“Illuminati wants my mind soul and my body,” rapped Prodigy on LL Cool J’s “I Shot Ya (Remix).” Two decades later the Mobb Deep member sat down with Peter Bailey to discuss Hip Hop’s obsession with linking successful artists to the so-called secret society.

“It’s too much confusion with all that Illuminati stuff and all that secret society stuff. We need people that’s able to explain it in the right way,” said Prodigy. “It’s not what everybody thinks it is. They put a lot of misinformation on the internet, because they know the young kids are interested. They’re trying to learn. They’re investigating.”

One rapper that has long been suspected of being connected to the Illuminati is Jay Z. The Brooklyn born emcee even sampled Prodigy’s “I Shot Ya” line for his own “D’Evils.” That song is often cited by conspiracy theorists as “proof” that Jay works with dark forces.

While Prodigy contends there is a system in place that is used to control the population and wipe out the history of African-Americans, he does not believe Jay Z or any entertainer is part of a group maintaining that hierarchy.

“When somebody like [President] Obama wins, ‘Oh, he’s Illuminati.’ Or when Jay Z sells whatever million records, ‘[It’s] cause he’s Illuminati. He got Beyoncé. They’re down with the Illuminati.’ A lot of that stuff is false information,” added Prodigy. “There’s a lot of truth to the politic side and the government side, but a lot of these artists – they have nothing to do with that.”

Earlier in the interview, Prodigy admitted he was not an early supporter of Obama, and he did not agree with the idea of voting for a candidate just because he was Black. He later changed his views on the importance of Obama’s race as the Commander In Chief.

“I seen a lot of red flags with Obama, certain things that he wasn’t bringing up, certain things he wouldn’t challenge in the debates. Like the Federal Reserve and how corrupt it is,” Prodigy stated. “Later on I started to realize, ‘You know what? It’s good that we have a Black president, because it inspires the young Black kids out there that feel hopeless.’ He gives hope to my son and my daughter when they can see a Black family in the White House. That’s cool, but to me it’s just a look.”