Steve 'Flash' Juon“I’m in a two-man cell, with my homie Lil 1/2 Dead” – Snoop Dogg
These days being name checked in a song by the legendary Snoop Dogg would raise the bar of expectations so high that some rappers would shy away from it. Back in 1992 though it was a completely unknown variable when Calvin Broadus casually mentioned him on Dr. Dre’s “Lil’ Ghetto Boy.” Snoop was a rising star in hip-hop but he was far from the household name that he is today. It’s hard to argue it didn’t work out well though for a young Donald Dewayne Smith. Hailing from Long Beach and being kin to Snoop and his friends put Smith in the right place at the right time to get a shout out on an album that is now hailed as a rap masterpiece. It wouldn’t be long before he released “The Dead Has Arisen” in ’94 to cash in on his newfound fame.
As Wikipedia tends to say in articles, the album received “generally favorable reviews” noting that despite his macabre name Dead had a laid back delivery and pleasing to the ear G-funk production. One thing stands out on both his debut and the sophomore effort “Steel on a Mission” though — where’s Snoop Dogg? It’s a bit strange that the man who either accidentally or purposefully put Lil 1/2 Dead on the map didn’t even make a brief cameo for an interlude or a skit, let alone provide a full verse on a track. It’s not just Snoop that’s absent. No Warren G, no Nate Dogg, no Daz or Kurupt on either LP. In fact on the followup the single biggest guest star on “Steel” is Tha Chill, better known as the rapper from Compton’s Most Wanted completely overshadowed by MC Eiht. Geah.
Let’s be real like Cypress Hill for a second — I’m probably stirring a pot that didn’t need it. Death Row Records may have contractually prevented anybody from appearing on Lil 1/2 Dead’s albums for their own reasons, and clearly Lil 1/2 Dead didn’t sign with the Row for his own reasons. It’s hard to fault him given how ugly things got, prompting one star after another to bail out until even Dr. Dre couldn’t take it and left to form Aftermath (and get the last laugh). It’s just awfully strange given that he was related to both Nate and Snoop yet couldn’t work with either of them — strange, and a damn shame.
Unfortunately I think this also lead to Lil 1/2 Dead’s longevity being cut in half (or more). The aforementioned Wikipedia doesn’t even consider him notable enough to merit an entry of his own, although his first two albums just barely cross their threshold. You might think that’s odd, but what’s really odd to me is how generic “Steel on a Mission” was in 1996 and still is today. I think those family connections could have injected some life into his sophomore album and his career, but even that wouldn’t change the fact this album sounds like watered down Warren G, who (respectfully) sounded like watered down Dr. Dre. How much water can you add to vodka before it’s just water? We’re dangerously close to finding out here. Take “If You Don’t Know” featuring Hostyle for example.
“Sit back for a second, let this real nigga speak”
This sounds exactly like a track that would have been left on the cutting room floor while recording “Dogg Food.” Daz, DJ Pooh, Dre and Kurupt are all better producers than Kenneth “K-Phlx” Manning on this song. His partner in crime Damon “Twin” Rose who handled the other half of the production duties is equally uninspired. If you’re imitating something that sounds good it’s hard to sound BAD but it’s equally hard to stand out. Allegedly Priority Records released “Southern Girl” as a single but it didn’t even cross my radar back then nor do I remember seeing a video. Thanks to the wonders of YouTube though I was able to confirm it actually exists.
In summary I have absolutely nothing against Mr. Smith nor “Steel on a Mission.” I get the feeling somebody did him dirty for him to be in the position he was in, forced to use ineffective producers and lesser known guest stars and not leverage any of his family connections or the brush with fame that Snoop Dogg’s shoutout gave him. He didn’t quit rapping per se, but it would be 16 more years before he dropped a third album, and let’s face it — Lil 1/2 Dead’s career was ACTUALLY dead by then. He may have been half dead all along, because you get the feeling on this album he’s going through the motions knowing he’s never going to get any further than this.