H.N.I.C. is the debut solo album by American rapper Prodigy. The album was scheduled for a September release, but ultimately released November 14, 2000. After four Mobb Deep albums, Prodigy took a temporary break from the group and released his first solo effort. "H.N.I.C." is an initialism for "Head Nigga in Charge." Prodigy enlisted a number of producers for the album, including The Alchemist, EZ Elpee, Rockwilder, Just Blaze and his Mobb Deep partner Havoc. Music videos were done for "Keep It Thoro" and "Y.B.E" (Young Black Entrepreneurs). The album received widespread critical acclaim. The song "Keep It Thoro" was released on vinyl. A sequel, H.N.I.C. Pt. 2 was released April 22, 2008. It features production by Havoc, a fellow member of Mobb Deep and The Alchemist among others. In 2011, after being released from prison, Prodigy began work on the third album in the series, H.N.I.C. 3. The album inspired rapper, Wiz Khalifa's album, O.N.I.F.C. The album was certified Gold by the RIAA on December 18, 2000. The album also inspired a 16-year-old, Kendrick Lamar, who dropped his Y.H.N.I.C. project in 2003. Background While Prodigy was working on H.N.I.C. and the Murda Muzik album with Mobb Deep, he started living a healthy lifestyle. His verse on "Quiet Storm" explains this: "I spent too many nights sniffin' coke, gettin' right wastin' my life, now I'm trying to make things right." Although Quiet Storm appeared on Murda Muzik, it was originally planned for H.N.I.C. Prodigy addresses his lifelong experience with Sickle-cell disease on the track "You Can Never Feel My Pain." On this track he also explains that this disease makes him depressed, which made him crave for controlled substances and alcohol. A further example of this conscious writing style is visible in the lyrics of the song "Genesis." "The positive and negative war has now begun. P helps you separate both the sides let the truth arise, black devil doesn't hide You can't hide from me, you might from the others. I've been employed to pull your ass out from the covers. You walk like you got hooves and talk like you 'sposed to. Trickin my brothers into followin you? Yo, Potential energy is easily made kinetic." The album is not strictly conscious, though. The album also contains songs with hardcore lyrics. Prodigy can therefore be described as a 'conscious gangster'. On the track H.N.I.C, Prodigy lets you know that