50 of the Greatest Mobb Deep Songs

Editor's Note: This story was revised on June 20, 2017 from its original publication in 2012 to reflect Prodigy's untimely passing.

June 20, 2017 will forever be remembered as another devastating day in hip-hop, being that the passing of Queensbridge rep and New York legend Prodigy was announced just a few hours ago. As a solo artist and member of the infamous Mobb Deep with Havoc, Prodigy has inspired hundreds of rappers wishing to follow in his footsteps. Now he leaves behind an incredibly indelible catalog containing some of the best verses in hip-hop to date.

Though Havoc and Prodigy's had a few bumps along the road, thankfully, their hiatus was short winded. As of late, the two had been touring together for the majority of 2017 as they hit the 20th anniversary of the duo's classic Hell on Earth album, which provided gems like "Extortion," "Animal Instinct" and "Man Down." Most recently, Mobb Deep had performed with one another at the Art of Rap Fest alongside collaborator Raekwon, Ghostface Killah and KRS-One less than a week ago.

Havoc, who had known Prodigy since their teenage years, posted two photos when news broke of his death, captioning "Forever" underneath the image of the two in their youth. Nas, Vince Staples, Conway and dozens of other rap artists have joined in as well, reciting some of Prodigy's memorable lyrics on social media as they pay tribute to him, proving that this has truly been a painful loss for everyone in the hip-hop community.

As we remember one of the city's best lyricists today, XXL has compiled a list of 50 Mobb Deep songs that will forever go down in history.

Rest in Power, Prodigy.