Mobb Deep forever.
Havoc and Prodigy changed hip-hop. As Mobb Deep, they perfected the hardcore East Coast sound. They also sold three million records in the process, making them one of the most respected duos in the genre’s history. Havoc and Prodigy also found success as solo artists, but the latter’s life was tragically cut short by sickle cell disease. Prodigy died on June 20, 2017 at the age of 42. A lot of time has passed, but Havoc is still paying respects to his former partner.
Havoc took to Instagram on June 20 to honor Prodigy’s memory. He posted various photos of him and Prodigy over the years, along with a heartfelt caption. “Missing my brother,” he wrote. “Today marks 7 years, feels like just yesterday we were rocking them stages and reflecting on our journey.” The rapper followed up this post with a second. A simpler post, with only one photo and one phrase, but emotional nonetheless. “Day one’s,” he wrote under a photo of the two rappers as children. This isn’t the firs time Havoc has spoken highly of his partner in public.
Havoc And Prodigy Were Childhood Friends
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The rapper was questioned by TMZ shortly after Prodigy’s death and asked to make a statement. he made it clear that he needed time to grief. “I’m still f**ked up,” he admitted. “I can’t even listen to ‘Shook Ones’ or any songs. I can hardly look at the pictures… [we] met when I was 15. I’m 43 right now.. I still can’t believe it.” Havoc was continued to brandish and celebrated Mobb Deep’s legacy in the years since Prodigy’s passing. Especially when it comes to the anniversaries of seminal albums like The Infamous.
Havoc, who considers himself to be lyrically masterful, told Billboard that Prodigy outshined him on their breakthrough release. He does maintain, however, that he got Prodigy on the album before. “The whole album he stepped his game up,” Havoc conceded. “[When] we were on Juvenile Hell, I thought I was the lyricist of the group. When we started working on The Infamous album… as time went on I said ‘goddam, this dude is a animal.'” In 2023, Havoc announced that a new Mobb Deep album would be released with previously unheard Prodigy verses.
