prodigy ArchivesAmbrosia For Heads

JAY-Z’s “U Don’t Know” Was Originally Offered To Busta Rhymes & Prodigy

Hip-Hop history is filled with what-ifs, especially concerning beats and production. Tupac's diamond-certified All Eyez On Me once featured verses from Inspectah Deck and The Lady Of Rage. Moreover, Disc 2's Dr. Dre-produced "Can't C Me" was rumored to be created for a shelved Ice Cube collaboration before another iteration had Tha Dogg Pound rapping. Jadakiss'... Read more

March 19, 2023 Video

Griselda Have Made A Sequel To A Mobb Deep Classic

Life is too short to listen to bad music. So…let Ambrosia For Heads sift through it for you and only supply you with that great stuff. Despite the reports, Hip-Hop is alive and well and, in many ways, is better than it’s ever been. Not only can we go back... Read more

September 25, 2021 Audio

Your Old Droog’s New Song Features Prodigy Over Alchemist Production (Audio)

2019 showcased that Brooklyn, New York rapper Your Old Droog seemingly never stops working. The veteran artist dropped three full-length albums in the year to keep fans eating: It Wasn't Even Close in April, Transportation two months later, and his latest album, Jewelry, which released in the closing days of... Read more

January 2, 2020 Audio

A 20-Year-Old Hears Mobb Deep For The 1st Time & It Brings Him To Tears (Video)

Kvng Guap is 20 years old. Like many folks of that age, he may not have been regularly exposed to some of the Rap music released before his birth. Guap has a video account that includes first-watch reactions to some of the artists, groups, and songs that he wishes to... Read more

November 6, 2019 Video

Nas Celebrates Prodigy & Queens On A Stellar Pete Rock Track (Audio)

Life is too short to listen to bad music. So…let Ambrosia For Heads fight through it for you and only supply you with that great stuff. Despite the reports, Hip-Hop is alive and well and, in many ways, is better than it’s ever been. Not only are we able to... Read more

July 19, 2019 Audio

A Newly Surfaced Jay Electronica Song Revisits His Time With Erykah Badu

Jay Electronica's first foray into Hip-Hop's collective eye came twelve years ago in 2007 with his first project, Act I: Eternal Sunshine (The Pledge), in which Jay spits for fifteen minutes over music woven from the score to the 2004 film, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. Three years later,... Read more

July 7, 2019 Audio

20 Years Ago, Mobb Deep, G Rap & Alchemist Made 1 Of The Realest Collabos (Audio)

Mobb Deep has released two highly-acclaimed albums in the mid-1990s. Prodigy and Havoc's sophomore set, The Infamous, is one of the most beloved LPs of all-time. A year and a half later, they delivered Hell On Earth, a menacing follow-up that stayed the course. By the close of the 1990s,... Read more

May 11, 2019 Do Remember

M.O.P.’s Ante Up Remix Was Supposed To Feature JAY-Z & Prodigy While They Were Beefing

Although "Ante Up," may not M.O.P.'s highest-charting single, the street anthem is a cornerstone of Billy Danze and Lil Fame's catalog. Released in late 2000, the Loud Records single produced by D/R Period was emblematic of the menacing music that the Brownsville, Brooklyn Rap duo had been making since 1994's... Read more

March 13, 2019 Audio, Throwback

Cormega Breaks Down His Evocative New EP & Why The Fans Matter The Most

In the closing week of 2018, Cormega self-released Mega. The five-song project (that also includes the instrumentals) marked the MC's first in more than four years. The New Yorker partnered with Streetrunner, the veteran Grammy Award-winning producer co-credited for Meek Mill, JAY-Z, and Rick Ross' "What's Free?" in addition to... Read more

March 10, 2019 Exclusive, Interview

Ain’t No Such Thing As Halfway KXNG Crooked Verses. He Goes All In With Mobb Inspiration

KXNG Crooked has always been nice on the mic, but he's not above paying respects to the greats who shaped his style. The Slaughterhouse MC formerly known as Crooked I just released a freestyle that would make Mobb Deep proud. Titled "Halfway Me," the song is an homage to the Queensbridge... Read more

January 11, 2019 Audio

Alchemist Tells B-Real About Just How Much His Time With Cypress Hill Shaped Him

B-Real can get some interviews on his Smokebox TV that go beyond typical taped conversations. Beyond the obvious reasons included in the title, "Dr. Greenthumb" asks great questions and seems engaged in wanting to understand his guests' story. The Cypress Hill MC's latest episode with Alchemist does not disappoint. In... Read more

January 3, 2019 Video

Reef The Lost Cauze’s Video Shows What’s Golden About Hip-Hop Can Never Fade Away

Bearing a lengthy Hip-Hop resume, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania-based MC, Reef The Lost Cauze (born Sharif Lacey) is a certified authority when it comes to the genre. From the Army Of The Pharaohs (A.O.T.P.) member's early days of battling, to his various mixtapes and albums, a current six-year window of podcasting, and... Read more

November 7, 2018 Ready Or Not

Dave East & Styles P Kick Freestyles & Show Why Their Bond Is Thoro (Video)

Styles P and Dave East recently released a joint album, Beloved. For two New York City MCs with proven chemistry, the Def Jam Records LP has the spirit of early 2000s mixtapes (especially of the D-Block variety) with the kind of polish typically reserved for albums. To promote the 13-song... Read more

October 25, 2018 Video

A Video Shows Mobb Deep’s Lethal Sampling For “Murda Muzik,” On Its 19th Birthday

Mobb Deep's fourth album, Murda Muzik, remains their best-selling album to date. It began the duo's transition from New York street poets into a pair capable of making records that played on the radio, video shows, and the clubs at once. Havoc didn't forfeit his gift for sampling in the... Read more

August 17, 2018 Throwback, Video

The Mobb Deep vs. N.W.A. GOAT Match-Up Is Too Close To Call. Decide Who Advances.

“Finding the GOAT Group,” the fourth installment of Ambrosia For Heads’ annual competition series features Hip-Hop’s greatest collectives vying for the #1 spot. Sixty-two groups have been pre-selected by a panel of experts, and one slot will be reserved for a wild-card entry (which has been determined), including the possibility for... Read more

August 16, 2018 Best Hip-Hop Group, Finding the GOAT

Finding The GOAT Group: Mobb Deep vs. N.W.A. Who Is Better?

“Finding the GOAT Group,” the fourth installment of Ambrosia For Heads’ annual competition series features Hip-Hop’s greatest collectives vying for the #1 spot. Sixty-two groups have been pre-selected by a panel of experts, and one slot will be reserved for a wild-card entry (which has been determined), including the possibility for... Read more

August 14, 2018 Best Hip-Hop Group, Finding the GOAT

Prodigy Discusses Living A Lifetime Filled With Excruciating Pain (Video)

June marked the first anniversary of Prodigy's passing. His death blindsided the Hip-Hop community, despite his frequent, frank discussions about living with sickle-cell anemia. He even used his 2000 debut solo album, H.N.I.C, as an opportunity to share his struggles with the illness on "You Can Never Feel My Pain." Though... Read more

August 5, 2018 Video

Tragedy Khadafi Says Marley Marl Did Him Dirty. His New Song Tells All (Audio Premiere)

Tragedy Khadafi (fka The Intelligent Hoodlum) has been releasing music steadily over the three decades but it's been nearly four years since he released his last solo album. That's all changing now though. The Queensbridge legend has been in the booth heavy since 2014's Pre Magnum Opus and is slated... Read more

August 1, 2018 Audio, Exclusive

Listen To A Hard-Hitting New Album Featuring Prodigy, Ghostface & Freddie Gibbs (Audio)

For those that may not be familiar, Vanderslice is a sample-savvy Hip-Hop producer with the respect of Heads (especially crate-diggers) across the map. He has rocked tracks with celebrated MCs like Vinnie Paz, Evidence, Planet Asia, Roc Marciano, Apathy, and the various members of Infamous Mobb. This Phoenixville, Pennsylvania native... Read more

July 10, 2018 Audio

Finding The GOAT Group: Mobb Deep vs. The LOX. Who Is Better?

“Finding the GOAT Group,” the fourth installment of Ambrosia For Heads’ annual competition series features Hip-Hop’s greatest collectives vying for the #1 spot. Sixty-two groups have been pre-selected by a panel of experts, and one slot will be reserved for a wild-card entry (which has been determined), including the possibility... Read more

July 2, 2018 Best Hip-Hop Group, Finding the GOAT

Havoc Releases 2 Mobb Deep Freestyles To Celebrate Prodigy 1 Year After His Passing (Audio)

One year ago today Prodigy unexpectedly passed away Hip-Hop has not been the same. It's all been helpful for those who were truly touched by his spirit and life's work. What's also great to help cope is anytime new music surfaces from the Mobb camp, and that's what happened Wednesday... Read more

June 20, 2018 Audio

Finding The GOAT Group: Mobb Deep vs. Black Moon. Who Is Better?

“Finding the GOAT Group,” the fourth installment of Ambrosia For Heads’s annual battle series features Hip-Hop’s greatest collectives vying for the #1 spot. Sixty-two groups have been pre-selected by a panel of experts, and one slot will be reserved for a wild-card entry, including the possibility for write-in candidates, to... Read more

April 27, 2018 Best Hip-Hop Group, Finding the GOAT

Sean Price & Prodigy’s Posthumously Released Collabo Gets An Animated Send-Off (Video)

Last year, Sean Price's fourth solo album, Imperius Rex, released. The Duck Down Music LP was eventually included in Ambrosia For Heads' "Best 15 Hip-Hop Albums" of 2017 list. It was a bittersweet honor for a collection of songs released two years after the death of the beloved MC and... Read more

March 2, 2018 Video

Sade & Mobb Deep Get Mashed Up By J. Rocc For One Quiet Storm (Audio)

Sade has music that works for just about any mood. Beat Junkies founder, JayLib member, and Soundbombing, Vol. 2 co-host J. Rocc grasps this fact and melded her soulful melodies with the rugged flow of Mobb Deep in Thug Ballads. He combines the right Sade instrumental back-drops and vocals with just... Read more

January 23, 2018 Audio, Mixes

It’s Prodigy’s Birthday & This New Song Is A Present For Fans Of His Hard Verses (Audio)

Prodigy would have been 43 years old today (November 2). Tragically, the MC/author born Albert Johnson died this June, leaving Hip-Hop music forever altered. P's cutthroat worldview, cautionary street tales, and cantankerous delivery made him pilot Hip-Hop's rugged movement of the mid-'90s. While Mobb Deep would find mainstream's embrace and... Read more

November 2, 2017 Audio

50 Cent Explains Why Despite Their Beef Prodigy & Tupac Were Truly Alike (Video)

In May of 2006, Mobb Deep would release their seventh album, a first with G-Unit/Interscope Records. Blood Money would be Prodigy and Havoc's lone album with 50 Cent. However, a Queens, New York bond seemed especially strong, when Curtis Jackson—at the top of the Rap food-chain gave his borough neighbors luxury... Read more

September 27, 2017 Video

Havoc, Fabolous & Lil Kim Perform “Quiet Storm (Remix)” In Tribute Of Prodigy (Video)

In June, the Hip-Hop world was rocked by the sudden death of Prodigy from Mobb Deep. The veteran MC had just performed at the Art Of Rap festival in Las Vegas, days before his passing. Although he was hospitalized shortly thereafter, those close to him believed the visit to be... Read more

September 18, 2017 Video

JAY-Z Reveals He And Prodigy Made Peace Before His Death (Video)

While the JAY-Z vs. Nas battle of the early 2000s may be the one that gets the most ink in the history books, Hov's beef with late Mobb Deep MC Prodigy is one of legend too. From Summer Jam photo reveals to disses on both sides, these two artists had... Read more

September 7, 2017 Video

Sean Price, Prodigy & Styles P Are The 3 Lyrical Ps (Audio)

Sean Price's Imperius Rex album is less than a week away. To build anticipation for the beloved MC's posthumous LP, Duck Down releases "The 3 Lyrical P's." Among the album with features from DOOM, Method Man, and members of Boot Camp Clik, this track speaks for itself. Styles P and... Read more

August 3, 2017 Audio

The Blueprint: How 1 Kanye West Beat Tape Changed Roc-A-Fella Records Forever (Audio)

In September of 2001, JAY-Z released his sixth album. The Blueprint was wholeheartedly a pivot. To his fans, Shawn Carter had an incredible consistent streak of quality, authenticity, and event-worthy album-making. Five years removed from his debut album, S.Dot sought a new sound, and raised the stakes in every possible... Read more

August 2, 2017 Audio

N.O.R.E. Says He Knows Who Ruined Prodigy’s Mural & Why (Video)

One of July's most disturbing stories in the Hip-Hop space was when a Queens, New York mural honoring the late rapper Prodigy was defaced on July 6. The attack came just two weeks after the Mobb Deep co-founder's death. Artists Jeff Henriquez and Eli “Eos” Lazare had created the work... Read more

July 28, 2017 Video

Alchemist & Mobb Deep’s New Song Is A Reminder Of Prodigy’s Quiet Storm (Audio)

In 1999, Mobb Deep released Murda Muzik, the duo's fourth LP and one that featured production from The Alchemist. On the album's eponymous track as well as the Kool G Rap-assisted "The Realest," the producer with a Los Angeles provenance vibed perfectly with Havoc and Prodigy, two of Queensbridge's most notorious... Read more

July 21, 2017 Audio

Sean Price Goes Ape On Alchemist Production In The 1st Video To His Upcoming Album

Duck Down Music dropped a video for the title track off Sean Price’s upcoming posthumous album, Imperius Rex, in which the late, great MC goes ape over a wild Alchemist beat. Keeping in line with the gorilla theme prevalent in much of his work, the rhymes and visuals are fittingly... Read more

July 14, 2017 Video

Prodigy Mural Permanently Removed After Being Vandalized Twice In A Week (Video)

Less than a week after a mural dedicated to Mobb Deep co-founder Prodigy was painted, it has twice been defaced. Saturday morning (July 8), the Queens, New York mural created by Jeff Henriquez and Eli “Eos” Lazare was covered by white paint. At the time, the mural was less than... Read more

July 10, 2017 Fresh

The FDA Has Approved A New Sickle Cell Treatment For The 1st Time In 20 Years

Prodigy, the late rapper who suffered from sickle-cell disease, played an important role in opening up dialogues about health in communities of color. The illness - which primarily affects African-Americans, Latinos, and other racial minority groups - caused him tremendous pain and suffering, a struggle about which he spoke frankly... Read more

July 10, 2017 Lifestyle

Prodigy Mural In Queens Is Vandalized Just Hours After Completion

On Thursday (July 6), a mural dedicated to Mobb Deep MC Prodigy was completed in Queens, New York. The aerosol wall painting paid respects to the hometown artist (born Albert Johnson) who died on June 20. Created by Jeff Henriquez and Eli "Eos" Lazare "out of love and respect" for... Read more

July 8, 2017 Fresh, News

Hip-Hop Notables Support Havoc As He Does His 1st Show Without Prodigy (Video)

Last November, Q-Tip, Ali Shaheed Muhammad, and Jarobi took the Saturday Night Live stage, A Tribe Called Quest's first major appearance since the death of Phife Dawg in March of 2016. For many, watching a beloved group perform new material for the first time in decades without one of its... Read more

July 3, 2017 Video

Wu-Tang Clan Pay Respects To Prodigy & Vow To Preserve His Legacy (Video)

In the early 1990s, Mobb Deep and Wu-Tang Clan were symbolic brothers in arms for rugged Hip-Hop music and attitudes. Eventually, Loud Records label-mates, the two New York City Rap collectives began collaborating at a time when both crews were mostly keeping things in-house. Raekwon and Ghostface Killah would appear... Read more

June 28, 2017 Video

Eminem & Kendrick Lamar Pay Their Respects To Prodigy By Spitting His Bars (Audio)

Kendrick Lamar and Eminem paid tribute to the late Mobb Deep co-founder Prodigy by rapping some of his verses for a segment on Peter Rosenberg's Real Late HOT 97 show. Both outspoken fans of the recently deceased New York MC, Em' and "Kung Fu Kenny" opened the show with portions... Read more

June 27, 2017 Audio

Mobb Deep’s Havoc Speaks About His Devastation Over Losing Prodigy (Video)

This week will go down as one of the hardest of 2017 for the Hip-Hop community, as it brought the unexpected and tragic death of Prodigy from Mobb Deep. Together, with his musical partner Havoc, the Queens MC was one of the most influential artists in defining Rap's New York... Read more

June 24, 2017 Video

A News Traffic Report Gives Up The Goods For Prodigy In An Amazing Tribute (Video)

Family, friends and fans of legendary Hip-Hop veteran Prodigy are all mourning his death in their own ways. One of the more unique tributes came from an unlikely source — a pair of Atlanta news anchors, who referenced P's music and quoted some of his lyrics throughout their traffic report... Read more

June 22, 2017 Fresh, Video

DJ Premier Releases The Official Version Of His 1992 Collabo With Mobb Deep (Audio)

As Hip-Hop continues to mourn the sudden loss of Prodigy, who passed away on Tuesday (June 20) in Las Vegas, tributes are beginning to surface that celebrate the man and his musical legacy. As was the case with many Hip-Hop legends like Nas, Biggie and JAY-Z, DJ Premier was one... Read more

June 22, 2017 Audio

Eric B. & Rakim Are Reuniting To Celebrate The 30th Anniversary Of Paid In Full (Audio)

Eric B. & Rakim are perhaps Hip-Hop's most revered duo. The Long Island, New York icons are partly responsible for defining the term "timeless classic" as it pertains to Rap music, not once slipping into obscurity since dropping Paid in Full in 1987. Thirty years have since passed, with as... Read more

June 22, 2017 News

Do Remember When Prodigy Reminded Us He Was One Of The Realest (Audio)

The Hip-Hop community remains in a state of collective mourning, still reeling from the unexpected loss of Prodigy earlier this week. The 42-year-old Queensbridge MC - who at only 18 penned some of Rap's most prolific rhymes - passed away due to complications from his lifelong battle with sickle-cell disease... Read more

June 22, 2017 Do Remember

Prodigy From Mobb Deep Has Passed Away At Age 42

According to Nas and figures across Hip-Hop, rapper Prodigy (aka Albert Johnson) has died today (June 20). The co-founder of Mobb Deep was 42 years old in a career that includes music, books, and acting. Details are still emerging for the Queens, New York native's death. Per a TMZ report,... Read more

June 20, 2017 News

AZ, Raekwon & Prodigy Show That Rhymes Are Like Life Or Death To Great MCs (Video)

In April, AZ released a powerful collaboration alongside Wu-Tang Clan's Raekwon and Mobb Deep's Prodigy. "Save Them" was guttural East Coast Rap, produced by D.I.T.C. member Buckwild. These three MCs proved that they've been able to stay sharp, make incredible product, and never compromise from who they said they were... Read more

June 12, 2017 Video

Prodigy Reveals Nas’ Illmatic Was A Blueprint For Mobb Deep’s The Infamous (Video)

In April of 1995, Mobb Deep released The Infamous, a legacy-ensuring sophomore LP that kept the rugged, unadulterated reputation of Queensbridge alive and well. Featuring Ghostface Killah, Q-Tip, Raekwon, Nas, and others, Prodigy and Havoc's second album would arrive the same year as equally enduring albums from Smif-n-Wessun (Dah Shinin), Big L... Read more

May 2, 2017 Video

AZ, Raekwon & Prodigy Are Out To Carry On Tradition For Hip-Hop, Doe Or Die (Audio)

Hip-Hop Heads knew that April 7, 2017 was going to be a big day for the music. However, few could have expected that three supreme lyricists from the 1993-1994 class of New York City Rap would come together to do microphone damage to make today all the more special. Marching... Read more

April 7, 2017 Audio

Finding The GOAT Producer: Alchemist vs. Mannie Fresh. Who Is Better?

“Finding the GOAT Producer” begins. The third installment of Ambrosia For Heads’s annual battle series features Hip-Hop’s greatest producers vying for the #1 spot. Thirty producers were pre-selected by a panel of experts, and two slots will be reserved for wild-card entries, including the possibility for write-in candidates, to ensure no deserving... Read more

February 2, 2017 Finding the GOAT

N.O.R.E. & Havoc Have An Intense Conversation About The C-N-N/Mobb Deep Beef (Video)

More than 20 years ago, Capone-N-Noreaga made their breakthrough care of 25 To Life's "L.A., L.A." The Marley Marl-produced single featured Tragedy Khadafi and Mobb Deep. The remixed song, eventually packaged on 1997's The War Report debut from C-N-N, was a reply to Tha Dogg Pound and Snoop Dogg's 1995 single,... Read more

December 23, 2016 Video