Prodigy Crafts H.N.I.C. 3 From Mobb Deep Sessions

'When you listen to the mixtape, you're hearing all the songs that didn't make the album that's about to come out,' Prodigy tells Mixtape Daily.
By Rob Markman, with reporting by Ade Mangum

Prodigy
Photo: MTV News

Mixtape Daily: Main Pick
Mixtape: H.N.I.C. 3

Headliner: Prodigy

Representing: Queens, New York

Real Spit:: In the studio, Mobb Deep is all work and no play. For the group's upcoming full-length album, Prodigy claims to have recorded a ton of songs — way more than an album's worth of material. Rather than let them go to waste, Prodigy decided to gift-wrap 26 of those tracks and package them as his latest mixtape, H.N.I.C. 3.

"The process of recording the H.N.I.C. 3 mixtape, it's basically when I'm working on an album, I'm working on hundreds of songs," Prodigy told Mixtape Daily. "Mobb Deep, that's just how we work: thousands and thousands of songs. When you listen to the mixtape, you're hearing all the songs that didn't make the album that's about to come out, but it's still good enough for representing Prodigy, representing H.N.I.C., representing Infamous."

With a bulk of the production provided by Mobb Deep's Havoc, Prodigy goes on a lyrical tear. The Queens MC balances out his features well. French Montana, Waka Flocka Flame, Cory Gunz and Lady Luck all show up to assist, but Pee remains the "Head N---a in Charge" throughout.

On "That's Nasty," Prodigy shows flashes of the young version of himself that threatened to "Stab your brain with your nose bone" on his mid-'90s classic "Shook Ones Pt. II." Over the bluesy Havoc-produced track, he starts, "Blood dribbling, while I stand back giggling/ Brass knuckles on my fingers and pain tingling."

The murderous theme carries throughout. On "Slaughterhouse," Prodigy imagines bringing death to a government cooperative who takes the stand in court, and on "Make a Hole," he recounts his days in jail, writing rhymes that he was unable to record.

Now that he's home, however, Prodigy doesn't seem to be letting an opportunity pass him by. Maybe the thousands of songs he says he has in the stash is an exaggeration, but no matter the number, they all seem to be potent.

Joints to Check For

» "Lay Low": "This is one of the first joints that I did when I came home from my little bid that I did, and French came through the studio in Queens and showed some love. We made a banger."

» "Great Spitters": "That song right there is crazy. That's produced by Havoc. You wouldn't even think that song was produced by Havoc because Hav is the type of producer that is extremely versatile. To me, this one of those songs that's got potential to last for a very long time. It's not one of those trendy rap beats: It's one of those real soulful songs. Those lyrics is on point, the beat is on point. It's gonna last a very long time.

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Related Artists

• Prodigy of Mobb Deep

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