Prodigy (rapper)
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- This article is about the rapper. For the British electronica/dance-punk band see The Prodigy.
| Prodigy | ||
|---|---|---|
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| Background information | ||
| Birth name | Albert Johnson | |
| Born | November 2, 1974 | |
| Origin | Hempstead, Long Island, New York | |
| Genre(s) | Hip hop | |
| Years active | 1993–present | |
| Label(s) | 4th & Broadway Loud Records Relativity Records Jive Records G-Unit/Interscope Records |
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Prodigy (born as Albert Johnson on November 2, 1974, in Hempstead, New York), is an American rapper and one-half of the hip-hop duo Mobb Deep. He recently signed with G-Unit records, with fellow member of Mobb Deep, Havoc.
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[edit] Biography
Acknowledged as the more skilled member of the duo Mobb Deep on the mic, Prodigy spent years making a name for himself alongside partner Havoc on acclaimed albums such as The Infamous 1995, and Hell on Earth 1996, before releasing his first solo album, H.N.I.C., on Loud Records in late 2000. With this album, Prodigy teamed up with a roster of outside producers such as the Alchemist and Rockwilder, trying to prove his own without Havoc's production to carry him. And even though Havoc did appear on two tracks, Prodigy undoubtedly proved himself to be a visionary solo artist, even going as far as to produce a couple songs himself. Though the album didn't elevate him to the superstar status of Jay-Z or DMX, Prodigy did win the hearts of both critics and fans alike as he had with his work in Mobb Deep, dropping harsh reality-based rhymes about the darker side of urban life with an unbalanced and sedate flow.
Mobb Deep members Prodigy and Havoc originally met while both attending the prestigious Graphic Arts High School in Manhattan as teenagers, thanks to their mutual residence in Queens along with their mutual passion for hip-hop. Still in their late teens, the duo released their debut album in 1993, Juvenile Hell, on the 4th-n-Broadway label. Though the album wasn't very successful from either a financial or critical standpoint, it did serve as a fitting platform for the duo to launch their careers; not only did the duo produce their own beats, but they also crafted their own style: a street-smart poetic approach centering on the ghetto lifestyle surrounding them. Their brutally honest reality rapping and complimentary melancholy beats landed them a deal with the up-and-coming Loud label in 1995, resulting in their first major-label release, The Infamous.
Propelled to awareness partially by fellow Queens rapper Nas, who took a similar approach lyrically on his championed Illmatic album from 1994, as well as with the aid of a successful single, "Shook Ones Part 2," Mobb Deep suddenly found themselves developing a quickly growing cult following. A year later in 1996, Prodigy and Havoc released Hell on Earth; debuting at number six on SoundScan, the album found them fully realizing their approach, dropping both evocative beats and cinematic rhymes that communicated the dark side of New York's urban landscape. Thanks to a grim video for "Hell on Earth (Front Lines)" and theatrical Scarface-like photos inside the CD booklet picturing the duo with guns and a mound of cocaine, Mobb Deep had created an elaborate image for themselves that took hardcore gangsta rap to a new level that the East Coast had yet fostered. It was then no surprise that their succeeding release, Murda Muzik, was heavily bootlegged while it was still in its demo stage, leaking rough versions of the nearly 30 songs the duo had recorded onto the streets and over the Internet.
Months after the bootlegs first leaked and after several pushed-back street dates, Murda Muzik finally dropped, debuting at number three on Soundscan and quickly going platinum on the strength of "Quiet Storm," a song that epitomized the signature Mobb Deep style. Not surprisingly, the album was welcomed by critics, who again applauded the group's lucid cinematics, driven primarily by Havoc's inimitable production. In late 2000, Prodigy finally released his long-rumored solo album, H.N.I.C., which saw the more lyrically gifted member of the group collaborating with outside producers such as the Alchemist and Rockwilder on tracks that didn't depart far from the trademark sullen Mobb Deep style.
After a short hiatus, Mobb Deep in which Prodigy is a member came back big signing to famous record label G-Unit. Their well hyped album Blood Money was a failure when compared to fellow label mates like 50 Cent, Young Buck and Lloyd Banks. This failure can be credited to the loss of many of their hardcore fan base who saw the signing to G-Unit as selling out.
Prodigy has also been sampled on several occasions on tracks by rappers such as: Big Pun (Beware), Immortal Technique (Dance With The Devil), Xzibit (Eyes May Shine), Fat Joe (The Crack Attack), Jay-Z (D'Evils), Kool G. Rap (Enter The Dragon), and others.
He is currently working on his sophomore solo album "H.N.I.C. 2" which will be previewed by his upcoming mixtape "The Return Of The Mac" under G-Unit Records. The mixtape single and mixtape video is called "Mac 10 Handle", and shows Prodigy once again reverting to his trademark braids that he had prior to the release of Mobb Deep's 2004 CD, "Amerikaz Nightmare" from the short fade he had from 2004 to '06.
"Mac 10 Handle" uses a beat that has been used by a variety of rappers, and will probably be remembered as a beat DMX used 8 years ago. Beat sharing is very common on mixtape releases, although making a video for a mixtape is very rare.
If you look closely at the new video you can see what is rumored to be a representation of former Queensbridge ally turned enemy Nas when Prodigy looks in the mirror. This is found at roughly 3:09 (3 minutes 9 seconds) into the video.
On Thursday, December 7, 2006, the video for "New York Shit" was released on the internet, showing Prodigy in a G-Unit sweatshirt but rapping solo over an Alchemist beat. The video has a very raw look and is available for viewing at urbanvj.com.
[edit] Discography
[edit] Albums
| Album cover | Album information |
|---|---|
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H.N.I.C.
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The Return of the Mac |
[edit] Singles
- "Keep It Thoro" (2000)
- "Rock Dat Shit"/"Trials Of Love" (2001)
- "Y.B.E. (Young Black Entrepreneurs)" (2001)
- "Mac 10 Handle" (2006)
[edit] External links
| Mobb Deep |
| Members |
|---|
| Havoc | Prodigy |
| Albums |
| Juvenile Hell | The Infamous | Hell On Earth | Murda Muzik | Infamy | Amerikaz Nightmare | Blood Money |
| Compilations |
| Free Agents: The Murda Mix Tape | The Mix Tape Before 9/11 | Life of the Infamous: The Best of Mobb Deep |
| Singles |
| "Peer Pressure" | "Hit It from the Back" | "Shook Ones Pt. II" | "Survival of the Fittest" | "Temperature's Rising" | "Hell on Earth (Front Lines)" | "G.O.D. Pt. III" | "Drop a Gem on 'Em" | "Hoodlum" | "Rare Species (Modus Operandi)" | "Quiet Storm (Remix)" | "It's Mine" | "U.S.A. (Aiight Then)" | "The Learning (Burn)" | "Get Away" | "Double Shots" | "Gangstaz Roll" | "Got It Twisted" | "Real Gangstaz" | "Throw Your Hands (in the Air)" | "Have a Party" | "Put Em in Their Place" | "Give It to Me" |
Categories: Cleanup from May 2006 | Articles lacking sources from December 2005 | All articles lacking sources | 1974 births | American rappers | Living people | People from Long Island | People from Hempstead, New York | Long Island rappers | People from Queens | People from Nassau County, New York | New York musicians
