Lil 1/2 Dead

Originally published: May 2004

First of all how did you get your name Lil 1/2 Dead?

It came from my brother.

Is there any reasons why you haven't dropped an LP since '96?

Yeah, cause I just wasn't feelin it no more. I wasn't feelin the rap game anymore, but something pushed me back into it. I don't know what it was but now I'm back.

So you're workin on a new album now?

Yeah. I'm workin an album with my boy called Showtyme. Yeah we got a lil' label we tryna come with, 1/2 Tyme Entertainment. We got a hot record, about to show the world what's up.

How close are you to completion of this album?

Well, I say 80%.

Can you throw out some names like producers, or is it just handled by yourself, as far as features?

Joseph Leimberg, Chill from Compton's Most Wanted, yeah and my boys the Neckbones..and myself.

So you're not fuckin with them cats that worked with you on the old albums, Total Trak?

Nah, not neccesarily, but I'm still cool wit em or whatever. I'm thinkin about lettin them mix my record. But you know, they're not really into it no more, so they doing other things. They mix records.

As far as the sound of the album, is it still on the same vibe as the last two or did you try and switch it up and come with a whole different thing this time?

Well, put it like this. When you hear my record, you gon' feel like Death Row just kicked off again.

Are you gonna be singing on this album or rapping, both?

Both of it. Signin' and rappin. You see now, at first I didn't have no control. I had to do what they wanted me to do. Have they beats that they had for me or whatever. But now I'm in control of everything, so y'all really finna see Lil 1/2 Dead can do.

As far as your last two projects you had out. Are you sayin' your not really satisfied with how they dropped, how they came out?

Yeah, I wasn't. I wasn't cause they worked me at the time. They had me put out a single called "Southern Girl". Okay, well think about it, I'm from the Dogg Pound, we don't love hoes. So they like really played me backwards. I'm finna go hard on a bitch.

You have any other projects you workin on at the moment?

Nah, I just been runnin around, messin with Snoop, stayin on his stuff, and Bo Peep. Really, I just been really messin with Snoop, doin my thang and helpin Snoop Dogg.

Speakin of Snoop Dogg, were you ever thinkin' of signing to his label or were you ever signed to his label in the past?

I mean you know, if he came about in the right manner and we can get a deal with it besides, not like on a friendship level, gettin real business about it, I would consider doing something like that, but right now I'm movin so fast I don't even need to go over there. Only thing I need for him to do for me now is get on my record.

Is there anybody else youre featuring on there?

Yeah I got my boy Che Skizza, yeah he's gone come out, he's a west coast hard rider, as a matter of fact I'm lookin at him right here right now. Che Skizza, that's my boy, I see him on yo website as a matter of fact. Yeah and my boy named Showtyme. He's new, alot of people know about him, but he new and he hard. We finna kill the game one time. And I got Chill on my record from CMW. I got Jayo Felony. Really basicaly that's about it. Yeah we keepin it small, so we can get all the money.

So you'll be independnetly releasing the album, you're lookin for a major distribution or backing from a major label or something?

Yeah that's what I'm looking for. But I don't wanna come in as no artist. I wanna come in as a company. I don't wanna be no artist with no ...cuz you'll never get paid.

You have any artists that you're trying to help come up into the rap game or is it pretty much yourself?

Well, really it's Showtyme. My boy Showtyme. And I'm like have my boys back with me, Quicc Ta Mac & Chaos, the Hostyle crew, have them back with me. Let them do a couple things. As of right now, me, Quicc Ta Macc & Showtyme, we got a song on that True Crime Soundtrack. "Hey this is how we live in LA, where my niggaz be bustin big 9's with k's." You heard that song? Well you need to listen to it you can hear what my lil homies sounding like. Real hard.

Were you ever a part of the original 213 crew?

Well basically I was there, but I didn't record nothing and make no music with them at that time. You see, Nate Dogg is my first cousin, Snoop Dogg has been my friend since we were born, Warren G has been my friend forever. You know what I'm saying it was a 4 man crew. While they was forming 213 doing music I was still a knucklehead, I didn't believe yet.

You were learning the game and stuff?

Yeah, I was the baby of the bunch.

Could we possiblysee collabos with you and Warren, you and Nate in the future?

Oh yeah, fo sho, fo sho, and with my cousin Butch Cassidy. We tryin to do the thang.

Are there any outside projects that you are appearing on?

Nah, not right now, cuz we basically tryna get us back right. We haven't been doing too much. You know like Snoop, he's major major, he's been doing alotta stuff with alotta people, but right now, as far as me, Goldie Loc, and like Warren G, Nate Dogg and Butch and us, we tryna get us back right now.

Well, as far as Snoop, what are your views on Doggystyle as a label, you think it's doin as good as it could be?

Well, not at the moment, cuz he don't have any music out there now, but when Latoiya Williams comes out it will be established as a major label. Cuz she is finna kill somebody. She has a very beautiful record. She got, Puffy came and toucher her. She'll be alright.

Back in the Death Row days, did you do songs with them, like when Snoop and the Dogg Pound were first signed and stuff?

Yeah, I been there since day one, but like I said, I was just a knucklehead at the time, I wasn't really tripping too much. I was just happy for my homeboys to be doin what they was doin. I was there on the other side of the fence. But as time went on, I was like, I don't know why I'm sittin here playin, I need to be doin this. So that's why, at the time when I stopped hanging wit em for a lil while I went and got a deal, I was on Priority. After I left by myself and went and I got a record deal, I tried to come back and try to get my homies to do stuff with me, you know Suge had them exclusives. So that's why no one heard Snoop with me or anybody of them on my records.

Yeah, that was another thing what people asked why there wasnt anyone from your click featured on your albums, like the Dogg Pound.

That was cause Suge Knight had the exclusives. Notice when Snoop was on Death Row he wouldnt rap on nobody's records, only in-house stuff. And as soon it made the news about him leavin Death Row, the first song he made was with Jermaine Dupri that it kicked it off, he start doin stuff with everybody.

Yeah then he started fuckin with No Limit.

Yeah, you know what I'm talkin bout. He had everybody exclusive other there, so you know.

There was some news about you supposedly droppin something in partnership with Daz, thats not still goin down is it?

Me and Daz had sat down, we talked about it and whatever, but you know as far as moving forward with it, you know he move too much. I mean hes in Atlanta, he did the little thing with Jermaine Dupri, so you know hes doin that right now. He ain't thinkin about nothin but that right now. It's every man for himself out here right now.

Can you speak on the whole Lil C Style and Swoop G situation, they said you were x'ed from the Pound on a few songs. What was the reason behind all that?

Well, it was a whole bunch of bullshit. That was just, you know how people rap. That was some fictitious rap. How am I gone be x'ed from the Pound when I'm one of the dudes that started it? You know, that's why you don't hear them around us no more. So it really backfired. They tried to get me. All these dudes know that Snoop is my friend, my homie. We been together before this music and we gone be together after this music. And them dudes were tryin to get in and get up under him. But really, they can have my spot. You know what I'm saying, cuz I aint tryin to get up under another man no damn way. I'm out here trying to do my own thang. But they can go about it the female way and try to start somethin. Instead of being a man about. You know, just take me out if you want me out.

So to this day has all that been really resolved?

Yeah, I mean me and Lil C Style we cool. Me and C Style see each other all the time, we cool. But you know Swoop G he's still running around bad mouthing people. I don't know what wrong with him. He's just tried to get on my phone the other day, he just got out of jail, like Thursday or whatever. And the nigga's tried to hit my phone and say something to me. You know I ain't tryin to talk to you.

Would there possibly be a group album between you and your lil click that you got?

Yeah, That's what its gon be right now.


So its not a solo album or wassup?

Well, I got solo songs all over it, you know I'm tryna put out my boy Showtyme, tryna get him in.

As far as a solo album, is that something you planning to drop after this one?

Oh, I'm workin on that at the same time. So I'll probably have a group album and a solo album out at the same time.

In your opinion, how do you feel the west is doin in general right now?

We're doin bad right now, you know and a part of that. And it ain't our fault. you know what im sayin. It got alot to do with alot of big cats in the game cause they not tryna open doors to let anyone else get in, cause they think someone gon take their little shine or whatever, but at the same time, these radio stations are doin us like that. you know what I'm sayin. It just aint us. I'm pretty sure it's west coast rappers out here, we make music every day. And we dont hear none of it on the radio. But let one of these East coast niggas makes a song, you know what I'm sayin, and their shit is on the radio and all that. They just don't do us like that. You know what I'm sayin, but its coo tho.

Yeah, people act like the west has fallen off, like they just went wack all of a sudden.

Nah, it's the radio stations fault, cause they not playin us. They keep on these other niggas. See the radio is what breaks the artist. That's one big part of breakin the artist, the radio. If the radio playin it, everybody gon' wanna play it. You feel me? But if you dont hear it on the radio, how you gon' know about it? Let Jay-Z put out a song right now, let Ja Rule put out a song right now, let 50 put out a song right now. I mean Eminem, he ain't from the West, he from the Midwest or wherever he from, but let him put a out song right now, you know what I'm sayin. That aint even cool man. You know just like I know, theres nigga on these streets is harder than every nigga on the radio. and they trynin' get in but they would not open doors and let em in cause niggas is scared that somebody gon take their shine. And thats all it is.

So you yourself, do you care about any mainstream exposure or is it somethin that you not really tryin to expect or you just tryna do some music that will cater to your true fans. What direction are you exactly looking into?

I mean, I really don't care about being mainstream, but I care about gettin my money though. You know what I'm sayin, so thats what it takes to get what I gotta get, that's what i gotta do. I mean, my album is hot, I got alot of songs that the radio would eat up. I got songs so hot right now, Snoop Dogg tryna buy them like "Man let me buy them songs and put it on my record." Why? so you can get rich and I'd still be here? No, I can't do that. But at the same time I got songs right now that I know the radio would eat up. But, they came with the new game, you cant go over there and bring bombs no more. I don't know what you gotta do to get your shit on the radio. But I guess you gotta send tha muthafucka a present or sumthin, you can't bribe homie with no money, Go buy a nigga a 20 thousand dollar rolex, you know what I'm sayin, to make it seem like you like him or something. That aint cool. Why cant your music just be hot enough that they wanna play it on the radio? you gotta pay for everythang, but its coo though. I'm recoupin from everybody.

More specificaly, who do you see comin up as far as the Longbeach rap scene, to throw out a few names maybe cats like Techniec, E-White, or Bad Azz or people like that? Who do you see steppin it up, and maybe takin it to the level that Snoop has taken it?

Well, right now, the way it's goin, I don't mean to say it, but I'm keepin it real, but I do believe thats gon be me jack. I will put some snippets on the computer, on your website and let people hear it, so they know this nigga is not playin. Cause I got heaters on there I got heaters on there to let people know here I come and im not playin. When they hear it, they gon be wantin it. But I ain't takin nothin from Bad Azz, thats my lil homey he doin his thang. But like I said it's alot of unknown names out here that's really hard. That's tryin to get into this game, and when they flip their way up in this game, they gon be looked at and they're gonna be watched. Cause I'm not just also a rapper, singer or a producer, I'm also an A&R man, and I know what I hear. Some of these dudes out here, are really gonna make some noise.

So you still workin with Chill & stuff, are you still down with MC Eiht?

Yeah, yeah you know I'm cool. I ain't got no problems with nobody. I ain't got problems with no muthafucka but Swoop G. [laughs]

What do you think about Kurupt and the whole situation with him leaving to Death Row, without really lettin anybody know his decision. Do you think he was just doin what he had to do to get money or you think that was kinda like stabbin his friends in the back?

Well, basically it was betrayal. It was betrayal but at the same time we don't even care because you see how that boy livin now, it's worse than what he ever been livin. Women see him and be like "Why he look like that?" He over there stressed out, he ain't livin like how he wanna live. When he wanna come home, BAM! But we ain't opened the door yet.

You got any last words to the fans or to the haters?

Well all I gotta say is, you can hate me now, but you gonna love me in the end. Please believe it. And for the people that really care about me and love me, stay down with me, I'm finna give y'all something good.