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Albert Johnson (born November 2 1974), better known as Prodigy, is an American MC and one-half of the hip-hop duo Mobb Deep with Havoc.
BiographyBorn in Hempstead, New York, on Long Island, Prodigy is generally considered to be the more lyrically skilled member of the duo Mobb Deep. Prodigy spent years making a name for himself alongside partner Havoc on albums such as The Infamous 1995, and Hell on Earth in 1996, before releasing his first solo album, H.N.I.C., on Loud Records in late 2000. In 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. 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, he 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.
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 Pt. 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 for East Coast hip hop. Its next release, Murda Muzik, was heavily bootlegged while 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 leaked and after several pushed-back street dates, Murda Muzik was formally released, debuting at number three on Soundscan and quickly going platinum on the strength of "Quiet Storm," a song that epitomized the Mobb Deep style. The album was welcomed by critics, who again lauded the group's lucid cinematics, driven primarily by Havoc's 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. Their follow-up, Infamy, was the duo’s last album for Loud, distributed by Columbia Records at that stage was a disappointment lyrically and musically. Loud was absorbed by its new distributor shortly afterward. Mobb Deep then signed with Jive, under a unique deal that gave the duo its own imprint, Infamous Records, and released Amerika'z Nightmare, a very uneven effort, which featured production by The Alchemist and Lil' Jon. However, despite a successful single that featured a Thomas Dolby sample. The duo was not happy with Jive, and were let go at its request. The duo took a hiatus aftward and came came back in 2006, signing to 50 Cent’s Interscope/Universal-distributed G-Unit imprint. Their well-hyped album Blood Money was a failure from the money side when compared to fellow label mates like 50 Cent, Young Buck and Lloyd Banks. Some accused the duo of selling out, with their beats and rhymes not up-to-par with previous efforts on Loud.
He is currently working on his sophomore solo album "H.N.I.C. 2", which will be previewed by his upcoming official mixtape "The Return of the Mac" on the independent label Koch Records. The mixtape single and mixtape video is called "Mac 10 Handle," and it shows Prodigy once again reverting to his trademark braids that he had prior to the release of Mobb Deep's 2004 "Amerika'z Nightmare" album from the short fade he had from 2004 to 2006. On Thursday, December 7, 2006, the video for "New York Shit" (renamed "Return of the Mac" for the album) was released on the internet, showing Prodigy in a G-Unit sweatshirt but rhyming solo over an Alchemist beat. The video has a very raw look and is available for viewing at [www.urbanvj.com] or [www.youtube.com]. Since then he has put new mixtape songs Bang On 'Em and Legends both on the DJ Kay Slay mixtape; Sign Of The Times 2. DiscographyAlbums
Singles
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