Prodigy Mobb Deep member Prodigy stops through WHO?MAG before he goes away for his three year sentence. After dropping classic albums with Mobb Deep, to signing with G-Unit, he talks about his new album H.N.I.C Vol. #2, his new label, and his relationship with some of today’s biggest artists.
By William Hernandez
WHO?MAG: Talk to me about the new album H.N.I.C (Head Nigga In Charge) Vol. 2? PRODIGY: The album has been a long time coming. I’ve been real busy doing the Mobb Deep projects, just making sure Mobb Deep is straight because Mobb Deep is what made everything else possible. That’s what I was doing during all that time basically. When we got off the tour and got back to work, I had some time to work on my album. I put it together and it’s real tight.
WHO?MAG: Who can we expect on the album as far as producers and cameo appearances? PRODIGY:Just really like the whole team. I got Havoc, Um Pacino, Twin Gambino from QB, just the home team really. I didn’t get too many features and all that. I just want people to know this is my second joint. As far as producers I got Havoc, Alchemist, and Joey Bravo.
WHO?MAG: What is the difference between this album and the first one that you did 8 years ago? PRODIGY:Basically, you get to see Mobb Deep. You get to see Havoc and Prodigy grow. It’s just new music from us.
WHO?MAG: What label is the album going to be on? PRODIGY:It’s going to be on Voxonic Records. I’m partners with the guys that own the label Fred and Arie. They got technology that can translate a song of mine into any language in the world and it’ll sound like if I was saying it. They want to promote that technology through music. They started the company and we had a meeting. I’m going to be the first rap artist to drop on the label.
WHO?MAG: Talk to me about your 3 year jail stint that you’ll be starting now in February? PRODIGY:Yeah, yeah! I’ll be going in for a minute take a little vacation. I’ll be right back though. There’s a lot of crooked cops out here. It’s crazy.
WHO?MAG: What do you plan to do while you’re inside? PRODIGY:Just read a lot. Get my mind and body right. That’s about it.
WHO?MAG: I read in a website that you mentioned that when you first met Alchemist, you thought he was an undercover FBI agent. Can you talk about that? PRODIGY:When Alchemist came around I was like wow! Where did this dude come from? I don’t be trusting people and I don’t like new people. I met Al through Infamous Mobb. And through my man Twin Gambino. Since they were working with DJ Muggs, Alchemist was working with DJ Muggs and Cypress Hill. That’s how we met him. Twin brought him to the studio saying he had beats. When I heard his beats, they were hot.
WHO?MAG: What were your thoughts when Loud records got bought out in 2002? PRODIGY:They didn’t really go under. They got bought out by Sony. Sony gave Steve [Rifkind] like $80 million. They basically sold the company to Sony and he started SRC. At the time, I was like “damn! Why is he doing this? He bugging. You know what you got right now?” He just got tired of doing what he was doing I guess.
WHO?MAG: How did you hook up with Rakim for the song you guys did on the Hoodlum soundtrack? PRODIGY:To tell you the truth, I don’t even know how that situation came. Some kind of connection somewhere and we got on the soundtrack. It was ill.
WHO?MAG: Talk about the Return of the Mac album you did early last year with Alchemist? PRODIGY:Me and Al were always working on sh*t so I said “let’s put out a mixtape to promote my album”. I came up with an idea because I used to have this chain with a gold mac on it. I came up with this idea to do this mixtape Return of the Mac. People think I’m talking about macking but I’m talking about the gun. It’s a little concept bullsh*t. Al was like cool. We’re going to make some ill old school sounding beats. So it fit right in with title of the sh*t. That was it basically. It was to promote HNIC 2. With Koch, we were working with them back in the days with Infamous Mobb. We had a Free Agents mixtape that Landspeed put out. The guy from Landspeed Bob Perry got us the connection with Koch.
WHO?MAG: What are your thoughts on bootlegging and downloading? PRODIGY:It’s all good. That’s what technology is here for. You got to move with it and adjust. You got to know how to move if not you’re going to be prehistoric, a fossil.
WHO?MAG: How is your relationship with 50 Cent? PRODIGY:50 is my dude. He’s out on tour right now promoting his album. That’s my nigga forever.
