Everyone has lauded JAY-Z’s recent dealing out of gems, not just on his 4:44 LP, but in a new interview on the Rap Radar podcast.
Part Two of the sitdown with hosts Elliott Wilson and B. Dot debuted this afternoon on TIDAL and one highlight was certainly JAY speaking on Prodigy from Mobb Deep.
“I feel like, man, a lot of us, Sean [Price] and [Big] Kap dying. We have to really pay attention,” JAY began to say. “[Prodigy] obviously had a sickness and there’s no control of what happened to him. But we have to take care of ourselves. We really do. These guys are dying young. We have to focus on that. I had super respect for Prodigy. In order for me to spar with you, really spar, I gotta respect you in some way. I gotta respect you. I sampled him on my first album, so you know I was aware of him and and had a respect him.”
Hov says that he and P, who he famously went at on the “Takeover” and put on the infamous “Summer Jam screen” 15 years ago, actually officially settled their differences face-to-face.
“We spoke,” Jigga revealed. “Me and him spoke before he passed. I saw him in a club, maybe five years ago. He just came over and we kicked it… It’s just sad. Blessings to his family. It’s sad. Young, young man.”
Prodigy died suddenly in late June after being hospitalized in Las Vegas for complications with his Sickle Cell Anemia. According to the Clark County Medical Examiner’s report, the rap legend passed away from an accidental choking while consuming an egg.