A true Prodigy from the Cradle to the Grave
“There’s a war going on outside no man is safe from”
What a way to start a song. Prodigy has passed at the mere age of 42, which meant he wrote and recorded the astonishing The Infamous album at the humble age of 19 or 20.
I can’t really touch on what the death of this man means personally as a fan, aside that I’m hurting. Prodigy was not just a rap/hip hop musician, words and beats were his life. The sheer volume of work he put out is incredible, not just album joints but guest appearances, white-labels, mixtape freestyles, a bewildering body of incredible dark deep music has been left behind, they embody the carnivorous spirit of New York’s Hip-Hop scene.
Prodigy’s vocals are so icy and matter of fact, making for compelling listening. The Mobb Deep album “The Infamous” still remains a masterpiece after twenty four years and yet post classic Mobb era, my favourite P joints were the stuff he did with Alchemist. His solo work is masterful with lyrics so powerful. Every verse on The Infamous and Hell On Earth was like listening to your worst nightmare being detailed, line by line. His voice and delivery was so cold hearted and combined with Havoc’s production, sent chills through your mind.
For your hip-hop to stand out in ‘94–96 you had to be doing something right, Prodigy was a great emcee but don’t think that ’96 was his peak. Mobb Deep dropped a ton of albums in the 2000s. Infamy, Blood Money, Amerikas Nightmares, The Safe is Cracked were all albums they dropped in 2001–2009 that, alongside his solo work, put most rappers to shame and he never rested on laurels, working and touring to the present day to keep his art sharp. He was also an author, with a compelling autobiography and novel to shore up his talent on the mike and putting pen to paper.
Of course it all goes back the urban power of The Infamous. The year was 1995, but Prodigy’s words still ring true for young black men across the country living in the inner city. The fear of intra-community violence, harassment by the boys in blue and self-medicating to escape it all — these were some of the themes in Mobb Deep’s music that dominated the airwaves throughout much of the 90’s and right up until his powerful solo work. It was gothic, hardcore, impossible to ignore and cut deep into the heart and mind.
Like with Tribe last year after Phife’s passing, their music will become more poignant now, but seems their legendary status is confirmed now.
It’s a shame it took a death so early to confirm the genius of the Queensbridge Solider; I don’t think there will be another like him and hopefully Havoc has enough content in the vault to keep his memory lasting forever.
