A rapper who was one-half of a seminal New York-based hip-hop duo died today at 42, with Rolling Stone reporting the death of Albert Johnson, better known as Prodigy.

Prodigy was half of the hip-hop outfit Mobb Deep.

Mobb Deep’s publicist said in a statement provided to Rolling Stone: “Prodigy was hospitalized a few days ago in Vegas after a Mobb Deep performance for complications caused by a sickle cell anemia crisis. As most of his fans know, Prodigy battled the disease since birth. The exact causes of death have yet to be determined. We would like to thank everyone for respecting the family’s privacy at this time.”

Prodigy paired with Havoc as Mobb Deep, releasing eight records together. Their 1995 album “The Infamous” is considered a hardcore New York City classic and includes one of their signature songs, “Shook Ones Pt. II.”

Their last release was “The Infamous Mobb Deep” in 2014.