Mobb Deep's Prodigy Passes At 42

Prodigy Of Mobb Deep

ALBERT JOHNSON, known as PRODIGY, one-half of the legendary NEW YORK CITY hip-hop duo MOBB DEEP, died today at the age of 42.

A statement from his publicist read, "PRODIGY was hospitalized a few days ago in LAS VEGAS after a MOBB DEEP performance for complications caused by a sickle cell anemia crisis. As most of his fans know, PRODIGY battled the disease since birth. The exact causes of death have yet to be determined. We would like to thank everyone for respecting the family’s privacy at this time."

MOBB DEEP's PRODIGY, who was born in HEMPSTEAD, LONG ISLAND, and HAVOC (KEJUAN MUCHITA) first met at the notorious QUEENSBRIDGE PROJECTS in QUEENS, NY, breaking into the hip-hop scene with an aggressive version of EAST COAST gangsta rap. The pair released their first demo together in 1992 under the name POETICAL PROPHETS, which they followed up a year later with their debut as MOBB DEEP, "Juvenile Hell." Their 1995 follow-up, "The Infamous," established them as an iconic hardcore NYC rap mainstay, featuring one of their signature songs, "Shook Ones Pt. II." 

MOBB DEEP would release eight records together, with their last, "The Infamous MOBB DEEP," arriving in 2014. 

PRODIGY launched his solo career in 2000 with" H.N.I.C.," one of a series of solo records and mixtapes, as well as collaborations with producers such as the ALCHEMIST. In JANUARY, PRODIGY released his final solo record, "Hegelian Dialectic (The Book of Revelation)."

One of his many collaborators, NAS posted on INSTAGRAM, "QB RIP King P, PRODIGY 4 Ever."

NICKI MINAJ wrote, "Don't want to believe he's gone  #QueensFinest

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