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On June 20, 2017, we lost a legend in hip hop.
Prodigy of the group Mobb Deep lost his life after choking on an egg while being treated for sickle cell. He was only 42.
Born Albert Johnson on November 2, 1974, in Hempstead, Long Island. He comes from a musical background. “His mother, Fatima Johnson – then known as Francis Collins – was once a member of the Sixties girl group the Crystals, while his grandfather, Budd Johnson was an acclaimed bebop saxophonist.”
Prodigy ma dad struggled with heroin addiction. In Prodigy’s autobiography My Infamous Life,” he spoke about a time when his dad left him in the car while he robbed a jewelry store.
His father also had sickle cell. It must have passed on to Prodigy since he had a battle with it since he was born.
In the early 1990’s Prodigy and his other group members, Havoc emerged on the hip hop scene. This was during the Golden Era of hip hop.
They represented Queens, and their music was raw and represented the gritty streets of NYC. They called themselves “Mobb Deep” also known a the infamous Mobb.
They produced classic hits that are still relevant today like “Quiet Storm,” “Shook Ones III,” and “Got It Twisted.”
In 2000, Prodigy launched his solo career with H.N.I.C. After that, he dropped more mixtapes and other records.
He ran into legal trouble in October 2006. He was arrested and charged with criminal possession of a weapon. He faced a mandatory sentence of 15 years. He pled guilty and received three-and-a-half years in prison. He was released after three in March 2011 and remained on parole until 2014.
He released another book, “Commissary Kitchen,” which offered easy recipes intended to make standard jailhouse food more healthy. He was inspired to do this from his battle with sickle cell. The book was also geared toward college students on a budget. Check it out.