Rapper Prodigy of Mobb Deep was reported dead on Tuesday, June 20th at the age of 42. As of this report, the rapper's cause of death hasn't been officially reported but it may be related to his recent health issue. It was indicated by reports that he'd been hospitalized in Las Vegas, Nevada due to recent health complications. Here's the latest information about the hip-hop star's career, death, and the music world's mourning of the rap legend.

One-half of Mobb Deep

The rap group Mobb Deep consisted of rappers Havoc and Prodigy. Before joining Mobb Deep, Prodigy first went by the alias "Lord-T." After signing with Jive records, he appeared on a "Boyz N The Hood" soundtrack song called "Too Young" by the group Hi-Five.

Prodigy went on to meet Havoc during high school and the duo originally called themselves "The Political Prophets."

The duo put out a number of albums with their 1995 sophomore release, "The Infamous," considered a classic in the hip-hop genre by most fans. It featured well-known hits, "Shook Ones Pt. II" and "Survival of the Fittest," along with an all-star guest list of rappers, including Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, and Q-Tip. The group's 1999 album, "Murda Muzik," was the most commercially successful release, reaching Platinum status.

The two rappers would also branch off with solo albums and projects.

Prodigy's solo discography included a total of eight releases including "H.N.I.C." in 2000, as well as "Pt. 2" and "3" in 2008 and 2012. Prodigy release two albums along with producer The Alchemist including "Albert Einstein" in 2013. His most recent release as a solo artist came in 2014 with Boogz Boogetz called "Young Rollin Stonerz." There was a rumored 2017 solo album coming from Prodigy named "The Hegelian Dialect" which has yet to be released.

Prodigy's death

It was reported by Rolling Stone and other sources that Prodigy was hospitalized recently due to complications involving Sickle Cell Anemia. Mobb Deep's publicist released a statement regarding the rapper's death indicating that Prodigy had been hospitalized a few days ago after a performance by the group in Las Vegas.

It was also said that he'd been dealing with sickle cell anemia since birth.

The hip-hop community and Mobb Deep fans were shocked on Tuesday when it was learned that Prodigy, real name Albert Johnson, had died at age 42. He had been known for having rap beefs with many notable stars including Nas, Jay-Z, and Snoop Dogg. Among the rap music stars to offer their thoughts on the loss were Nas, MC Lyte, Method Man, Lil Wayne, Wiz Khalifa, and Big Boi from Outkast.

In addition, fellow Mobb Deep member Havoc posted several Instagram images with one of those pictures containing the caption, "Forever" to indicate that Prodigy's legacy will continue to live on through his music and through his contribution to the hip-hop genre.