Prodigy of Mobb Deep’s Solo Catalog Returns to Streaming Services, New Music On the Way

Dan Rys
·3 min read

The solo catalog of late Mobb Deep rapper Prodigy has returned to streaming services today (May 20) after three years of unavailability, a rep for his estate confirmed to Billboard. That collection of albums and EPs includes his classic solo debut H.N.I.C. and its two sequels, as well as 2012’s The Bumpy Johnson Album, 2017’s Hegelian Dialectic (The Book of Revelation) and his 2013 collaboration with The Alchemist, Albert Einstein, and 2014 collab release with Boogz Boogetz, Young Rollin Stoned.

For the past three years, only his influential 2007 Alchemist collab Return of the Mac and the following year’s Product of the 80s with Big Twins and Un Pacino, as well as the Mobb Deep discography, were available to stream due to what a press release called “legal disputes between the estate, which is run by the late artist’s family, and former associates of the artist.” Those two albums had been released by E1 and Dirt Class Records, respectively, while the rest of his solo discography was released through his Infamous label.

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But now, the estate signed a management deal with The NorthStar Group’s L. Londell McMillan and a distribution deal with Warner Music Group’s ADA to re-release the rest of his albums to streaming services and for digital purchase. And the estate has announced a new album, The Hegelian Dialectic: The Book of Heroine, is due out in the second quarter of the year, with a new single, “You Will See,” to be released June 10.

“We are extremely thankful to all the fans for understanding the circumstances that our family had to professionally control at a time of grief, and for the kind words of encouragement we received from many of you,” a rep for the estate said in a statement. “We would also like to thank the community of hip-hop artists who came together to help us assemble Prodigy’s last projects. The music belongs to all of you and we are glad we can make it available again and forever.”

The estate describes the forthcoming Hegelian Dialectic album as the second in a trilogy, with the third installment, The Book of the Dead, slated for 2023. That album will be released after a forthcoming new Mobb Deep album, helmed by Havoc, which is described as “currently in the works.”

“In life and death, Prodigy’s impact on the culture and music remains transcendent,” McMillan said in a statement. “It’s an honor to work with the estate of my friend Prodigy, and others who knew and loved Prodigy, as we protect his legacy and return his catalogue back to the marketplace worldwide. So much more to come.”

Prodigy died June 20, 2017 from complications from sickle cell anemia at the age of 42. His work alongside Havoc in Mobb Deep, beginning with their debut album Juvenile Hell in 1993 but cemented by their 1995 masterpiece The Infamous and subsequent releases, cemented the Queens duo as one of the most influential hip-hop groups of all time, and his solo work often hewed to the same standard.

Today, Spotify is launching a fans first activation with first access to exclusive Prodigy merchandise to celebrate the re-release of his catalog, the estate said.

“Prodigy is a once-in-a-generation rapper,” ADA president Cat Kreidich said in a statement. “It’s hard to put into words the impact he had on the world — his sound completely changed the game and influenced so many that came after him. His legacy will live on forever through his music and we’re grateful his estate has entrusted ADA to bring his iconic catalog back where it belongs — with his fans.”

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