Pop Music : Record Rack : In Brief

* * * 1/2 Mobb Deep, “Murda Muzik,” Loud/Columbia. Easily one of rap’s most intimidating outfits, this New York duo delivers another masterful slice of macabre hip-hop with its fourth album. Using their deep, haunting voices, Havoc and Prodigy present their gangster menace with chilling authority. Adding to the unforgiving atmosphere are angry, eerie beats that could make you shudder on their own. *

Albums are rated on a scale of one star (poor), two stars (fair), three stars (good) and four stars (excellent). The albums are already released unless otherwise noted.