
Label | Loud, RCA, BMG, | |||
Songwriter(s) | Kejuan Muchita, Albert Johnson (The Infamous Mobb Deep) | |||
Producer(s) | The Infamous Mobb Deep | |||
The Infamous Mobb Deep singles chronology | ||||
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"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.
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".
"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.