Prodigy (rapper)

Prodigy
Prodigy in Amsterdam, 2014
Born Albert Johnson
(1974-11-02)November 2, 1974[1]
Hempstead, Long Island, New York, U.S.
Died June 20, 2017(2017-06-20) (aged 42)
Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S.
Cause of death Accidental choking[2]
Nationality American
Occupation
  • Rapper
  • Songwriter
  • Entrepreneur
Years active 1989–2017
Home town Queens, New York City, New York, U.S.
Spouse(s) Kiki Johnson
Children 2
Parent(s)
  • Albert Budd Johnson Jr
  • Fatima Frances Collins
Relatives
Musical career
Genres Hip hop
Instruments Vocals
Labels
Associated acts

Albert Johnson (November 2, 1974 – June 20, 2017), better known by his stage name Prodigy, was an American rapper and entrepreneur who, with Havoc, was one half of the hip hop duo Mobb Deep.

Early life

Prodigy was born on November 2, 1974, in Hempstead, New York, located on Long Island.[4] He had one elder brother, Greg Johnson.[4] He came from a musical family.[4] His grandfather Budd Johnson was a saxophonist,[4] and his grand-uncle, Keg Johnson, was a trombonist.[5] Both of them are remembered for their contributions to the bebop era of jazz.[6] His mother, Fatima Frances (Collins) Johnson,[7] was a member of The Crystals.[4][8] His father, Budd Johnson Jr., was a member of a doo-wop music group called The Chanters.[6][9] His great-great-great-grandfather, William Jefferson White, founded Georgia's Morehouse College.[10][3]

Prodigy grew up in LeFrak.[11] While attending the High School of Art and Design in Manhattan, he met his future music partner, Havoc.[12] The duo became the "Poetical Prophets", before choosing the name "The Infamous Mobb Deep".[7][13] Under the alias Lord-T (The Golden Child), the then 16-year-old Johnson joined Jive Records and landed an uncredited guest appearance on the Boyz n the Hood soundtrack, for his collaborative efforts on the song "Too Young" by Hi-Five in 1991.[7]

Music career

1995–1996: The Infamous and Hell on Earth

Initially compared to fellow rapper Nas, who took a similar approach lyrically on his Illmatic album from 1994,[14] Mobb Deep released The Infamous in 1995, which was certified Gold by the RIAA within the first two months of its release.[15] A year and a half later, at the end of 1996, Prodigy and Havoc released Hell on Earth, which debuted at number six on SoundScan.[16] Its next release, Murda Muzik, was heavily bootlegged while still in its demo stage, leaking, onto the streets and over the internet, rough versions of the nearly 30 songs the duo had recorded.[17]

2000–2006: H.N.I.C.

In November 2000, Prodigy released his debut solo album H.N.I.C..[18] His follow up solo album would be released in 2008.

But during the next 6 years, between the release of his first two solo albums, Prodigy continued to work with Mobb Deep, releasing Infamy in 2001, Amerikaz Nightmare in 2004, and Blood Money in 2006.

2007–2011: Collaborations and H.N.I.C. Part 2

During this time, Prodigy had started work on his second solo album H.N.I.C. Part 2, which was first previewed on his official mixtape The Return of the Mac, and was later released on the independent label Koch Records.[19] The mixtape single, together with the mixtape video, was called "Mac 10 Handle". Prodigy then released H.N.I.C. Pt. 2 through Voxonic Inc., a company in which he was an equity holder.[20] In late 2009, Mobb Deep was released from its contract with 50 Cent's G-Unit label.[21][22]

During this time period, Prodigy was served with a three-year sentence in Mid-State medium-security prison, following a plea agreement stemming from a gun-possession charge.[23] He was officially released on March 7, 2011.[23]

Prodigy was featured in the 2009 documentary, Rhyme and Punishment, a film that documented Hip-Hop artists who have been incarcerated.[24] In 2011, Prodigy released a free EP called The Ellsworth Bumpy Johnson EP which was his first project after he was released from prison.[25] On April 21, a song titled "The Type", with Curren$y, was released on Curren$y's free album, entitled Covert Coup.[26]

In 2011, Prodigy released his autobiography, My Infamous Life: The Autobiography of Mobb Deep's Prodigy. It was co-written with Laura Checkoway and published by Touchstone Books.[27]

2013–2014: The Infamous Mobb Deep

In 2013, Prodigy released his second collaboration album with the Alchemist titled Albert Einstein.[28] On April 1, 2014, Mobb Deep released The Infamous Mobb Deep, their eighth studio album.[29][30] In August 2016, he released an untitled EP of five tracks, released in partnership with BitTorrent, an association that Prodigy had been working up for a while.[31]

The following is a brief timeline and chronology of some of the legal issues that Prodigy faced during his life:

  • November 6, 2003, Prodigy was arrested in Cohoes, New York, and charged with third degree criminal possession of a weapon and unlawful possession of marijuana. Police reportedly recovered a .25 caliber handgun and marijuana on his person.[32]
  • October 26, 2006, Prodigy was arrested in New York City and charged with criminal possession of a weapon. He was pulled over in a $120,000 customized bulletproof SUV after making an illegal u-turn around 2:15 AM. After conducting a search of the vehicle, police recovered a .22 caliber handgun in the center console.[33]
  • October 8, 2007, Prodigy was sentenced to serve three-and-a-half years in prison for illegal possession of a firearm. Originally facing a mandatory sentence of 15 years in prison, Prodigy struck a deal with the prosecution, and pleaded guilty in exchange for the shorter prison sentence.[34]

Feuds

West Coast

From 1995 to 1997, the media-fueled "East Coast-West Coast hip hop rivalry" was occurring. This "beef" started when Tha Dogg Pound released "New York, New York," to which Mobb Deep took offense as, in addition to the lyrics, the song's music video portrayed New York buildings being stomped on by Dogg Pound members. In response, Mobb Deep with Capone-N-Noreaga and Tragedy Khadafi released "LA, LA".[38] 2Pac "dissed" Mobb Deep (along with The Notorious B.I.G.) in "Hit 'Em Up" where, in the outro of the song, he made a remark in clear reference to Prodigy's ailment in having sickle cell anemia.[39] Mobb Deep responded in a track called "Drop A Gem On 'Em" which was released as a single 2 weeks before 2Pac was murdered.[40] 2Pac also dissed Mobb Deep on the song "Against All Odds"[41] and "Bomb First (My Second Reply)" which were released after his death. But Prodigy later sampled 2Pac's voice from a freestyle for the chorus on the song "Return of the Mac" (a.k.a. "New York Shit") on his album with the same name.[42]

Def Squad

On The Infamous track "The Infamous Prelude", Prodigy made remarks about rappers who rap about "smoking weed" and talk about "space shit".[43] Def Squad took offense from this, but the feud was settled when Prodigy and Keith Murray met at a video shoot.[43] The feud was rekindled when Prodigy again referenced "space shit" in his appearance on LL Cool J's "I Shot Ya" which also featured Murray. Murray saw Prodigy at a club one night and punched him.[43] Prodigy recalled the altercation and threatened Murray in the song "In the Long Run" on Hell on Earth. Murray released a song "Call My Name" on his Enigma album dissing Mobb Deep. The feud seemed to die down until Prodigy dissed Murray again in his 2004 song "Bad Blood." Murray has responded with numerous songs since.[43]

Saigon

During an interview, Prodigy stated that he did not like Saigon and Tru-Life (along with many other rappers).[44]

On the night of September 19, 2007, after an impromptu performance by Saigon during a Mobb Deep show, words were exchanged between Saigon and Prodigy.[45] This escalated into an argument, which resulted in a physical altercation when Saigon punched Prodigy twice before he (Saigon) left the club.[46] Two video versions of the events have since emerged. One version, in slow motion footage, showed Saigon hiding under a table. Another released version of the video, showed Saigon running away from the club.[47] The feud, however, apparently died down, since (in an interview two months before Prodigy's release from prison) Saigon expressed happiness that Prodigy was coming home.[48]

Crooked I

While in prison, Prodigy wrote a letter about his disillusionment with hip hop and rappers. He directly referenced Crooked I's name in the letter, commenting,

Vibe says 920,000 people voted for it. I would personally b*tch slap all 920,000 of these voters if given the opportunity. Who in the f*ck picked Crooked I, Flo Rida and Rich Boy? How did Vibe approve this?

Crooked I responded in a blog entry, and challenged Prodigy to a one-on-one fight upon the rapper's release.[49] Following Prodigy's death, Crooked I paid tribute in honor of him by posting an image of him on Instagram.[50]

Havoc

In July 2012, Prodigy's musical partner, Havoc, wrote a series of derogatory comments about Prodigy on Twitter, including accusing Prodigy of engaging in homosexual relationships in prison.[51] At first, Havoc claimed that his Twitter account was hacked.[52] However, he later confirmed that he wrote the tweets and expressed his frustrations with Prodigy in an interview with AllHipHop.[53] He stated that Mobb Deep was on an "indefinite hiatus" until the duo worked out their differences. Havoc later released a diss track aimed at Prodigy, which was titled "Separated (Real from the Fake)".[54] Prodigy did not respond to Havoc's song and, even stated publicly, that Mobb Deep would eventually reconcile.[55] In March 2013, the duo announced that they had reconciled and were going on tour.[56]

Illuminati theory

Some rap music has been inspired by the theory that a powerful international secret society exists. Often it is referred to as the Illuminati, after Bavarian secret society founded in 1776. Complex magazine has claimed it was Prodigy who started the interest in the theory.[57] Prodigy had often spoken publicly against the alleged international secret society during his life.[58][59]

Prodigy rapped about a secret society in his collaboration with LL Cool J in the song “I Shot Ya (Remix)," from 1995. From prison in 2007, not long before the release of H.N.I.C. Part 2, Prodigy wrote and published an "open letter" to Jay-Z in which he made some cryptic allegations alluding to the theory.[57] In 2008, Prodigy titled a song "Illuminati", from H.N.I.C. Part 2.[60] In his final solo album released during his life, The Hegelian Dialectic (2017), Prodigy also referred to the theory.[60] It was reported that Prodigy was working on a musical about his Illuminati theory at the time of his death.[60]

Illness and death

In an interview with Vibe in November 2000, Prodigy spoke about what inspired him to directly address his battle with sickle-cell anemia in his song "You Can Never Feel My Pain", from his debut studio album H.N.I.C. He attributes his nihilism to the "permanent physical suffering" caused by his lifelong battle with the condition.[61]

On June 20, 2017, it was reported that Prodigy had died in Las Vegas, Nevada, after having been hospitalized a few days earlier for complications related to his sickle-cell anemia. He was performing in the Art of Rap Tour in Las Vegas with Havoc, Ghostface Killah, Onyx, KRS-One, and Ice-T when he was hospitalized.[62]

According to a coroner's report he died of accidental choking.[63]

Discography

Studio albums
Collaboration albums

Filmography

References

  1. ↑ "Mobb Deep Bio | Mobb Deep Career". MTV Artists.
  2. ↑ "Mobb Deep rapper Prodigy died of accidental choking". NY Daily News. 3 August 2017.
  3. 1 2 Barnes, Randall (21 June 2017). "Did You Know Prodigy Is Related To The Founder of Morehouse College?". Urban Intellectuals. Retrieved 24 June 2017.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 Caramanica, Jon (20 June 2017). "Prodigy of Mobb Deep Dies at 42; Forged Sound of New York Rap". The New York Times. Retrieved 26 June 2017.
  5. ↑ Gillespie, Dizzy (2009). Fraser, Al, ed. To Be, Or Not-- to Bop (illustrated, reprint ed.). U of Minnesota Press. p. 108. ISBN 9780816665471.
  6. 1 2 Castro, Danilo (20 June 2017). "Prodigy's Family: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know". Heavy.com. Retrieved 26 June 2017.
  7. 1 2 3 Blisteen, Jon. Mobb Deep Rapper Prodigy Dead at 42. Rolling Stone. June 20, 2017.
  8. ↑ Gargan, Scott (April 22, 2011). "Mobb Deep's 'Prodigy' chronicles 'infamous' life in new autobiography". stamfordadvocate.com. Retrieved May 21, 2011.
  9. ↑ "The Chanters". Discogs. Retrieved June 22, 2017.
  10. ↑ Respers, Lisa (21 June 2017). "Prodigy of Mobb Deep dies at 42". CNN. Retrieved 24 June 2017.
  11. ↑ Gray, Billy. LefRak City at 50. Commercial Observer. August 20, 2013.
  12. ↑ Nevins, Jake (21 June 2017). "Prodigy, rapper of Mobb Deep fame, dies aged 42". The Guardian. Retrieved 26 June 2017.
  13. ↑ Johnson, Albert "Prodigy"; Checkoway, Laura (2012). My Infamous Life: The Autobiography of Mobb Deep's Prodigy (reprint ed.). Simon and Schuster. p. 80. ISBN 9781439103197.
  14. ↑ Mester, Amanda (2 May 2017). "Prodigy Reveals Nas' Illmatic Was A Blueprint For Mobb Deep's The Infamous (Video)". Ambrosia for Heads. Retrieved 26 June 2017.
  15. ↑ "What's love got to do with it?". Vibe. Vol. 13. Vibe Media Group. Mar 2006. p. 84. ISSN 1070-4701.
  16. ↑ "F.E.D.S. Magazine: Finally Every Dimension of the Streets". F.E.D.S. Magazine. Vol. 3 no. 24. A. Clark. 1999. p. 21.
  17. ↑ "Prodigy: "Murda Muzik Was Probably The First Hip Hop Album In History To Be Bootlegged On CD". YouTube.
  18. ↑ "Prodigy – H.N.I.C. Pt. 2". rap4fame.de.
  19. ↑ What Would You Do by Laura Checkoway. XXL Magazine. January 2008
  20. ↑ Langhorne, Cyrus (November 10, 2009). "50 Cent Released Mobb Deep From G-Unit Records, Says Game Is Still Signed To His Label". Sohh.Com. Archived from the original on February 22, 2012. Retrieved March 30, 2012.
  21. ↑ Barrow, Jerry L. "EXTRA CREDIT: Mobb Deep Happy 50 Cent Has Gone Independent [EXCLUSIVE]". The Urban Daily. Retrieved 26 June 2017.
  22. 1 2 Chandler, D.L. (March 7, 2011). "Mobb Deep Rapper Prodigy Released From Prison". MTV News. Retrieved March 7, 2011.
  23. ↑ "Rhyme and Punishment (2009)". Rotten Tomatoes.
  24. ↑ Ahmed, Insanul (19 April 2011). "Download: Prodigy x Complex "The Ellsworth Bumpy Johnson EP"". Complex. Retrieved 26 June 2017.
  25. ↑ "Curren$y f. Prodigy "The Type [Prod. Alchemist]"". Retrieved April 21, 2011.
  26. ↑ Johnson, Albert "Prodigy" (2011). Checkoway, Laura, ed. My Infamous Life: The Autobiography of Mobb Deep's Prodigy (illustrated ed.). Touchstone. ISBN 9781439103180.
  27. 1 2 Jeffries, David. "Albert Einstein". AllMusic.
  28. ↑ Ahmed, Insanul (1 April 2014). "Mobb Deep Breaks Down Their New Album, "The Infamous Mobb Deep"". Complex. Retrieved 26 June 2017.
  29. ↑ Weingarten, Christopher R. (1 April 2014). "Mobb Deep: The Infamous Mobb Depp". RollingStone.
  30. ↑ Lilah, Rose (August 5, 2016). "Prodigy releases untitled EP". Retrieved August 5, 2016.
  31. ↑ "Mobb Deep’s Prodigy Faces Drug, Weapons Charges Following Pre-Show Arrest". MTV News.
  32. ↑ "AllHipHop » Prodigy, The Alchemist Arrested In New York On Gun Charge". AllHipHop.
  33. ↑ "Mobb Deep Rapper Prodigy Released From Prison". RapFix.
  34. ↑ "Rapper Prodigy Released From Jail". Billboard.
  35. ↑ "NYS Department of Corrections and Community Supervision". 161.11.133.89.
  36. ↑ "NYS Department of Corrections and Community Supervision". Nysdoccslookup.doccs.ny.gov. 2014-11-07. Retrieved 2017-06-23.
  37. ↑ Markman, Rob (21 April 2011). "Prodigy Didn't Want To Respond To Tupac Dis, N.O.R.E. Says". MTV. Retrieved 26 June 2017.
  38. ↑ Lazerine, Devin; Lazerine, Cameron (2008). Rap-Up: The Ultimate Guide to Hip-Hop and R&B. Hachette UK. p. 87. ISBN 9780446511629.
  39. ↑ Aswad, Jem; Barker, Andrew (20 June 2017). "Prodigy, One Half of Rapper Duo Mobb Deep, Dies at 42". Variety. Retrieved 24 June 2017.
  40. ↑ Heinzelman, Bill. "Top 11 Diss Songs in Hip-Hop". UGO.com. Archived from the original on April 10, 2009. Retrieved March 17, 2009.
  41. ↑ Krolak, Mike (1 March 2007). "Prodigy: "I don't give a f*** about Pac"". Prefix.
  42. 1 2 3 4 Reid, Shaheem; Joseph Patel; Rahman Dukes; Curtis Waller; Kimberly Rufen-Blanchette (January 28, 2005). "Mixtape Monday: Game and 50 On Fame-Haters; The Mobb Deep/Keith Murray Beef Goes On". MTV. Retrieved March 17, 2009.
  43. ↑ "Prodigy Explains Beef With Saigon". The Wu-Tang Corp.
  44. ↑ Saigon, Mobb Deep Get Into Physical Altercation During Music Showcase In New York BallerStatus.com (September 20, 2007). Retrieved December 19, 2007.
  45. ↑ Saigon Punches Prodigy of Mobb Deep HipHopDX.com (September 20, 2007). Retrieved November 21, 2007.
  46. ↑ Saigon Talks Fight With Prodigy Archived April 12, 2008, at the Wayback Machine. Sohh.com (September 20, 2007). Retrieved November 21, 2007.
  47. ↑ Saigon Talks Prodigy Coming Home From Jail YouTube, 01/21/11.
  48. ↑ Langhorne, Cyrus (March 10, 2009). "Crooked I Lashes Back At Prodigy, "Fight Me One On One"". Sohh.Com. Retrieved March 30, 2012.
  49. ↑ "Instagram post by GOD BLESS THE KXNG • Jun 20, 2017 at 6:57pm UTC". Instagram. Retrieved November 30, 2017.
  50. ↑ "Mobb Deep’s Havoc Confirms He Sent ‘Gay’ Prodigy Tweets". MTV News.
  51. ↑ HipHopDX (April 9, 2012). "Havoc Denies Beef With Prodigy In Statement, Prodigy Tweets Claiming "We Set Traps"". HipHopDX.
  52. ↑ "AllHipHop » Exclusive Video: Havoc Speaks Out About Prodigy Rumors And Says Mobb Deep Is On “Hiatus….Indefinitely”". AllHipHop.
  53. ↑ Horowitz, Steven J. (July 27, 2012). "Havoc Says Mobb Deep Is On An "Indefinite Hiatus," Confirms He Blasted Prodigy On Twitter". HipHop DX. Retrieved December 18, 2012.
  54. ↑ HipHopDX (January 10, 2013). "Prodigy Says He's Sure There Will Be Another Mobb Deep Album". HipHopDX.
  55. ↑ Mobb Deep Explains Fallout & Reunion. xxlmag.com. March 23, 2013
  56. 1 2 "Why Is Rap So Obsessed With the Illuminati?". Complex. Retrieved June 26, 2017.
  57. ↑ C. Vernon Coleman (August 5, 2011). "Prodigy Says The Illuminati Caused 9/11, Accuses Obama Of Being A Member [Video". Hip-Hop Wired. Retrieved March 30, 2012.
  58. ↑ Horowitz, Steven J. (April 12, 2012). "Source Close To Mobb Deep Says They Will Never Release Another Album | Get The Latest Hip Hop News, Rap News & Hip Hop Album Sales". HipHop DX. Retrieved January 7, 2013.
  59. 1 2 3 Kyles, Yohance (June 21, 2017). "Prodigy Was Reportedly Working On A Musical About The Illuminati Before His Death". Allhiphop.
  60. ↑ Bry, David (November 2000). "King Of Pain". Vibe. Retrieved June 21, 2017.
  61. ↑ Weinstein, Max (June 21, 2017). "Prodigy dies at 42". XXL. Retrieved June 21, 2017.
  62. ↑ "Prodigy cause of death: Mobb Deep member died from choking on an egg, coroner confirms". August 4, 2017. Retrieved November 30, 2017.
  63. ↑ Jeffries, David. "H.N.I.C., Pt. 2". AllMusic.
  64. ↑ "H.N.I.C. 3". AllMusic.
  65. ↑ Fairfax, Jesse (12 October 2012). "Prodigy – The Bumpy Johnson Album". HipHopDX.
  66. ↑ Lyons, Patrick (2015-08-26). "Prodigy Announces New Album "The Hegelian Dialectic"". Hotnewhiphop.com. Retrieved 2016-02-06.
  67. ↑ Jeffries, David. "Return of the Mac". AllMusic.
  68. ↑ "Prodigy – Product of the 80s". The DJ Booth LLC.
  69. ↑ Johnsen, Homer (1 December 2014). "Prodigy & Boogz Boogetz – Young Rollin' Stonerz". HipHopDX.
  70. ↑ Gross, Joe. "Review: Mobb Deep – Murda Muzik". SPIN.com.
  71. 1 2 3 Njoroge, Joseph (21 June 2017). "Prodigy, the Mobb Deep rap group member has died". blastingnews. Retrieved 24 June 2017.

Further reading

  • Albert "Prodigy" Johnson; Laura Checkoway (2012). My Infamous Life: The Autobiography of Mobb Deep's Prodigy. Touchstone Books. ISBN 1439103194.
  • Albert "Prodigy" Johnson; Steven Savile (2013). H.N.I.C: An Infamous Novella. Akashic Books. ISBN 1617752363.
  • Albert "Prodigy" Johnson; Kathy Iandoli (2016). Commissary Kitchen: My Infamous Prison Cookbook. Infamous Books. ISBN 0997146230.
  • Albert "Prodigy" Johnson; Kathy Iandoli (2017). The State vs. Albert "Prodigy" Johnson. Infamous Books. ISBN 0997146206.
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