Prodigy put his lifetime in between the papers' lines. He's the quiet storm nigga who fight rhymes. P, yeah, you heard of him, the haunting lead vocalist who, along with partner-n-rhyme, Havoc, propelled Mobb Deep to platinum heights. On his debut solo release, H.N.I.C (Head Nigga In Charge), Prodigy of Mobb Deep unveils a slew of gems that takes listeners on a journey through life, death and the pains of living in this cruel world. Prodigy's distinct off-beat/on-beat rhyme style has effectively made him one of the most prolific emcees in hip-hop. "When I write rhymes I think about who is poppin' right now. I try to come with some other sht that nobody is saying or if they did I twist my sht, so it sounds different."
Inspired by Queens rap pioneers, Run-DMC, Prodigy started jotting down rhymes in the confines of his small apartment in Lefrak City, Queens. "I used to go crazy with that sh*t" recalls Prodigy. "I'd memorize rhymes and then go kick it to my mom, like yo ma check this out." By the age of 15, Prodigy, an art & design student at the prestigious Graphic Arts High School in Manhattan, was trading rhymes with classmate-turned-rhyme-partner, Havoc. In 1993, Prodigy and Havoc released Juvenile Hell on 4th-n-Broadway Records. In 1995 they signed with Loud Records and released their classic opus, The Infamous, considered by fans to be the official Mobb Deep debut. The Infamous spawned the underground gold single "Shook Ones" and set the standard for how albums inspired by life in New York City's housing projects should sound. Hell on Earth followed in 1996.
In 1999, Mobb Deep unleashed Murda Muzik and received their first platinum plaque. Murda Muzik spawned another classic with "Quiet Storm" and then another with the remix featuring Lil' Kim. "Quiet Storm" was originally intended to be a track for Prodigy's solo album. Prodigy reminisces, "That song was actually supposed to be Noyd, Havoc, and me. But these niggas wanted to go party and left me in the studio. So I just got heated like y'all niggas wanna hang out, then I'ma sit here and make an ill song. I sat there all night and wrote the song. I was gonna save it for my solo album, so I could just hand in the album all done. But n****'s was like you gotta put that on the Mobb album. I was like hell no, that's my solo sh*t." He refused for six months and ultimately put it on the Murda Muzik album. The song calmly worked its way from underground mix-tape favorite to a groundbreaking classic within a few months.
In the tradition of "Shook Ones" and "Quiet Storm," Prodigy comes equipped with one of the most powerful records this year and first single to be released from H.N.I.C, "Keep It Thoro." "That's my flippin' on the whole industry song" confesses P. "A nigga get tight sometime 'cause he feels that niggas don't show respect when it's due. So I just had to do a song that said f**k everybody." Produced by honorary Mobb Deep producer, Alchemist, this amplified gem is sure to work it's way from the corner to the clubs in no time. Instead of avoiding personal matters such as the state of his health, Prodigy tackles his battle with sickle cell on the emotional "Never Feel My Pain" "I felt that sht needed to be put out. A lot of niggas come out with songs about pain, but I'm saying you have never felt my pain. The pain you feel from Sickle Cell is some real pain. Prodigy applies the rules of the street to business with Cash Money's B.G. on "Young Black Entrepreneurs." Prodigy admits, "I like Cash Money. BG is my favorite out of all of 'em. I like his rhyme style and how his voice turns deep and sht, so I wanted to do a song with him on my album." Prodigy also links up with Noreaga on "What U Rep" produced by Boston's Hangmen 3. The album also features Infamous Records duo, Bars & Hooks on "Diamonds" produced by Just Blaze.
Although Havoc provides production on two tracks on H.N.I.C, "Live Through It" and "Wanna Be Thugs," Prodigy obtained the services of other hot and up-n-coming producers. "I didn't just want all Hav or me through the whole album. So I said let me just grab some other niggas and mix their sound with my rhymes. I wanted some deep sh*t you can listen to; some melodic, hypnotic productions that'll f**k the conscious and touch your emotions." Outside producers include Alchemist (C.N.N, Big Pun, Cypress Hill, Nas), Bink (Mary J. Blige, Lil' Kim) Rockwilder (Redman, Jay-Z, Method Man, Big Pun) EZ Elpee (C.N.N., Notorious B.I.G, Noreaga) HangMen 3 (Made Men, Kurupt) and Mr. Beats a.k.a. Casanova Rud (The Murderers), Just Blaze (Busta Rhymes). Prodigy himself managed to sneak some heat into his solo project producing the album's introduction and "Take A Spin" with co-production on "Young Black Entrepreneur" and "Trials of Love."
Quickly killing any speculation of a Mobb Deep break-up, Prodigy explains why he decided to release a solo album, "Mobb Deep is still Hav and me; my solo album is just a whole different project we got comin' out. Before we started doin' Murda Muzik, I decided to put out some solo sh*t, because I was writing so many rhymes." Prodigy continues, "At one time, Mobb Deep was coming out like every two years and there was a big gap in between with no music out. We decided to release H.N.I.C. to fill the gap between Murda Muzik and the next Mobb album so that Mobb is constantly in the publics' eyes.
On H.N.I.C, fans get the chance to soak in the provocative thoughts of one of hip-hop's most prolific lyricist.
Mobb Deep Website: Infamousstores.com
Loud Records Website: loud.com
Source: http://www.sonymusic.com/labels/loud/home/hnic_bio.html
