Prodigy, one half of rappers Mobb Deep, dead aged 42
Rapper Prodigy, one half of the New York hip-hop duo Mobb Depp, has died at the age of 42.
The exact cause of his death is not clear, his representatives said. But they said he had been hospitalized in Las Vegas a few days ago ‘for complications caused by a sickle cell anemia crisis.’
Prodigy, who formed Mobb Deep with fellow rapper Havoc in 1992, has battled sickle cell anemia since birth.
Rapper Prodigy (seen here on June 11) has died, aged 42. He had performed in Las Vegas on Saturday, but was subsequently hospitalized due to complications from sickle cell anemia
The rapper was in Las Vegas on the Art of Rap tour, alongside some of hip-hop’s most acclaimed talent including Wu Tang Clan’s Ghostface Killah, KRS-One, Onyx and Ice-T.
He had performed on Saturday night.
In a statement, Mobb Deep’s publicist said: ‘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.’
The rapper was born Albert Johnson in New York, but found success as Prodigy along with Kejuan ‘Havoc’ Muchita.
The pair came to national attention with hard-hitting 1995 album The Infamous, which was based on the pair’s struggle to come up in their Queens neighborhood.
Since then it has been a recurring feature in ‘top hip-hop albums’ lists, with The Source, Blender, Vibe and Hip Hop Connection all praising it.
Mobb Deep’s most successful singles included ‘Quiet Storm’ with Lil Kim, ‘Shook Ones (Part II)’ and ‘Hey Luv (Anything).’
Prodigy (left), born Albert Johnson in New York, hit the limelight as one half of Mobb Deep, along with Kejuan ‘Havoc’ Muchita (right)
from WordPress http://ift.tt/2sQmtXi
via IFTTT
0 Comments