A mural to honor the late rapper Prodigy in Long Island City was defaced on Saturday, and after artists restored the piece, it was vandalized a second time on Monday.
Artists Jeff Henriquez and Eli Lazare unveiled the finished mural on July 6, about three weeks after Prodigy, 42, died of complications with sickle cell anemia. The piece, which stands at 13th Street and 40th Avenue, was celebrated by the Queensbridge Houses community, who laid out candles around the mural.
On Saturday, July 8, someone splattered white paint all over the mural. The artists retouched the mural on Sunday only to find it covered in red paint one day later.
Henriquez on Sunday posted a photo of the restored mural on Instagram.
“THE RESURRECTION. The hood love is strong! 15 hours in one shot to bring back our fallen hip hop general,” he said. “Sadly I expect my wall to get hit again. But regardless. The statement we made today represents the resilience of a community and a deep love for one man. I’m honored to have been asked to do the piece.”
Henriquez seems to be clairvoyant because one day after the post, the piece was hit again.
Prodigy, whose real name was Albert Johnson, started Mobb Deep with Queensbridge resident Havoc, or Kejuan Muchita, in the early ’90s. Prodigy grew up on Long Island and LeFrak City in Corona and met Havoc when they were both attending High School for Art and Design in Manhattan.
Mobb Deep became one of the most successful rap duos, selling more than three million albums and gaining critical acclaim with “The Infamous,” which was released in 1995.
The group went on an indefinite hiatus in 2012 but released a new album called “The Infamous Mobb Deep” in 2014.
