UPDATE: Havoc says phone was stolen, however, audio recording surfaces

Yesterday we reported the depressing news that Havoc had launched a tirade against Mobb Deep partner Prodigy, calling him gay, fake, and even claiming he’d had consensual sex with multiple men during his recent prison sentence. Ouch indeed.

Many hoped the tweets were the result of a hack, but this was followed by confirmations by respected voices, such as Sway Calloway. However, after a period of industry meltdown, Havoc issued this statement to RapRadar:

“Just getting back into NY after my Easter weekend with family and friends in Jersey. I left my phone at a gas station yesterday evening while on my way to Jersey after a glorious Knick’s game. To all Mobb Deep fans: it’s business as usual! It’s Mobb Deep all day!!! My twitter account @THEREALHAVOC will be down until further notice. The only other real account is @PRODIGYMOBBDEEP. Ignore the rest. One!”

You’d think it would end there. Of course, it didn’t. Radio show The Breakfast Club was suspicious of the situation, as are many fans. They did some digging, and somehow came up with audio (listen or download here) which they say features an angry Havoc dissing Prodigy. Truth is, it does indeed sound like him, and, more disturbingly, close Mobb affiliate N.O.R.E called in to offer his opinion that it was in fact Havoc.

If this is true, why the change of story? Perhaps the reaction in the hip hop community was so strong that the duo were pressured to make the appearance of unity, or the label responsible for their approaching album dug in their claws, many reasons are possible. To this writer, all this seems far fetched, but the call does seem genuine. A strange turn of events indeed, stay tuned for more. If anything, at least we can rejoice that this doesn’t seem like the end of Mobb Deep after all.

UPDATE to the Update: Havoc has called into the show to denounce the alleged audio recording. Oddly, however, the story behind the stolen phone has switched from a gas station to a Knicks game. “I guess this is great promotion, man, this is crazy,” Havoc mused. Could the whole thing have been a risky, bizarre publicity stunt by the duo? Again, this writer doubts it, but the media world seems unwilling to accept the beef as entirely false.

To offer some personal speculation, the last of Havoc’s alleged tweets claimed the beef was over something Prodigy had said about him in his autobiography. Knowing prideful rap artist’s tendency for misunderstandings, perhaps Havoc overreacted to something he misread, and responded angrily before the offensive words were cleared up, then finding it easier to deny his rash words entirely, rather than explain. Stay tuned as events continue to unfold.