*** MOBB DEEP, “Hell on Earth,� Loud/RCA

With “The Infamous� back in 1995, Mobb Deep did the near-impossible: They matched the mighty Wu-Tang Clan’s “Enter the 36 Chambers� rhyme for rhyme and beat for beat. That dazzling album was a soundtrack for a lost generation of wild kids roaming the grimy New York streets in search of the next cheap thrill, illegal gain or suicidal showdown.

“Hell on Earth� is just as alluring, pessimistic and downright scary as its predecessor. Sure, there’s plenty of ammunition for anti-rap crusaders. Why is there a segue before the brooding “G.O.D Pt. III� in which a kid shoots a rival from a window as he ambles across a courtyard? Isn’t there more to their lives than ambushes and murder?

Maybe not. But with Scorsese-like finesse, Mobb Deep serves up its underworld with such verve that even the most brutal characters glow with respectful purpose. The hypnotic “Get Dealt With� and the jazzy “Hell on Earth (Front Lines)� are only two of 14 funky reasons this album does not disappoint.

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Albums are rated on a scale of one star (poor) to four (excellent).