Ice Cube Pays Tribute to Prodigy: ‘He Represented the Resurgence of New York’
Several rappers have paid their respect to Prodigy who passed away on Tuesday (June 20) from complications related to his sickle cell anemia, a disease he battle his whole life. 50 Cent recently paid tribute to him. On the West Coast, rap legend Ice Cube also paid homage to the late Mobb Deep member.
In an interview with Billboard, Ice Cube remembered Prodigy as a stand-up guy who repped New York to the fullest. As a member of Mobb Deep, Prodigy was embroiled in the East Coast Vs. West Coast rap rivalry and Ice Cube was right there watching it all go down. In 2006, after the bicoastal war simmered, Cube and Mobb Deep appeared together at Howard University’s homecoming event. There was no tension between the two parties, just respect for one another.
"[Prodigy] just seemed like a cool dude who represented to me, hip-hop coming from the street level after New York had took it to its heights," he recalled.
"With what we were doing on the West Coast, Mobb Deep was a part of that regaining of the balance in hip-hop, and represented that street element [for New York]," he continued. "But I think with hip-hop, New York was trying to elevate it above the streets. They were trying to take it off the streets and make it into an industry, which is exactly what happened."
In his final words, Ice Cube described Prodigy and Mobb Deep as true representers of the grimy streets of New York.
"I think Prodigy and Mobb Deep represented the reclaiming of, 'It don't get more hooder than New York,'" he said. "No matter what borough you were from, everybody had their spots that it goes down. I just think he represented the resurgence of New York claiming the streets back, when it comes to hip-hop."