Happy 20th Anniversary to Half-A-Mill’s debut album Milíon, originally released May 9, 2000.
It’s unfortunate that the current young hip-hop audience is experiencing the pains of being deprived of some of their brightest talent. The last few years have seen the loss of rappers Juice Wrld, XXXtentacion, and Pop Smoke, who were all on the incline of promising careers. Their untimely deaths leave question marks for fans and mere spectators of what would have been, had we not been deprived of their artistry so early.
Regrettably, this isn’t a new phenomenon. The environments that produce some of the most provocative street tales and nurture many of our favorite hip-hop narrators are often grim and turn young stars into painted faces on sidewalk murals for neighborhood memorials.
In the early 2000’s, my friends and I were faced with the same grief when we learned about the loss of a Brooklyn-bred rapper by the name of Half-A-Mill, who died in his home on October 24, 2003. Not a household name to the masses, but a formidable emcee nonetheless, he helped add some depth to the sound of East Coast hip-hop at the turn of the century, particularly with his debut album Milíon in the year 2000.
Going back to 1997, one of hip-hop’s most anticipated albums was The Firm, a collaboration by the supergroup of Nas, Foxy Brown, AZ, and Nature, produced by Dr. Dre, The Trackmasters, and L.E.S. Reviews from fans and critics were mixed, the unfavorable perspectives I suspect were because the expectations were sky high for such a star-studded ensemble. Two things I specifically remember discussing with my friends after our first few listens were the standout performances by the newest addition to the group, Nature, and the album’s very last song “Throw Your Guns” which featured AZ and his presumptive protégé Half-A-Mill.
After AZ’s brief intro, Half slid onto the Poke and Tone (Trackmasters) track with a confident cadence that made us all feel like this might be the new wave in hip-hop. “You acquired the knowledge? / my brainwaves cause riots in college / science scholar in this world of violence and dollars / Firm rappin’ god, from the projects, it ain't hard / from Medicaid cards to platinum cars, my click is that large.” Just those brief bars alone encompass enough to show that Half had that special mixture of diction, delivery, and intellect for the makings of a rare emcee, while also leaving us in more suspense of the contents of his rhyme book, with Half providing an additional verse for good measure.
The next time I remember hearing Half was about six months later, on AZ’s Pieces of a Man (1998), which happened to be the first album by a Firm member after their 1997 collaboration. On somewhat of a posse cut, which featured AZ and Nature, Half seemed even more comfortable for the introspective outing, which juxtaposed AZ and The Firm’s Martin Scorsese-esque street sagas. Half provided what many proclaim to be the standout performance, which was no easy feat for a relative newcomer who had to add a verse in between two of the game’s most effortless beat-slayers. Half’s bars “Keep us from simply, unifyin', organizin' / we all are fallin', when we think we all are risin' / we pop Crist on the horizon / topless chicks wit thick thighs and / I'd rather be civilizin' / enterprisin', improvisin' / temperature risin' / Elohim gave me the guidance / Told me leave those 85ers alone, blend wit the wise men,” not only added a new dimension to the song but almost the entire world of hip-hop at the time.
Thinking back to 1998, Tupac Shakur’s death was still fresh, leaving a void for ghetto street prophets who traversed the rare path where an emcee understood the streets and seemed to speak from experience and offered insight without coming off preachy or judgmental. Easing into our late teens, my friends and I were familiar with the landmark projects by Public Enemy and N.W.A, but we were more so the children of Illmatic and Strictly 4 My N.I.G.G.A.Z. These were the seminal albums released during our adolescence that reported what we saw every day in the hood, along with the spiritual possibilities of the religious alternatives to Sunday church services forced on us by our parents and grandparents.
Although we were still being introduced to Half, in him we were beginning to identify with a new voice of lyrical dexterity, that could captivate us with the cinematic Mafioso rhymes that had become a staple of East Coast hip-hop, while mixing jewels, in the vernacular of the Nation of Gods and Earths, Nuwaubians, and Hebrew Israelites that also tugged at our spiritual curiosity. That was one of the qualities I remember standing out to me about Half-A-Mill, his versatility between hard-knock street rhymes and knowledge-of-self wisdom was in the tradition early 2Pac, Ice Cube, and Tragedy Khadafi.
Half was also incredibly skilled, and rose to the head of his class on the New York City mixtape circuit during the late ‘90s. A time when emcees like Fabulous, Cam’Ron, and The LOX were all looking to break out from arguably hip-hop’s most prestigious proving ground. Half’s distinct lyricism served as the highlight for Tony Touch and Doo Wop tapes along with his appearances on The Stretch Armstrong and Bobbito Show. It didn’t seem to be long before Half’s brand of lyricism would receive its biggest exposure, when he added what would become an underground street-anthem for the popular film Belly’s soundtrack released in late 1998. The song “Some N***az” is arguably Half’s signature performance, a go-to record for his most loyal fans and the easiest to recognize for the casual listener.
Half’s next major breakout was adding flames to the American release of the action film Black Mask. Half was enlisted to fill a roster of promising up-and comers for the movie’s soundtrack, and with his solo performance on the track “Fires in Hell” it remained clear that Half was one of the young emcees to watch heading into Y2K.
Upon getting his opportunity to headline a full LP, Half chose “Thug Onez” featuring the red hot Noreaga, his rhyme partner Musalini, and the legendary Kool G. Rap as the lead single. Half’s debut full-length effort Milíon was released on the independent label Warlock Records, who may not have had big enough of a machine to properly promote Half considering his level of potential. The album has endured to become a treasure for those of us who purchased it in the Spring of 2000, as we remember an emcee whose rhymes made you think of all the ways his career would continue to flourish in the new millennium. My friends and I still cherish the album’s apexes, like finally hearing the full version of “Quiet Money” featuring AZ, which we originally heard as a teaser on the Pieces of a Man LP.
“Don’t Go Away” featuring Charisse Rose of the R&B duo Changing Faces came right on time for my senior prom and graduation season and was among the host of DJ Scratch produced tracks that helped me and my friends party into our first summer of adulthood.
Half was ahead of the game in many ways, including having an ear for good production. Milíon taps in Just Blaze for two tracks, the aforementioned “Fires in Hell” and “Thug Luv,” while The Neptunes produced “Thug Onez.” Half’s flow proved virtually flawless when picking up the pace to spar with West Coast legend Spice 1 on “Bounce,” while perfectly poised with frequent collaborators Nature on “What You Ridin’” and the young gunner Ali Vegas on “Tuff Guy.”
After his debut LP, Half would continue to blaze NYC mixtapes, using his high caliber of craftmanship to push great verses from some of his closest rap associates, namely, AZ, Nature and Ali Vegas. In 2002, Half would release his sophomore LP Da Hustle Don’t Stop, which again did not receive its proper marketing. Much like its predecessor however, Da Hustle shows Half to be a focused and capable emcee, whose skillset was endless and entailed storytelling, fast and mid-tempo rhymes, and could unnoticeably transition from thug to lover to professor in the same song if he desired.
Player Hating: A Love Story is an independently released film that follows Half-A-Mill and his friends during the making and release of Milíon, and serves as a good visual aid of how Half was a true artist and Milíon is an album that marks time for underground NYC hip-hop in 1999 and 2000. The film captures the intensity of Crown Heights, Brooklyn, the environment that shaped a special artist, and sadly claimed him along with countless others.
As a young teen, Half was one of the few artists I truly felt I could identify with, and I studied his music to find answers to questions I had about myself. There was an authenticity that seeped through Half’s vocals and exploded from his penmanship, revealing Half to be a survivor. His lyrical versatility helped encourage a real-life adaptability.
Now 20 years old, Milíon is an undiscovered treasure for many, but once unlocked, it’ll reveal itself to be a survivor’s guide to many who overcame harsh circumstances, during a time of uncertainty. Sadly, we pay tribute in memoriam to its author, but celebrate Milíon for showing us how to weaponize being fly, thug, romantic and intellectual either simultaneously or interchangeably to traverse life’s rugged and unpredictable terrain.
LISTEN: