Rapper Prodigy, Of Mobb Deep, Dies At 42

Prodigy, the lead rapper of the hip-hop duo Mobb Deep, died on Tuesday at the age of 42. His cause of death has yet to be determined, but a publicist for the group issued a statement saying that Prodigy was hospitalized in Las Vegas for complications caused by sickle cell anemia.

He was from the Queensbridge housing projects, and his music spoke of life there. "I'm only 19, but my mind is old," he said in the song "Shook Ones." And in 2013, he told NPR, "[Hip-hop] gave me a life ... my life before hip-hop was just pain."

Shawn Bodden, producer at WBUR.