Needless to say, we’re making sad-face emoticons over here at Complex; not only is the civilian population losing one of the South’s finest lyricists and a genuinely smart and likable dude, but it’s just one more objectively great emcee who gets chalked into the “Incarcerated” category. There’s more than 20 rappers locked up right now, but since we don’t really fux with shermhead cannibals, we had to narrow it down to our 10 favorite (including Tip). For a look at the other nine, read on…

CHI ALI
• Crime: Murder
• Incarceration Location: Elmira Correctional Facility
• Why We Miss Him: Who else got to be down with Native Tongues when they were 16? That shit was like Harry Potter levels of crazy for adolescent rap heads in the ’90s.

TRAGEDY
• Crime: Criminal sale of a controlled substance in the fourth degree
• Incarceration Location:Riker’s Island, NYC
• Why We Miss Him: He pioneered naming yourself after an international despot. If the Intelligent Hoodlum hadn’t become Tragedy Khadafi, we wouldn’t have legends like Noreaga, let alone MC Slobodan Milosevic (he’s serbin’ fools!).

PRODIGY
• Crime: Gun possession
• Incarceration Location: Gouverneur Correctional Facility, New York
• Why We Miss Him: Thankfully, we have his third eye shining on us through the internetz, so it’s almost like he’s still here–but we still miss that gruff-ass voice. He and Alc are like the Julius and Vincent of this rap game.

TURK
• Crime: Second-degree attempted murder, firearm possession
• Incarceration Location: Shelby County Jail, Memphis
• Why We Miss Him: Because without Turk, we’re denied our Hot Boy fix. Uh, pause.

NUMSKULL
• Crime: 15 felony charges, including rape, sodomy, and “forced oral copulation”
• Incarceration Location: Santa Rita Jail, Dublin CA (last confirmed location)
• Why We Miss Him: He still owes us 5 bucks!

SHYNE
• Crime: First-degree assault and wreckless endangerment. Or, in common parlance, “taking the fall for Puff.”
• Incarceration Location: Woodbourne Correctional Facility, NY
• Why We Miss Him: Moses Michael Leviy might be the hardest Jewish cat in the bing behind Bernie Madoff, but Hanukkah’s just not the same without him.

DMX
• Crime: Aggravated assault while serving a 90-day sentence for drug possession, theft and animal cruelty. No comment.
• Incarceration Location: Tent City Jail, Arizona
• Why We Miss Him: Who else are we supposed to get our political commentary from?

BLACK ROB
• Crime: Grand Larceny
• Incarceration Location: Riker’s? Elmira? Woodburne? He’s been everywhere by now, so your guess is as good as ours.
• Why We Miss Him: It’s more that we’re just worried we’ll never see him again. After all, this is the guy who said “if I go to jail again I’m going under the bing”…

MYSTIKAL
• Crime: Extortion, sexual battery
• Incarceration Location: Elayne Hunt Correctional Facility, Louisiana
• Why We Miss Him: Listening to Mystikal was like hanging out with Saafir the Saucee Nomad after he drank a case of Red Bull. This dude raps so damn enthusiastically it sounds like he might fuck around and mow your lawn at any second. With his teeth.

We got so used to hearing Prodigy over Alchemist beats in recent years that we were a little surprised to see Sid Roams get more work than Al on P’s last album. Sid who? We hadn’t even heard of the name when we wrote our H.N.I.C. Pt. 2 review. But after hearing non-stop Sid Roams heatrocks on P’s new album, Product of the 80’s, we knew we had to get familiar.

Sid Roams is actually two people: veteran L.A. producers Joey Chavez and Tavish “Bravo” Graham. The duo found instant chemistry with Prodigy, which led to their collaborative album with P, Un Pacino and Twin Gambino. “We had seen what Alchemist and P had done with Return of The Mac’s blaxploitation theme and appreciated the way the album was sonically cohesive,” says Chavez. “We pushed for the 80's theme and did our best to execute that aesthetic'heavy-laden with synthesizers and drum machines'throughout the process.” The result is an end-to-end banger, which Sid Roams was eager to dissect with us.

Read on for Sid Roams’ track-by-track analysis of Product of the 80’s…

Story and interview by Jaeki Cho

WADDUP G'Z

JOEY: P recorded the hook first and immediately Bravo and I were hyped because it felt like a real anthem. Not too deep…real catchy…just smackin 'em in the head…like “Waddup Gz!” P is good for keeping up on those slang phrases. Then, once he started to lay down the verses, we bugged cuz of how he was playing with his schemes. “It ain't nothing…ain't nothing but this murder rap.”
BRAVO: Yeah, the beat was hard to begin with, but P really brought it to life with the old school studda-step. He grabbed a phrase that had been floating around in the click (”Waddup Gz”) and made the anthem for greeting the posse on the block.

SHED THEY BLOOD feat. Un Pacino (prod. by Jake One)

JOEY: Jake One is the homie. Since we started this label thing a few years ago, he's been sending us beats. And dude is prolific. He has probably sent 120 beats over time, which was always exciting to sit and listen to, cuz you know you gonna hear some well thought-out music. Bravo and I would go through the beats together to decide which ones felt right for the aesthetic we wanted to achieve with the record. We always play the A&R role of narrowing down the list before playing beats for the artists. It's no disrespect to producers out there; it's just that we're responsible for creating the sound of the record and we had a very specific criteria.
BRAVO: We picked that beat together with P when we first started going through outside-producer beats. But each time he came through, something else would get done instead. It took Un recording a verse and chorus to it for P to come through and complete the track. We switched P's verse to the top cuz he came in so aggressive on it.

BOXCUTTERS feat. Big Twins

JOEY: We're always inspired by unearthly, spooky melodies, and this beat came about after watching a zombie flick. It feels like you can hear them screaming in there. At first, the beat felt kinda stiff. We had to work real hard to give it more movement. Twin put it down first and then the song laid around for a few weeks….for some reason we had to push this one on P a little bit. But it turned out to be my favorite verse on the record.
BRAVO: Yea, we did the first verse with Twin and finally P added his part. Me and Joey came up with the chorus idea after the verses were down. P's bridge at the end was the chorus at first but we felt like we could flip something different and it turned out pretty dope. I like that joint too.

RAP: Jake One f/ Alchemist, Evidence & Prodigy “White Van”

ELECTRONICA: Justice “Planisphere”

DANCEHALL: Busy Signal “Tic Toc”

ROCK: TV On The Radio “Golden Age”

R&B: Trey Songz “In Ya Phone”

In any case, the latest incident of manhood snatching befell poor widdle Yung Berg while the diddy-bopper cruised the mean streets of Detroit (what he was doing wearing jewelry in the D, we don’t know either). Needless to say, Berg is probably somewhere licking his wounds. But cheer up, lil’ buddy! You just entered a club whose members include hip hop’s elite.

To boost Berg’s gloomy disposition, Complex combed the annals (ayo!) of hip hop history (along with rumors and allegations as well) to compile an authoritative list of the most notorious chain snatchings ever. To be fair to the victims and the vickers, we rated each incident by how emasculating it was to their careers, as well as the probability that the snatching actually happened (since almost none of the incidents can be verified by police reports) . If you don’t read this blog, you’re just robbing yourself.

Click here to start the snatchin’!

He might finally be gone, but Prodigy is far from forgotten. With P finally serving out his 3 year sentence, the mood was heavy yesterday as his extended family gathered at a special listening session for his new album H.N.I.C. Pt. 2. Most of the folks there have contributed to one or all of P’s solo projects, including Havoc, Alchemist, Twin Gambino, Cormega, Nyce Da Future and Un Pacino. Complex was in the house, and we asked them to reflect on their favorite Prodigy verses, past and present. Listen to the exclusive audio and see some photos from the event after the jump.

The Alchemist:

Twin Gambino:

Nyce Da Future:

Big Noyd:

Cormega:

BONUS: Prodigy phones in from prison

Related:

We Really Like Prodigy’s H.N.I.C. 2

So it was with breathless anticipation that we cracked open Prodigy's latest, H.N.I.C. Pt. 2, the follow-up to last year's end-to-end burner, Return of the Mac. Prison bars can't stop the flow of this Pee, pissants. We've got an exclusive track-by-track review after the jump.

1. “Real Power Is People” (Prod. By Sid Roams)
SOUND: We have no idea who Sid Roams is, but he produced five joints here. The album opener, like Sid's other ones, sounds pretty much like a creepy Alchemist beat. Which is a good thing.
THEME: A preview of what's to come on the rest of the LP'Prison Pee's on that dead prez, militia shit.
INSTANT QUOTABLE: “They lit the Pentagon on fire/That's lighting the pentagram on fire.” Yooo!
RATING: 4 out of 5 P’s

2. “The Life” (Prod. by The Alchemist)
SOUND: The current video/single, you've probably heard it. Crack-adamia nuts, kitko.
THEME: A little contradictory, in that Pee is glorifying the material shit he just shunned in the last one. But maybe he wrote this shit before he got sentenced. Nihilistic rap at its finest!
INSTANT QUOTABLE: “You chinchilla soft/I'm Brillo pad coarse/Take your skin off you.” And throw a TV at you, crazy.
RATING: 5 out of 5 P’s

3. “Young Veterans” (Prod. by The Alchemist)
SOUND: Downtempo shit, sounds kind of mailed in by Al, but even his mail-in beats are knocking.
THEME: IT'S LIKE ONE OF PRODIGY'S BLOG POSTS SET TO MUSIC, SO BACK UP AND STOP THINKING SHIT IS SWEET BECAUSE YOU WILL GET WOUNDS THAT NEVER HEAL!!!!
INSTANT QUOTABLE: “Don't be mad at me, be mad at yourself/For being so garbage, you need to be killed.” Go fuckin' paint a house.
RATING: 4 out of 5 P’s

4. “Illumanati” (Prod. by The Alchemist)
SOUND: The melody sounds like it could've been rocked on a Zamfir's magic flute. Also those “Touch Me, Tease Me” hi-hats'word to Case.
THEME: Pee takes his famous line from LL's old posse joint back from Jay (”D'Evils”). You think it might be some secret society talk but really it's some general shit-talking.
INSTANT QUOTABLE: “I got friends in high places/Multiple races, and cultures on my side/All you got is paper.” Jigga, what?
RATING: 3 out of 5 P’s

5. “New Yitty” (Prod. by Sid Roams)
SOUND: Another ALC-sounding joint from El Sid. A good companion piece to “The Life.”
THEME: New York life, type trife.
INSTANT QUOTABLE: “You's a ugly dipshit, the black Craig Mack/I'm a handsome shooter/I simply clutch the Ruger/And blow your bumbaclot rot-face back to Bermuda.” Word to Saigon.
RATING: 4.5 out of 5 P’s

6. “ABC” (Prod. by Sid Roams)
SOUND: Some super menacing, horrorcore shit. This was actually the first video, featuring Pee's bloody eyes and ol' dude from Judgment Night, a.k.a. Zed's dead.
THEME: Let me count the ways I'mma kill your ass.
INSTANT QUOTABLE: “I razor-blade you up and cut you bad/You gonna need plastic where your face was at.”
RATING: 3 out of 5 P’s

7. “Click Clack” f/ Big Twinz (Prod. by Sid Roams)
SOUND: Gunshots, dun. You's a dead muthafucka.
THEME: It's kind of amazing that Prodigy has never done a song called “Click Clack” before. He talks about gunplay here but also about women, I think for the first time on the album thus far.
INSTANT QUOTABLE: “'Cause I'm an animal pimp, I get up on a female/And tell her things she likes, she give me that tail/And I call heads, but I was all wrong, dog, the sex was the best.” Put it on a Hallmark card.
RATING: 3 out of 5 P’s

8. “Veteran's Memorial Pt. 2″ (Prod. by The Alchemist)
SOUND: It sounds like a sad version of Kanye's “The Good, The Bad, The Ugly.”
THEME: In memory of…
INSTANT QUOTABLE: “I miss my pops/All I got is lonely teardrops/And memories of him teaching me to hurt people/With my bare hands, and how to shoot people/I remember me and him stuck a jewelry store/He did the sticking, I was in the getaway car.” Now that's father-son bonding.
RATING: 4 out of 5 P’s

9. “Field Marshal P” f/ Un Pacino (Prod. by Havoc)
SOUND: Havoc's first beat on the album. Not real memorable, to be honest.
THEME: Pee and Un talk some shit and get serious about Sean Bell. Timely!
INSTANT QUOTABLE: “Niggas scared to hang around me, like, 'What's wrong with Un?” We fucks with Un Pacino, for real.
RATING: 3 out of 5 P’s

10. “3 Stacks” f/ Big Twinz (Prod. by Sid Roams)
SOUND: If they sped this shit up it could actually be a club joint.
THEME: Probably the catchiest, shortest hook on the album. Still sinister as fuck.
INSTANT QUOTABLE: “When I was a kid I drank beer, not soda/Never hit the girls if they panties had the odor.” Words to live by.
RATING: 3.5 out of 5 P’s

11. “When I See You” (Prod. by Apex)
SOUND: Nothing remarkable but serves its purpose.
THEME: Don't fuck with Pee.
INSTANT QUOTABLE: “Niggas come home from jail like they supposed to have me/Under some type of pressure, go fuck your mother/You really want to step to me? Get on line/It go around the block, who next to get live…When I hit him in the titties/Catch him in the city/Do him real dirty/Cut his face real pretty.” Lake, holla!
RATING: 3.5 out of 5 P’s

12. “Dirty New Yorker” (Prod. by The Alchemist)
SOUND: Our press release says this will not be on the album, but on the GTA IV soundtrack. Damn shame too, 'cause it's a banger. It's gonna be fun shooting up Liberty City to this one.
THEME: Title says it all. Pee actually flowing for real on this one.
INSTANT QUOTABLE: “I'm a Mobb Deep gangsta/Infamous soldier/If you got a cold heart, then my shit is froze over.”
RATING: 5 out of 5 P’s

13. “I Want Out” f/ Havoc & Un Pacino (Prod. by Havoc)
SOUND: Dramatic, with the church organs, with Havoc on the beats and the second verse.
THEME: A thoughtful one for the album closer .
INSTANT QUOTABLE: “On the YouTube, I'm killing them out there/Crazy views.” Indeed, Pee. Indeed.
RATING: 5 out of 5 P’s

BONUS: “ABC (Vox Spanish Remix)”
SOUND: Same as #6, but with Voxonic's new translation technology, some of the lines are morphed into Spanish.
THEME: Shit, we want to hear Pee in Sri Lankan.
INSTANT QUOTABLE: “[mad violent words en espanol]”
RATING: 3 out of 5 P’s

ALBUM VERDICT: 4 out of 5 P’s

Overall, this is not as strong as Return of the Mac, which is a more cohesive album with a better range of beats. H.N.I.C. Pt. 2 is a decidedly darker, angrier, more violent album, which makes sense from a man who's probably staring through some bars right about now. All that said, it's still colder than 99% of the shit out there, so go pick it up. And Free P!

• Healthy: Prodigy maintains he’s not sick despite reports by his lawyer. And although the judge delayed his incarceration for a 2nd time due to so called medical conditions, the rapper claims he’s fine. Ouch, someone’s getting into trouble.

• Sound off: Common, KRS-One, and Q-Tip are remixing their classic tracks in a new campaign with Smirnoff with the help of some legendary producers, “Just Blaze is remixing Common's 2000 song “The Light,” DJ Premier will work on KRS-One's 1988 hit “I'm Still #1,” and Cool & Dre are remaking Q-Tip's 1999 party track “Vivrant Thing.” They will all then perform live at a launch party for the vodka maker on February 26, and the tracks will be available for download on Smirnoff’s website.

• Innocent: Marvin Bernard aka Tony Yayo has been found innocent of slapping the shit out of Jimmy “Henchman” Rosemond’s 16-year-old son.

• Flying colors: Swizzy got down with the Gap and their “Sound of Color” campaign. Basically each artist was assigned a color and they created an original song for it. The mega producer and Kidrobot partner did a song called “Candy Green.”

• Arresting: Although Prodigy was supposed to begin his 3 and 1/2 year prison sentence on weapons charges yesterday, he avoided the slam again due to medical complications and was hospitalized. Luckily, G4 TV was able to score this recent interview with the Mobb Deep rapper. He sheds some more light on how the Hip Hop Cops tried to set him up in a intense effort to get dirt on 50-Cent.

• No show: Kanye might have walked away with four Grammys, but he didn’t make it to his own after party at Opera/Crimson, opting for Entertainment Weekly’s bash at the STK steakhouse and lounge instead.

• Old school: Rolling Stone celebrates 1988 Hip Hop. Laments it as the landmark year for the best album releases. It accounted for such greats as: Public Enemy’s It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back, EPMD’s Strictly Business, N.W.A’s Straight Outta Compton and BDP’s By All Means Necessary among others. See who else made the cut.

• Burn out: PE military mascot, Professor Griff, got some bad news to deal with at home, or what’s left of it. His crib exploded while he was off lecturing. A gas leak was cited, S1W’s no where to be found.

• Seed money: 50-Cent took his baby’s mama, Shaniqua Tomkins, to court after she demanded $50k a month in child support for their 10-year-old son. Instead, a court ruled that she’ll recieve $6700, which made 50 and his legal eagle happy, “My client and I are very happy with the ruling.”

Raekwon’s Only Built 4 Cuban Linx was a certified classic. If he’s pondering what we’re pondering, the forthcoming Cuban Linx 2, executive produced by the Rza and Dr. Dre, will have cash ruling everything around him.

The entire Wu-Tang Clan wasn’t present, but appearances by the Gza, Inspecta Deck and Masta Killa were good enough.

Ol’ Dirty Bastard was remembered with cell phones and lighters.

French vanilla couldn’t make it. So the Butter-Pecan Ricans represented.

The shiny-suit era wasn’t a good look for hip-hop. Why would this be any better?

Prodigy aka VIP and Havoc aka Hollywood Hav still do it the grimey way, just with G-Unit riches.

Mobb Deep affiliate, Illa Ghee sips Grey Goose and orange juice. At the end of the show, he gave the half-full bottle to a lucky fan to have his own after party.