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What’s in a name? Even in the ego-driven industry of hip hop, it takes a lot of hubris for an emcee to call himself Prodigy. But, when all was said and done, no one could ever humble the late Albert Johnson. With each gritty verse emanating from his lips, Prodigy lived up to his moniker and commanded the respect of foes and friends alike.
Like many other hip hop fans, I first came to know about Prodigy through the track “Shook Ones, Part II,” the magnum opus of his Mobb Deep partnership with Havoc. To be specific, I was mesmerized by the song’s instrumental when I heard it blaring at the TDE Cypher, during the 2013 BET Hip Hop Awards. While I gushed over Kendrick Lamar’s subliminal lines, my mind was abuzz with that awesome beat. Where did it come from?
I then discovered that, as hot as K.Dot’s verse was, that instrumental was first graced with the menacing authenticity of a teenager hardened by the streets of Queensbridge.
As I read more about Prodigy and all that he went through in his life—his struggles, his crimes, and his triumphs—I came to realize an extra layer of significance behind his moniker. Albert Johnson’s life illustrates that he was a true prodigy because, no matter what he was going up against, his inexhaustible talent would always shine through.
Quick Facts
| Birth Date | November 2, 1974 |
| Birth Place | Long Island, New York |
| Nick Name | P, Lord-T (The Golden Child) |
| Nationality | American |
| Zodiac Sign | Scorpio |
| Siblings | Greg Johnson (brother) |
| Children | T’Shaka Johnson (son)
Fantasia Johnson (daughter) Kiezjonna (stepdaughter) |
| Partner/Spouse | Ikesha Dudley |
| Most Successful Songs | “Shook Ones, Part II”
“Survival of the Fittest” “Quiet Storm” |
| Last updated | July 18, 2022 |
Early Years
Johnson was born on November 2, 1974 in Long Island, New York. His formative years, however, were spent in the Queens borough—the same breeding ground that produced Kool G Rap, LL Cool J, and Nas. True to his name, many significant developments unfolded at an early age for the young Prodigy. The extensive musical background of his family all but guaranteed his life’s artistic pursuits.
His mother Fatima Johnson (whose stage name was Frances Collins) was a member of the New York City-based vocal group The Crystals. His father Budd Johnson Jr. performed with the doo-wop music group The Chanters. In addition, Johnson’s grandfather and grand-uncle were acclaimed musicians of jazz’s bebop era.
His childhood, though, was anything but a harmonious tune. For one, Johnson was a firsthand witness to his father’s shady dealings. A heroin addict and petty thief, Budd Johnson Jr. exposed his son to harsh, traumatizing realities that certainly made their mark on the boy’s impressionable mind.
In his 2011 autobiography, Prodigy traces the criminal acts that landed him a three-year stint in prison to the deplorable behavior of his father (among other factors in his upbringing and environment).
Young Albert also came to know the torment afflicted by sickle cell disease, an inherited blood disorder that interferes with the flow of oxygen to tissues in the body. Wrecked by anger at his body’s dismal state, he went through a spiritual crisis that eventually led him to deny the existence of God. (Johnson’s physical and psychological agony would later translate into the nihilism that underscored his verses throughout his career.)
Music: Albert’s Amplifier
Having to constantly endure suffering from several fronts, Johnson found a perfect outlet in rap music. In a 2013 NPR interview, he told NPR, “I was an angry kid because of the sickle cell. So I liked the anger in hip-hop…It helped me to get my aggression out.”
Johnson’s high school years coincide with the genre’s Golden Age, when Big Daddy Kane, LL Cool J, and Public Enemy were at the top of their game. In a 2013 interview with Red Bull Academy, Johnson stated that LL Cool J’s “Rock the Bells” and Run D.M.C.’s “Sucker MC’s” were instrumental in cultivating his passion for hip hop.
During his academic stint at Manhattan’s High School of Art and Design, Johnson met another young man by the name of Kejuan “Havoc” Muchita. As a matter of fact, when a common friend was about to introduce Johnson to Muchita, the dude known as Havoc was in a fistfight outside their school! This first encounter was a precursor to the tone they would later take in their music: unapologetically hard-hitting.
At the tender age of 15, Johnson started to carve his own niche in hip hop when one of his verses made the final cut of the 1990 Hi-Five track “Too Young.” Fun fact: this track also made its way to the soundtrack of the 1991 film Boyz N the Hood, which starred rap pioneer Ice Cube. (Personally, I can’t think of a better track for the young man to make his debut in. Isn’t it ironic that the future Prodigy was clearly not too young for the rap game?)
Thanks to his verse on “Too Young,” Johnson was offered a deal by Jive Records. Johnson, however, wanted to work with Havoc as a duo, as he recognized the magic that their musical partnership could make. Since Jive refused to sign the duo, the deal that they offered to Johnson fell through.
Far from hanging their heads in dismay, Johnson and Havoc (who called themselves the Poetical Prophets) then proceeded to record around 50 songs in the next couple of months.
The Big Break
By 1991, Johnson (who had taken on the stage name Prodigy) and Havoc were skipping school to hang around the Island Def Jam building on Broadway.
During these hooky sessions, their plan was to get noticed by recording artists walking in and out of the building, so that said artists could listen to their mixtapes. That way, the duo could also get their foot in the door, literally and figuratively.
I admire the persistence of those two teenagers (although, as a former teacher, I certainly don’t encourage any budding rapper to cut classes). What must have it felt like to be ignored or rejected countless times by fellow musicians?
Fortunately for Prodigy and Havoc, their determination paid off. One recording artist finally agreed to listen to their mixtapes and to accompany them inside the building. That artist was Kamaal Ibn John Fareed, also known as Q-Tip from A Tribe Called Quest.
Thanks to Q-Tip’s assist, the duo gained access to several connections that allowed them to perform at talent shows, parties, and radio stations. Before long, they caught the attention of The Source, which featured them in its Unsigned Hype column in July 1991.
Here’s how The Source sized them up: “Poetical Prophets rhyme from the hardcore perspective of two little street soldiers who like to bug out, puff blunts, and sip forties.”
In 1992, the Prophets would be unsigned no more as they secured a deal with 4th & Broadway Records. (This was the same record label that, in the past few years, had given a platform to the widely influential duo of Eric B. & Rakim.) That same year, they also decided to ditch the Prophets name and go by the collective moniker that would soon gain widespread recognition: Mobb Deep.
A Tale of Two Albums
It took some time for Mobb Deep to find their footing. Their 1993 debut album Juvenile Hell lived up to its title in more ways than one. On the one hand, the album appeared to be stuck in a commercial abyss as it failed to even hit the charts.
On the other hand, like a pair of juvenile delinquents, Prodigy and Havoc displayed rather immature behavior as they worked with the staff of their record label. Due to one (or perhaps two) of these reasons, Prodigy and Havoc were dropped from their record deal.
Mobb Deep, though, would weather this rocky start to bounce back big time. In the same year that they were let go by 4th & Broadway, Prodigy and Havoc were signed by Loud Records. In 1994, they began working on their second studio album.
In contrast to their initial project, the duo decided to handle the bulk of production duties for the sequel. (Notably, they did get an assist from their initial advocate Q-Tip, who went by the alias The Abstract in the production credits.)
In 1995, Mobb Deep released their second album The Infamous. In the hotly competitive hip hop terrain of the mid-’90s, this project stands out because of its dark aesthetic, raw production, and chilling realism. On tracks such as “Cradle to the Grave,” “Survival of the Fittest,” and “Eye for a Eye,” Mobb Deep paints an increasingly grim picture of the violence prevalent in their Queensbridge neighborhood.
Of course, I would be remiss not to mention the artistic climax of the album: “Shook Ones (Part II)”. To me, this track is the finest representation of the grisly poetry that Mobb Deep—and, specifically, Prodigy—was writing.
Vivid depictions of brutality in the ghetto (“Cowards like you just get they whole body laced up/With bullet holes and such”) are intertwined with statements of the haunted psyche tormenting the young men (“Sometimes I wonder, do I deserve to live?/Or am I gonna burn in hell for all the things I did?”)
Thanks to their irresistibly aggressive sound (as well as valuable assists by Nas and Wu-Tang Clan members), The Infamous peaked at number 18 on the Billboard 200; and, to date, it has been certified platinum. Here’s the bottom line: if I wanted to introduce a new hip hop fan to the music of Mobb Deep, I’d play them “Shook Ones (Part II)” and the rest of this album.
Sustained Success, Solo Studio Albums
By the time that the ’90s wrapped up, Mobb Deep had two more commercially successful albums under their belt. Their third studio album, 1996’s Hell on Earth, was certified gold less than five months after its release.
Then, in 1999, they released their fourth album Murda Muzik. This project, which featured the singles “Quiet Storm” and “It’s Mine,” debuted at number three on the Billboard 200 and—more impressively—took just two months to go platinum.
Over the next decade, Prodigy’s solo ventures started to intermingle with the work that he was doing with Mobb Deep. In 2000, he released his first solo album H.N.I.C. (short for Head Nigga in Charge). Infused with the reality rap that helped Mobb Deep shoot to the top of the industry, H.N.I.C. was well-received by critics; and was certified gold a month after its release.
Prodigy went on to release two more installments of the H.N.I.C. series: 2008’s H.N.I.C. Pt. 2 and 2012’s H.N.I.C. 3. In between these albums, the Mobb Deep duo remained prolific in the studio. They released Infamy in 2001, Amerikaz Nightmare in 2004, and Blood Money in 2006. (Infamy, which went gold a month after its release, ended up being their last project to reach such heights of commercial success.)
This period of Mobb Deep’s lengthy run as a duo is distinguished by their movement from one record label to another. In 2003, they left Loud Records after a fruitful 20-year partnership. The following year, they signed with Jive Records—the same label that had refused to sign the duo in the early ’90s.
Ultimately, there’s only one word I can come up with to describe the relationship between Jive and Mobb Deep: snakebit. Prodigy and Havoc’s stint in Jive ended up producing just one album (2004’s Amerikaz Nightmare) before they departed due to the project’s poor performance.
Another record label that Mobb Deep signed with in the mid-2000s was G-Unit Records, which was founded by 50 Cent. During their stint with G-Unit (which lasted from 2005 to 2009), Mobb Deep released one album: 2006’s Blood Money. In addition, Havoc lent his production expertise to tracks by G-Unit artists like The Game and Lloyd Banks.
Prodigy’s Incarceration
However, 2006 would be memorable for Prodigy for a rather unfortunate reason. On October 26 that year, while driving with producer Daniel Alan “The Alchemist” Maman in Manhattan, Prodigy was pulled over by undercover police after he made an illegal u-turn.
During the subsequent search of his Chevy Suburban, the cops found a .22-caliber gun. As a result, he was charged with criminal possession of a weapon. To make matters worse, it was the third time that Prodigy incurred a gun possession conviction.
Ahead of his 2007 trial, Prodigy spent the next 12 months recording plenty of material (including a mixtape with The Alchemist and material for his second solo album). Then, on October 8, 2007, his worst fears came true: Prodigy was sentenced to serve time in jail. Though he was initially slated for 15 years in prison, his sentence was reduced to three years after he pleaded guilty.
Prodigy’s incarceration began on March 7, 2008. While he served his jail sentence, Prodigy kept in constant communication with a journalist named Laura Checkoway, who was helping him write his autobiography.
Prodigy was released from prison on March 7, 2011, and a little over a month later, his book My Infamous Life came out. I, for one, am not surprised that a powerful story-teller like Prodigy invested so heavily in a book that would properly tell the tale of his lifelong struggles.
I was all the more impressed when I found out the depth of Prodigy’s involvement in the writing and publishing industry! In 2013, he launched the Infamous Books imprint, a collaborative effort of his music label Infamous Records and independent publisher Akashic Books.
Under this imprint, he released the urban crime novel H.N.I.C., which he co-wrote with British novelist Steven Savile. In 2015, their second novel Ritual came out; and in 2016, a cookbook(!) co-written by Prodigy and journalist Kathy Iandoli was published.
A Short-Lived Feud
In the early 2010s, however, Prodigy’s long-time partner sparked a conflict that nearly spelled the end of a personal and professional bond. In April 2012, a series of Tweets from Havoc’s account claimed that Prodigy engaged in homosexual activity while he was in prison. Shortly thereafter, Havoc appeared to be making the same claim in an audio clip that aired on Power 105’s The Breakfast Club.
Though he initially denied sending any of the Tweets (as his phone had allegedly been stolen), Havoc eventually took full ownership of all those posts.
He added that Mobb Deep would be “on hiatus, indefinitely…until things get hashed out.” For his part, Prodigy did not publicly return fire. On the contrary, he stated in a 2013 Hip Hop DX interview that he had already spoken with Havoc. In the same interview, Prodigy expressed his confidence that, sometime in the future, the Mobb Deep duo would be recording music again.
Sure enough, the two artists—who had been friends since high school—reconciled. In 2013, Mobb Deep embarked on their 20th-anniversary tour. The year after, they released their final album ever: The Infamous Mobb Deep, which featured new tracks along with unreleased material from their recording sessions for their 1995 opus.
Gone Too Soon
On January 20, 2017, Prodigy released his final solo album, which was entitled Hegelian Dialectic (The Book of Revelation). Around this time, he was also entertaining a rather ambitious idea: a musical about the Illuminati. In an interview with Complex, journalist Kathy Iandoli (who had worked with him on a 2016 cookbook) explained that Prodigy wanted the musical to portray the secret group’s impact on the hip hop community.
Sadly, this project—along with so many other dreams and aspirations—never came to fruition. After Mobb Deep’s June 17 performance at the Las Vegas leg of the Art of Rap Tour, Prodigy was hospitalized because of complications arising from his sickle cell condition. On June 20, 2017, Prodigy passed away at the age of 42.
A few weeks after his death, it was revealed he had died due to accidental choking. The following year, Prodigy’s family filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the Spring Valley Medical Center, where the rapper had been hospitalized. The lawsuit alleges that the hospital failed to provide proper medical care to Prodigy, who then met his demise owing to such incompetence.
Though these circumstances are undoubtedly tragic, Albert Johnson nevertheless made his mark in the industry that provided him an outlet amidst all his suffering. To this day, fans and peers continue to recognize the impact that Prodigy’s music—as a member of Mobb Deep and as a solo artist—made on the hip hop industry.
Legacy
Ever since his rise to prominence in the mid-’90s, Prodigy has been one of the most respected (and, indeed, feared) lyricists in the game. The bleak nihilism of his poetry was firmly rooted in the harsh realities of the New York street life. Few other hip hop artists have painted more bloodcurdling pictures of life, death, and violence in this tough environment.
Why is Prodigy Influential?
Prodigy is a shining example of the power that youth wields. On “Shook Ones, Part II,” he proclaims: “I’m only 19 but my mind is older.” This line encapsulates both the achievements and the struggles that came his way at a rather young age. Rather than allow his lack of experience and maturity to get in the way, Prodigy banked on his immense talent that was at par with the poetic gifts of emcees in their mid-20s.
FAQs
Answer: Prodigy was married to a woman named Ikesha “Kiki” Dudley. (They were introduced by his Mobb Deep partner Havoc.) Prodigy and Kiki shared a son named T’Shaka and a daughter named Fahtasia. In addition, Kiki had a daughter named Keijzonna from a past relationship.
Answer: Tupac Shakur was none too pleased when Mobb Deep appeared on LL Cool J’s “I Shot Ya” remix in 1995. In Tupac’s mind, Mobb Deep was dissing him by evoking his infamous 1994 shooting at a New York City studio. As such, Tupac took direct aim at Mobb Deep in his 1996 diss track “Hit ‘Em Up”; Pac specifically mentioned Prodigy’s sickle cell condition in a lengthy spoken diatribe.
In December 2021, the New York City Council approved the renaming of the corner of 12th Street and 41st Road in Queensbridge to “Prodigy Way.”
Bottom Line
While hip hop can paint pictures of partying and pleasure, it can also evoke tormented psyches and gloomy settings. Shaped by the internal and external predicaments that hounded him all his life, the artist known as Prodigy wielded his pen to portray the latter. Though the verse of his life ended way too soon, the depth and realism of his poetry will never expire.