New York rapper Nas was among the first people to confirm Prodigy’s death on social media on Tuesday afternoon. The legendary member of the rap duo Mobb Deep reportedly passed away on Tuesday at a hospital in Las Vegas, TMZ reported. The “Shook Ones” rapper performed with his Mobb Deep band member Havoc on Saturday night in Vegas. He was rushed to a local hospital shortly after his performance due to complications caused by his battle with sickle cell anemia.
Prodigy battled sickle cell anemia for years, a disease he had since birth. He was in Las Vegas for a performance on the Art of Rap tour with fellow rap legends KRS-One, Ice T, Onyx, and Ghostface Killah. A rep for the rapper issued a statement to Billbroad confirming his death and asking for privacy for his family.
“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,” the statement read. “We would like to thank everyone for respecting the family’s privacy at this time.”
The exact cause of his death is not yet known, but that information will be available at a later date. Prodigy and Havoc formed one of hup hop’s most notorious groups Mobb Depp in the height of the New York rap scene in the early 1990s. Some of their biggest hits includes “Shook Ones,” “The Learning (Burn),” “Outta Control Remix” featuring 50 Cent, “Survival Of The Fittest,” “Power Rap,” “Drop A Gem On Em’,” “Deadly Zone” featuring Bounty Killer and Big Noyd, and perhaps the biggest hit of their career “Quiet Storm.”
Prodigy was age 42 at the time of his death. Hip hop has truly lost one of it’s best rappers from the 1990s era.
