Prodigy of Mobb Deep has died at age 42. A publicist for the group confirmed that the legendary Queens rapper was found unconscious this morning and has passed away.
Mobb’s publicist sent XXL the following statement:
“It is with extreme sadness and disbelief that we confirm the death of our dear friend Albert Johnson, better known to millions of fans as Prodigy of legendary NY rap duo Mobb Deep. Prodigy was hospitalized a few days ago in 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.”
Prodigy first broke out onto the music scene with his partner, Havoc, forming Mobb Deep in their hometown New York City in the 1990s. The duo participated in high profile feuds during their early years, and once had “beef” during the media-fueled East Coast-West Coast Hip Hop rivalry with Tupac and Biggie Smalls.
For his entire career, Prodigy was a master wordsmith, handling the lyrical heft for Mobb Deep while Havoc paved the way as one of New York’s premier producers. Now we will forever mourn the loss of one of the greatest rappers of all time.
It’s a sad day in Hip Hop, ur condolences to P’s family, friends and colleagues.
R.I.P to a Hip Hop legend!
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