There are those rhymers in hip-hop history who dazzle on the page. The sheer sight of the syllables they string together evokes a sense of technical wizardry—Rakim, Kool G Rap and Nas, for example. Their rhymes are so precise, their cadences so regimented, their flows so airtight. The pinpoint accuracy they write with helps sustain their legacies in the minds of purists.

Prodigy wasn't of that strain. Born in Hempstead, N.Y., he met Havoc when he was 15 in the lunchroom at the High School of Art and Design in Manhattan, and together they became the Poetical Prophets. When Prodigy was 16, he debuted on wax, albeit uncredited, with a guest feature on Hi-Five's "Too Young" from the Boyz n the Hood soundtrack. Someone at Jive Records heard the verse and offered him a solo deal, but musical sparks were flying with Havoc, so he turned down the deal when Jive wouldn't sign the duo. They recorded about 50 songs for their demo, changed their name to Mobb Deep and signed to PolyGram imprint 4th & B'way Records for their debut album, Juvenile Hell, released in 1993. The project featured production from Large Professor and DJ Premier, but Hav and P only produced half of the album's 14 tracks, and the LP did disappointing numbers.

So they revamped. Puff Daddy, who was just starting his own label, wanted them to be the first artists on Bad Boy Records, but they instead opted for a deal with Steve Rifkind's legendary Loud Records under RCA. Prodigy moved to Queensbridge and they began recording The Infamous, the 1995 sophomore Mobb Deep album that would quickly become recognized as one of the greatest rap LPs ever recorded. The rest is simply history.

In between those first two albums, Prodigy found his style. On their biggest single from Juvenile Hell, "Peer Pressure," P spit about a kid named Kenny ("a product of hell") who gets drunk, buys a gun and kills himself. Whereas Prodigy took somewhat of a project window approach on the group's debut album, he began to identify more with characters like Kenny on The Infamous. His rhymes got much darker, his delivery a bit more unhinged and alcohol-laced. He would take liberties with language, like introducing himself as "P, E-double" on the album's intro, "The Start of Your Ending (41st Side)." And he began to let spill the mental suffering that his lifelong sickle cell anemia disease caused him. Backed by Havoc's haunting production, they created beautifully harrowing murder rap and became the embodiment of mid-’90s East Coast hip-hop (Q-Tip's dose of warmth on the production side helped too).

With each successive album of that decade, Mobb Deep continued to build on their legacy as Prodigy developed into a swaggering, untraditional MC who at one point was in the running for illest rapper alive. For all intents and purposes, P was the lead rapper of the group and Havoc was the lead producer. That balance helped them become one of the greatest rap duos of all time.

Now, we've lost a monumental rapper, who passed away Tuesday (June 20), and the best way we know how to mourn is by celebrating his music. Throughout the years, Prodigy stole his fair share of spotlights on other people's records. Below are his 20 most impressive outings as a guest feature. He never knew how to give any less than his all.