“An eye for an eye you know my science of life. Is you man or mice? Thugs or the cowardly type?” These hollow point bars courtesy of the recently deceased emcee known to the hip-hop world as Prodigy – encapsulates the hardcore east coast bravado that truly took him from The Infamous to very much famous; at least in rap circles.
Although NY contemporaries Wu-Tang Clan, Nas, and Biggie garnered more attention and acclaim, it is the Mobb Deep soundscape courtesy of Havoc and the vivid bone chilling narratives Prodigy created that are identifiable to East Coast gangsta rap sound that still permeates to this day.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BVnA2Isleen/?tagged=prodigy&hl=en
Prodigy’s memorable verses are now hip-hop folklore with classic songs such as Survival Of The Fittest, Keep It Thoro, Quiet Storm, and Shook Ones Pt. 2 being notable standouts. His hall of fame catalog also boast great guests appearances. A personal favorite of mine is his verse on LL Cool J’s I Shot Ya Remix. Hell, even future nemesis Jay-Z must have been a fan of the verse sampling P’s “Illuminati with my mind soul and my body” line off the track for D’ Evil’s off Reasonable Doubt.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BVnDeseFPK_/?tagged=prodigy&hl=en
Speaking of Jay-Z, it is he who in many ways thwarted P’s progress up the ‘mainstream’ with the infamous contestant on the Summer Jam screen – which on a side bar is used ad nauseam with little effect of the originator or the original. Seeing east coast gangsta rap standard bearer P in a tutu as a child was a devastating blow to his street cred. One could also argue P was never really the same emcee after Summer Jam. His unorthodox, steely .45 caliber flow had less bark and bite on the Mobb’s 5th installment Infamy. Thinly veiled and direct shots at Jay missed the mark whereas Havoc and P had hit the bullseye aimed at Tupac with “Watch A Gem On Em” years prior.
Speaking of Tupac, it was Prodigy’s recounting of the rivalry and taking offense to Jay’s “Its like New York’s been soft ever since Snoop came through and crushed the buildings” on “Money, Cash, Hoes” that sparked P to remind fans that Jay was quiet like a bitch when the war was on.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BVnrf3UlHUY/?tagged=prodigy&hl=en
-And he’s not wrong. “Drop A Gem On Em” and “LA LA” with Capone N Noreaga are the only real responses of note while Tupac was bombing first on the east coast’s finest. Nas diss records, no. Biggie diss records, nah but some shots fired. Jay diss records, nope. Score this one as win from Prodigy in hindsight with the facts on his side – and “Gem”, a scathing Tupac diss worthy of top ten diss consideration. It’s not “Ether” or “The Bitch In Yoo”, but it’s in the neighborhood. Like two doors down. Peep P’s science of life in war
“Get reminded of robberies in Manhattan, you know what happened
60 g’s worth of gun clapping
Who Shot Ya, Ya probably screamed louder than the opera, New York got ya,
Now you wanna use my Mobb as a crutch
What you think you can’t get bucked again…”
Brilliant and violently disturbing all at once, or classic P as heads would say.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BVnkf8VB6fF/?tagged=prodigy&hl=en
Fans who knew P were aware of his de habilitating bout with Sickle Cell Anemia so seeing him go at 42 is sad but not all surprising unfortunately. There is also a deeper worry with the passing of P. Emcees from the eighties and nineties have been passing at an alarming rate before age 50 and not from violence, but rather from poor health and life choices one could surmise. A man whose known for giving us the real has left hip-hop with many real questions about the literally health of our hip-hop community. Let’s hope in the passing of this iconic emcee that we take a time to not just reflect on his music but look forward to building a more healthier and educated community within our culture. The temperatures rising, and it’s not surprising.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BVkeVHvAqEs/?taken-by=nas&hl=en
