(AllHipHop Features) Prodigy first made a name for himself as one half of the gritty New York City rap group Mobb Deep. Along with his partner Havoc, the Queens duo produced notable music projects including The Infamous and Hell on Earth.
Beyond contributing verses on Hip Hop gems such as “Shook Ones Pt. II” and “Quiet Storm” Prodigy also used his writing talent to craft his autobiography My Infamous Life (2011) and the novella H.N.I.C. (2013). H.N.I.C. was released by P’s own Infamous Books publishing imprint which is just the latest branch of Prodigy’s growing entrepreneurial empire. The 38-year-old veteran emcee also launched his “Infamous” apparel line this year as well.
Prodigy spoke with Mr. Mecc backstage at AllHipHop.com’s 15 Year Anniversary Concert at SOB’s in NYC, and he shared that his continuous drive to expand his business portfolio is inspired by one of the elders from his family.
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“I saw my grandmother build her business from the basement of her crib. She owned and operated her own business,” says Prodigy. “She was a very successful black women back in the 40’s and 50’s when it was racists and it was hard to come up for any black person.”
According to Prodigy, watching his grandmother build a successful company was a powerful example for his own moves in the business world.
“She taught me a lot. She use to talk to me about finance, saving your money,” explains P. “A lot of my drive comes from her. From her experiences and things that she taught me, and a lot of it just comes from just wanting to be successful.”
Prodigy also took a moment to share that his relationship with Havoc is back in a good place after reports of the two having issues surfaced last year. The pair reunited to embark on the nationwide Mobb Deep 20th Anniversary Tour this past spring.
[ALSO READ: Mobb Deep Announces 20th Anniversary Tour]
“Me and Hav, we’re like brothers,” says Prodigy. “We had a little disagreement that spilled out to the public, that was corny. But it what it is. We’re back on the road. We’re working on the next Mobb Deep album right now.”
Watch part 1 of the Prodigy interview below.