Īlthough the track was stated by Keith Murray to not have any lyrical shots aimed at Tupac, Mobb Deep responded in the following year to Tupac's ' Hit Em Up' with ' Drop a Gem on 'Em,' a promotional single from their 1996 album Hell On Earth. The song became a minor part of the East Coast–West Coast hip hop rivalry, due to Tupac Shakur believing the song to be a diss referring to his robbery/shooting in Manhattan, New York at Quad Recording Studios – singling out the song's title (which many assumed was connected to Biggie's ' Who Shot Ya?'), certain lyrics, and the timing of its release – the year after the shooting incident. 1995 was also the year that Prodigy began to raise his solo profile, by providing a guest appearance on LL Cool J's controversial ' I Shot Ya (remix)'. Initially compared to fellow rapper Nas, who took a similar approach lyrically on his Illmatic album from 1994, Mobb Deep released The Infamous in 1995, which was certified Gold by the RIAA within the first two months of its release. Music career 1995–1999: The Infamous, Hell on Earth and Murda Muzik

In 1993, Mobb Deep released its debut album Juvenile Hell on 4th & B'way/ Island/ PolyGram Records.

Under the alias Lord-T (The Golden Child), the then-16-year-old Johnson landed an uncredited guest appearance on the Boyz n the Hood soundtrack, for his collaborative efforts on the song 'Too Young' by Hi-Five in 1991. The duo became Poetical Prophets before choosing the name Mobb Deep. While attending the High School of Art and Design in Manhattan, he met his future music partner, Havoc. His great-great-great-grandfather, William Jefferson White, founded Georgia's Morehouse College.

His father, Budd Johnson Jr., was a member of a doo-wop music group called The Chanters. His mother, Fatima Frances (Collins) Johnson, was a member of The Crystals. Both of them are remembered for their contributions to the bebop era of jazz. His grand-uncle, Keg Johnson, was a trombonist. His grandfather Budd Johnson was a saxophonist who was inducted into the Big Band and Jazz Hall of Fame in 1993. Prodigy was born on November 2, 1974, in Hempstead, New York, on Long Island.

With Havoc, he was one half of the hip hop duo Mobb Deep. Albert Johnson (Novem– June 20, 2017), better known by his stage name Prodigy, was an American rapper.

How to be a member on prodigy for free