010: "There's A War Going On Outside No Man Is Safe From, You Could Run But You can't Hide Forever..."
010: "There's A War Going On Outside No Man Is Safe From, You Could Run But You can't Hide Forever..."
Prodigy reminds us that time waits for nobody
It was Prodigy’s birthday recently. Born on November 2nd 1974, I saw a lot of deserved love and praise for his legacy across social media. Furthermore, this month holds even more significance to him as an artist, as he dropped his debut album “H.N.I.C”, and Mobb Deep released “Hell On Earth” in November too (14th, 2000 and 19th, 1996 respectively).
He was a complex man with even more complex thoughts and ideas. Prodigy possessed and displayed a steel and resilience in his life, music and how he interacted with the world around him that was to be admired. Perhaps he was an overthinker attempting to homogenise his feelings into more formal proposals, or he was an inquisitive student of life searching for connections and meaning to the world we live in through trial and error. Regardless, he was able to stimulate minds across the world with his profound ability to communicate, be it through his raps or otherwise.
With Havoc, he formed a group that is etched in hip-hop royalty for as long as the world spins. As a solo artist, he showed charisma and personality in abundance to carry projects and songs on his own. Away from his notepad, he wrote books, open letters and had plans to bring movies and documentaries to life onto our screens. Prodigy was a polymath whose talents shined away from the microphone as well. Unfortunately, he passed away before he was able to complete the entirety of his goals. His music however continues to live forever.
The strength of Prodigy’s character, the depth of his analytical thoughts and overall mental toughness were visible traits in his rhymes from the moment he burst on to the hip-hop scene. Mobb Deep flew out of the traps with their hardcore, rugged and murky songs that penetrated listeners’ receptors from the first second. Street life, dark times of living impoverished and the challenges to survive were constant themes they explored. In their second album in particular, the classic “The Infamous”, Mobb Deep were able to perfectly capture their rise through the desperate circumstances they faced whilst continuing to bring an artistic edge to their music, both production-wise and lyrically.
Prodigy was no stranger to articulating his opinions around politics, sociology and general knowledge/understanding too, whether controversially or not. He continued in this vein, focusing especially on conspiracy theories around governments and mass media - “Illuminati want my mind, soul and my body” being one of his most iconic soundbites. This subject would ultimately be the focus of his creative output during his final days too, as he was reportedly working on a documentary/musical around the topic. Prodigy was never afraid to voice his opinion despite the sensitivity of the material at hand; in fact, in true Prodigy fashion, he’d double down on these thoughts and would maintain his beliefs. While I personally do not agree with Prodigy’s conclusions around these matters, I have full admiration for how he always looked forward and seized opportunities and dialogue regardless of risk and any opposition. This is none more evident than how Prodigy started off his verse in “Survival Of The Fittest” - a song that is quintessentially Mobb Deep and personifies the golden era of hip-hop.
“There's a war going on outside no man is safe from,
You could run, but you can't hide forever…”
This particular Bar Of Wisdom holds so much weight and value. For starters, it is exactly the type of outlook and narrative we expect to hear from Prodigy; it just makes it that little bit more powerful to be the very first thing he says on the track. But what I find most inspiring is that Prodigy developed and maintained this viewpoint on his lifestyle even when the chips were truly down. Whether it was with Havoc, his own solo material or features and collaborations, you can’t help but feel that it was all on the line for him with every verse he laid. This proved true for him as he was battling through sickle cell anaemia whilst still dedicating his energy towards his craft, making a difference and taking a firm stance through his art. It goes back to his steel, resilience, strength of mind and character. He moved full steam ahead despite the many wars he encountered in life.
Prodigy’s mindset, logic and philosophy for life are key transferrable lesson fans or the general public can takeaway. Most importantly though is, as stated in his wisdom, “you can run but you can’t hide forever”. Here was a man who was aware he was on borrowed time due to his health conditions but still made every moment, every ounce of his energy used be counted. He is somebody who, in the face of uphill battles growing up and becoming a man, decided and succeeded in taking matters into his own hands. He is somebody who voiced his feelings about the way the world works in public, open for all to engage and and give feedback on. Prodigy was fearless and would seek approval from nobody but himself. When somebody has this kind of character, regardless of differences in opinions and findings, you simply have to give them their due respect - it’s what they’ve earnt and rightfully commanded. I can’t help but feel that this needs to resonate now more than ever in the midst of culture wars, tribalism and cults of personality being a regular, everyday fixture in the modern, digitised world.
Do yourself justice, utilise your mind.
WhosAria
A Word On The Song/Artist
Havoc’s use of guitar riffs throughout “The Infamous” was exceptional, with the beats for “Shook Ones Part II” and for this song, “Survival Of The Fittest” being standouts. Mobb Deep’s prime cannot be ignored and have been regular nominees when discussing the peaks of hip-hop in the 90s (and in general of course). The legendary duo made timeless songs and projects together despite their ups and downs, and Prodigy’s impact individually adds more greatness to the legend of Mobb Deep. May he rest in power.