Prodigy, who was born Albert Johnson, was best known as one-half of the New York City hip-hop duo Mobb Deep. Prodigy, along with his rhyme partner Havoc, repped an area called Queensbridge.

In 1993, Mobb Deep released its debut album, “Juvenile Hell” on 4th & B’way/Island/PolyGram Records.

Mobb Deep released “The Infamous” in 1995, which was certified Gold within the first two months of its release.

Prodigy also rapped solo as well. 

In 2000, Prodigy revealed he had been battling sickle cell disease in his song “You Can Never Feel My Pain” from his debut studio album, “H.N.I.C.” He later told BET that he was diagnosed with sickle cell when he was a baby.

On June 20, 2017, had died at the Spring Valley Medical Center in Las Vegas, Nevada, while hospitalized for complications related to his sickle-cell anemia. Just before, he had been performing in the Art of Rap Tour in Las Vegas with Havoc, Ghostface Killah, Onyx, KRS-One, and Ice-T.

It was reported at the time that Prodigy died from accidental choking while hospitalized. 

Prodigy often spoke out against other rappers, such as Brooklyn-based Jay-Z. According to Prodigy, Jay-Z was a success because he “sides with evil,” he said in one interview. He charged that Jay-Z was part of the “so-called” Illuminati.

The Illuminati is a designation in use from the 15th century, assumed by or applied to various groups of persons who claimed to be unusually enlightened, according to Britannica. And those within the group are granted success and favors.

“J.Z. [sic] knows the truth, but he chose sides with evil in order to be accepted in the corporate world,” Prodigy once wrote. “J.Z. conceals the truth from the Black community and the world and promotes the lifestyle of the beast instead.”

Prodigy’s issue with Jay-Z stemmed from the rap mogul’s connection to Dr. Malachi Z. York and his son, Jacob York. Prodigy alleges that Jay-Z is affiliated with Jacob, who orchestrated the setup and incarceration of the elder York.

Was Jay-Z a student of Dr. Malachi Z. York and a member of the Nuwabians? There have long been rumors he was, but never real confirmation.

Dwight D. York, also known as Malachi Z. York, Issa al-Haadi al-Mahdi, et alii, is a musician, and writer best known as the founding leader of several Black Muslim groups in New York, most notably the Nuwaubian Nation, a new religious movement that has existed in some form since the 1960s. York began founding several Black Muslim groups in New York in 1967. The Nuwaubian Nation, Nuwaubian movement, or United Nuwaubian Nation, is a religious movement founded and led by York.

Prodigy claimed that many popular artists are aware of these secret societies, such as the Illuminati, but choose not to speak on it for fear of not being accepted by corporate America. One artist, in particular, is Jay-Z, according to the blog Coalition for Free Thought Media.

ORIGINAL PHOTOS:

In this Oct. 13, 2016 file photo, Mobb Deep’s Prodigy poses for a photo in New York. Albert Johnson, the skilled rapper and member of the New York hip-hop duo has died. He was 42.The rapper’s publicist said in a statement Tuesday, June 20, 2017, that Prodigy was hospitalized a few days ago in Las Vegas “for complications caused by a sickle cell anemia crisis.” He has battled sickle cell since birth and was in Las Vegas for a performance. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan)

Dr. Malachi York, founder and leader of the United Nuwaubian Nation of Moors. (Facebook)

Jay-Z arrives at a special screening of “The Harder They Fall” at the Shrine, on Wednesday, Oct. 13, 2021, in Los Angeles. A fragrance company’s lawsuit against rapper Jay-Z over breach of contract claims, and his subsequent countersuit against the company, were both rejected Wednesday, Nov. 10, with a jury finding that neither side had proven its claims and awarding no damages. (Photo by Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP, File)