The rapper known as Prodigy, who was half of the New York City hip-hop duo Mobb Deep, died at age 42 after being hospitalized for complications of sickle cell anemia.
Prodigy, whose real name was Albert Johnson, performed Saturday night with Havoc, Mobb Deep’s other half, in Las Vegas before being hospitalized. He released eight albums with Mobb Deep between 1993 and 2014, as well as solo albums from 2000 to 2017, according to the New York Daily News.
Mobb Deep had many hits on the hip-hop charts including “Shook Ones (Part II),” which was regarded as one of the best hip-hop tunes of the 1990s, New York Daily News reported. The duo were prominent on the hip-hop scene during the time when legendary rappers like Nas and The Notorious B.I.G. made their mark.
Prodigy’s publicist said that “the exact cause of death has not been determined,” but that the rapper had “battled the disease (sickle cell) since birth,” TMZ reported. He was scheduled to perform again on June 30.
Prodigy’s career took a break when he was convicted of illegally possessing a firearm in 2007 and spent more than three years in jail. He was released in 2011 and resumed his career. He later released “Commissary Kitchen: My Infamous Prison Cookbook” about how he managed to stay healthy while in prison, TMZ reported.
Twitter fans and fellow rappers shared their condolences and memories of the rapper.
© 2024 Newsmax. All rights reserved.