Half-A-Mil's lyrics are stitched together in a manner that depicts a thug educated by the streets and tough life experiences.He can comfortably spit out flows for the gritty and grimy street cats, or open up his mind and conjure up conscious lyrics as well. His personality could be described as laidback, but I think that in his case, the level of poise that I detected came with experience.
Like many, I became familiar with Half from his involvement with The Firm, which resulted in him being featured on, Throw Ya Guns, and the Firm Biz remix. But Half's style and Hip-Hop roots extend back many years before Nas, AZ, and Foxy Brown were even thinking about forming an organized Hip-Hop rhyme syndicate. "I came in at the tail end of The Firm situation. When I came in the door, they were making their plans to depart." says Half.
Half's musical journey has been filled with roadblocks and hard times that required perseverance. After being introduced to rap veteran Big Daddy Kane through a mutual friend, Half soon became an artist on the roster of Black Caesar Records, Kane's label. He recorded the track, “2 Piece” with Kane, but unfortunately for Half, Black Caesar folded. All of the artists on the label were left to fend for self.
"I was left like, how am I gonna make this happen? Big Daddy Kane...na big artist like that. Who am I? I don't know nobody." Half explains. A lot of artists would have given up, but Half only became hungrier. He went to the lab and pressed up his first single, Any Day Can Be Ya Last, which quickly started to bubble on the streets. As his reputation and name began to spread in the underground, he ran into AZ, who asked Half to join The Firm.
After his short stint with The Firm, Half was signed to Penalty Records. Once again, he was in the perfect position to shine. But, as fate would have it, the record label he was signed to folded. He had built up a name for himself on the streets, but he lacked mainstream success. Different individuals handle struggle in many different fashions. When chasing the mighty dollar, a life of rhyme can easily become a life of crime. Half remained focused throughout the constant drama, because of his love for the art form.
"I was doing Hip-Hop way back in the days, saying I didn't care about no money. You know how you love something so much, you say I just wanna have myself heard?" says Half. Now signed to Warlock Records, Half is poised to release his sophomore effort, Da Hustle Don't Stop. Half likes the diversity the Hip-Hop game offers, and acknowledges the fact that Hip-Hop is a force whose influence extends across the globe in various mediums. He also recognizes that on many levels, the culture has become polluted.
“Everybody's coming to milk this Hip-Hop game now. I don't really think that you have a lot of people out there that really truly love this Hip-Hop, as opposed to loving what they can get off of it," explains Half.
Half-A-Mil's new album drops on July 30th. He promises that it will be packed with many different flows, thought provoking subject matter, and the grittiness of the street, that his fans have become accustomed to.
“Da hustle don't stop. Whether in a bad situation or good situation, you have to make the best of what you have." states Half-A-Mil.
R.I.P. Half-A-Mil...you are missed