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The Hip-Hop community continues to cope with a massive loss. The tributes have been pouring in since Mobb Deep’s Prodigy passed away last week at the young age of 42 due to complications from sickle cell anemia – a disease which he’d battled with since birth. Following last week’s Bandana P tribute from Q-Tip’s Abstract Radio, Hot 97’s Peter Rosenberg showed love by dedicating a special episode of Real Late with Peter Rosenberg to the fallen rap icon.
For his tribute show, Rosenberg not only curated a mean mix of Prodigy’s finest raps, but also enlisted two of rap’s most celebrated lyricists to rap P’s verses one time. The tribute show kicks off with Eminem spitting classic bars from from the choice Mobb Deep cut “Survival of the Fittest” (1995).
“There’s a war going on outside no man is safe from. You can run but you can’t hide forever. From these, streets that we done took. You walking with ya head down; scared to look. You shook, cause ain’t no such things as halfway crooks.”
Following Slim Shady’s tribute, none other than Kendrick Lamar keeps the light burning for Prodigy. The DAMN. MC jumps into the intro segment kicking lyrics from “Genesis” off of Prodigy’s 2000 solo album, H.N.I.C. For those who caught the BET Awards on Sunday, K. Dot’s appreciation for the Queens rapper should come as no surprise. During his acceptance speech after winning the “Best Male Hip-Hop Artist” award, Kendrick credited the Mobb Deep co-founder as inspiring his first mixtape at the age of 16.
Hit the jump for the full radio mix of Rosenberg’s Prodigy tribute. The tribute show includes excerpts from past Prodigy interviews, as well as some of that vintage Mobb Deep slick talk. Take a trip back to Queensbridge and get stuck off the realness, dunn.
For more odes to Bandana P, head over to Pitchfork for a remembrance of Prodigy in six songs.
