Hip-hop lost a beloved figure on Tuesday afternoon when Queens native Prodigy passed away at age 42. The Mobb Deep legend died after a lifelong battle with sickle cell anemia, leaving fans and peers around the world to mourn his passing.
Amongst his peers, Prodigy's death was felt deeply and immediately. Nearly everyone you could think of, be they rappers, producers, tastemakers, or otherwise, took Prodigy's passing hard. Through his manager, Wu Tang's Raekwon shared his anguish over Prodigy's passing in a teary statement delivered to Complex.
"Right now my energy is all over the place from hearing this disturbing news. I'm hurt, I'm saddened, I'm in shock," he said. "We just sat on the couch at our venue we had recently in Vegas two days ago. Me and Prodigy were real deal friends! We shared so many great conversations about our careers and discussing future endeavors. I'm going to miss my beloved friend, I'm just lost for words. My heart goes out to his entire family, may God bless your soul Prodigy."
A rep for 50 Cent shared a statement from the rapper on Prodigy's passing: "R.I.P to Prodigy you will always be loved, and missed. God Bless you and your family, I'm at a loss of words."
Peers joined him in mourning Prodigy, and immediately took to social media to share tributes to their fallen brother.
Steve Rifkind, founder of Loud Records, also shared his own tribute to Prodigy.
It would be impossible to share all the well-wishes from around the hip-hop world, and that's probably the best tribute of all. Despite warring with damn near everybody during his career—including his partner, Havoc—Prodigy is universally respected by his peers and the people who grabbed the torch from his generation. In a no holds barred industry like rap music, it speaks volumes for a combative rapper like Prodigy to get a grand send off.
Nothing can replace losing him, but Prodigy's loved ones can take solace in the impact he left and the enduring legacy of his music.
