Sam Sneed
Sam Sneed | |
|---|---|
| Born | Samuel D. Anderson February 29, 1968 United States |
| Occupation(s) | Rapper, record producer |
| Years active | 1993–present |
| Known for | Producing tracks for K-Solo and the Hit Squad; collaborating with Dr. Dre; single "U Better Recognize" |
Samuel D. Anderson (born February 29, 1968), professionally recognized as Sam Sneed, is an American rapper and record producer. His initial work involved producing tracks for K-Solo and the collective known as the Hit Squad.
Early years
In 1993, Sam Sneed secured a contract with Death Row Records and in 1994 released the single "U Better Recognize" featuring Dr. Dre. This song was included on the Murder Was the Case soundtrack and achieved chart success, peaking at number 16 on the Billboard Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales chart, number 18 on Hot Rap Tracks, and number 48 on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks. His signature line, "My name is Sam Sneed; you better recognize!", gained popularity through its appearance in the intro track "Pump Pump" on Snoop Dogg's Doggystyle album. Additionally, he made a cameo in Death Row’s film, Murder Was the Case.
Collaborating with Dr. Dre, Sneed co-produced notable tracks such as "Keep Their Heads Ringin'" and "Natural Born Killaz". The latter was originally a collaboration between Sam Sneed and J-Flexx titled "The Heist", featuring Sneed’s verse; this version was later included in the 2009 release of the Ultimate Death Row Collection. In 1996, he recorded an unreleased album with his group Street Scholars, which comprised J-Flexx, Dr. Dre, Mel-Man, Bud'da, Sharief (also known as Killer Ben), and Drauma (Stocks McGuire).
Following a diagnosis of a brain tumor in 1999 that temporarily interrupted his career, Sneed made a full recovery and returned to producing for artists including G-Unit, Scarface, and Jay-Z. He briefly reunited with Dr. Dre in 2007 but did not release any new material from this collaboration. Later, he co-established Nustarz Entertainment alongside Craig "Stretch" Mason, focusing on managing emerging talents such as The Boy Goldy, Money Ink, and British rapper/producer Nat Powers.
In 2010, Death Row/WIDEawake Entertainment announced that Sam Sneed’s album Street Scholars would be released on January 25, 2011. This project combined ten new songs with four previously unreleased tracks recorded during his time at Death Row.
Discography
- Street Scholars (2011)