Prodigy, rapper of Mobb Deep fame, dies aged 42

The Queens-born MC died on Tuesday after a performance in Las Vegas, having been hospitalized recently for complications tied to sickle cell anemia

The rapper Prodigy, one half of the American hip-hop duo Mobb Deep, died on Tuesday at the age of 42.

The MC was found unconscious in Las Vegas, and while the cause of death remains unclear, the group’s publicist sent the following statement to the music website XXL:

“It is with extreme sadness and disbelief that we confirm the death of our dear friend Albert Johnson, better known to millions of fans as Prodigy of legendary NY rap duo Mobb Deep. Prodigy was hospitalized a few days ago in Vegas after a Mobb Deep performance for complications caused by a sickle cell anemia crisis. As most of his fans know, Prodigy battled the disease since birth. The exact causes of death have yet to be determined. We would like to thank everyone for respecting the family’s privacy at this time.”

Mobb Deep, comprised of Prodigy and Havoc, has sold more than 3 million records, their albums The Infamous and Hell on Earth having been critically acclaimed successes in the 1990s. The group took an indefinite hiatus in 2012 but reunited shortly after, releasing their eighth album, The Infamous Mobb Deep, in 2014. The duo performed in Las Vegas at the weekend on The Art of Rap tour, alongside Ice-T, Ghostface Killah, and Onyx.

Mobb Deep's Havoc Confirms He Sent 'Gay' Prodigy Tweets

It's about to be hell on earth all over again, now that the quiet storm that was brewing between Mobb Deep's Havoc and Prodigy seems to be threatening the group's reign on hip-hop. On Friday (July 27), in an interview with AllHipHop.com, Hav took full ownership of tweets alleging that Pee was a homosexual, months after claiming his account was hacked.
"The tweets is crazy," he told AllHipHop.com Friday, before confirming that he sent all of the original messages on April 9. "And I was speaking of a standpoint of being mad, but still being truthful of how I felt — but it was just the wrong thing to do at that time."
Things began to sour between the groupmates in April when Havoc took to Twitter and made serious allegations about Prodigy's sexuality, even strangely congratulating Pee and Rihanna on their engagement, which, of course, never happened. "Congrats to P @prodigymobbdeep and @rihanna for getting married soon!! @rihanna please confirm," Havoc wrote, setting off a barrage of early-morning tweets.
"Prodigy abitch and I'm gonna show it, follow!! Ground breaking new," Hav wrote soon after.
Each tweet got progressively more inflammatory. Havoc then charged that his childhood friend, with whom he has recorded seven full-length albums, was involved in a homosexual relationship during his three-year jail bid. "I got n---as in the jail system to back up that prodigy was f---ing homes in jail," he wrote. "Now i will silence... and let the jails take care of the rest."
Hav went on to write about a fist -fight that he and Prodigy had, writing that he "had to smack P."
A few days later, Havoc released a statement claiming that his phone was stolen and denying that he had sent any of the tweets, nor that he had any beef with his partner-in-rhyme.
During a May interview on MTV News' "RapFix Live," Pee also debunked the break-up rumors. "If [Havoc] had a problem, he would've told me that, he wouldn't put it on Twitter," he said, adding that the duo would soon be releasing a new album.
Well, on Friday, Havoc was singing a different tune. "Right now, Mobb Deep is on hiatus, indefinitely ... until things get hashed out," he told the site.
Can Mobb Deep survive this latest beef? Sound-off in the comments!

Havoc Denies Beef With Prodigy In Statement, Prodigy Tweets Claiming "We Set Traps"

UPDATE #2: Almost 24 hours after his tweets were posted, Havoc has issued a statement claiming his phone was hacked.

Havoc has lashed out at his Mobb Deep cohort Prodigy on Twitter.

In a lengthy Twitter rant, Havoc calls Prodigy a "fake Jay-Z," making claims that P engaged in homosexual affairs while in prison. He also poked fun at P, stating that "he think him and Rihanna getting married" and that he would be too afraid to confront Havoc if he saw him.

According to Devi Dev, MTV's Sway Calloway texted Havoc to confirm the tweets and Hav responded that they were "Very Real." It could be possible that Havoc's phone was stolen, but several sources have confirmed Havoc sent the tweets.

Read the Twitter diatribe in full below.

@prodigymobbdeep we got a meeting, lets see if u built to show ur face. prodigy abitch and I’m gonna show it, follow!! ground breaking new. i got niggas in the jail system to to back up that prodigy was fucking homes in jail. prodigy prove me wrong! please. i have a big announcement…. and niggas that was locked wit him know the truth. now i will silence…. and let the jails take care of the rest. thats on everything, i had to smack P ask him. prodigy u pussy! u long island ass bitch. I’m about to expose u! i can’t wait till niggas in jail that was wit u back my shit up!! next time i see u , u getting layer out, on camera!! i can’t wait! how u say u live in jersey, but right there in queens??? I’m on top of u… pause… foot on thy neck!!! in a minute…. niggas that was in the jail wit him gonna blow him up first hand.!!!! prodigy a hider not a rider. nothing hacked P homo y’all. no hack this havoc. P IS HIDING!!! IM GONNA SHOW U P GETTING KNOCKED OUT!!!!!!!!!!!! WATCH HE TRY TO DODGE ME!! THINK ABOUT IT… HOW COULD HE SAY,,, QB MURDERERS ??? LETS DO A ONE ON ONE!!!!! ME AND P!!! HE SO BUTTTT HE WILL AVOID!!!! OH, ONE MORE THING, HE THINK HIM AND RIHANNA GETTING MARRIED!!!! LMFAOOOOOOOO. THIS50…. HOLLA AT ME XXL HOLLA AT ME P A FAKE JAY Z HOLLA BACK!!!!!

UPDATE: After an unnamed person posted tweets on a false Twitter account under his name, Prodigy has taken to his verified account to address Havoc's messages from earlier today. He says he will not engage in beef with his Mobb Deep cohort, and left it at that.

@PRODIGYMOBBDEEP
H.N.I.C.3ATTENTION: TO BE CLEAR @PRODIGYMOBDEEP IS A FAKE PAGE I DONT EVEN KNOW WHY SHIT IS VERIFIED TWITTER PEOPLE R ON SUM BULLSHIT RIGHT NOW SMH..
Apr 09 via web Favorite Retweet Reply

@PRODIGYMOBBDEEP
H.N.I.C.3IM A FATHER ,AN ADULT, IM NOT HERE TO BEEF IM HERE TO MAKE MUSIC.
Apr 10 via web Favorite Retweet Reply

UPDATE #2: Havoc's publicist has released a statement of him denying that he sent the tweets. He claims that he left his phone at a gas station. His Twitter page has since been deleted. Read the full statement below.

“Just getting back into NY after my Easter weekend with family and friends in Jersey. I left my phone at a gas station yesterday evening while on my way to Jersey after a glorious Knick’s game. To all Mobb Deep fans: it’s business as usual! It’s Mobb Deep all day!!! My twitter account @THEREALHAVOC will be down until further notice. The only other real account is @PRODIGYMOBBDEEP. Ignore the rest. One!”

Prodigy also tweeted following the release of the statement, claiming that "we set traps" and that some people "have a lot of growing up to do.