Nate Dogg

Nate Dogg
Hale at Recording Academy Honors in Hollywood in 2006
Background information
Birth name	Nathaniel Dwayne Hale
Born	(1969-08-19)August 19, 1969 Long Beach, California, U.S.[1]
Died	March 15, 2011(2011-03-15) (aged 41) Long Beach, California, U.S.
Genres	West Coast hip hop R&B G-funk hip hop soul
Occupation(s)	Singer rapper songwriter
Years active	1990–2008
Labels	Death Row Elektra Doggystyle Atlantic
Associated acts	213 Dr. Dre Eminem Fabolous MC Ren Obie Trice Shade Sheist Thug Life Westside Connection

Nathaniel Dwayne Hale (August 19, 1969 – March 15, 2011), known professionally as Nate Dogg, was an American singer, rapper, and songwriter. Hale became best known for providing guest vocals for a multitude of hit rap songs between 1992 and 2007, earning the nickname "King of Hooks".^[2][3]

Hale began his career in the early 1990s as a member of 213, a trio formed in 1990 with his friends Snoop Dogg and Warren G.^[2] In 1994, he co-wrote and sang as the featured performer on Warren G's hit single "Regulate", which reached number two on the Billboard Hot 100 and served as a breakout success for both artists.^[4][5] Nate Dogg would soon become a fixture in the West Coast hip-hop genre, regularly working with Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg and Xzibit in the 1990s; his deep vocals became sought after for hooks, and he would expand to work with a larger variety of artists in the 2000s, such as Eminem, 50 Cent, Fabolous, Mos Def and Ludacris. As a featured artist, Nate charted 16 times on the Billboard Hot 100, and in 2003 reached number one via 50 Cent's "21 Questions". Nate Dogg also was notably featured on Dr. Dre's "The Next Episode" and Eminem's "'Till I Collapse". In addition to his guest work, Nate Dogg released three studio albums, as well as a string of moderately successful singles of his own in the 1990s.

In December 2007, Nate had a stroke, weakening his body's left side, while his cognition and voice remained intact.^[6] Several months later, he had another stroke.^[7] In 2011, he died of heart failure at age 41.^[4][7]

Early life[]

Nathaniel Dwayne Hale was born on August 19, 1969, in Long Beach, California.^[1] As a youth, he sang at Long Beach's New Hope Baptist Church, in Long Beach, California, where his father was pastor.^[8] It was in this city that he met Warren G as well as Calvin Broadus Jr. (Snoop Dogg) who, arrived at the same high school as him, Long Beach Polytechnic High School. He also sang at Life Line Baptist Church in Clarksdale, Mississippi.

While friends with Warren G and RBX, he was a cousin of Snoop Dogg, Daz Dillinger, Butch Cassidy and Lil' ½ Dead.

Military career[]

At age 17, Hale dropped out of high school, left home, and 30 days later enlisted in the Marines.^[9] He was stationed at Camp Schwab, in Okinawa, Japan, in the Material Readiness Battalion of the 3rd Force Service Support Group, which supplied ammunition to most of the Pacific. After three years as an ammunition specialist, he was discharged in 1989. Hale would recall that he joined the military because he "wanted to see if he was a man".^[10]

Entertainment career[]

213 trio[]

In 1990,^[11] Nate Dogg, Snoop Dogg,^[12] and Warren G, formed a rap trio called 213.^[11] They recorded their first demo tape in the back of the famed V.I.P. record store in Long Beach. The demo was later heard by Dr. Dre at a bachelor party.^[13]

Solo career[]

Nate Dogg debuted on Dr. Dre's first solo album, The Chronic, in 1992. Nate's trademark singing, complementing the new gangsta rap sound G-funk, was well received by fans and critics alike, and he signed to Dre's label, Death Row Records, in 1993. Nate Dogg also featured on Snoop Dogg's debut solo album, Doggystyle, in 1993, his singing prominent on the track "Ain't No Fun (If the Homies Can't Have None)".

In 1994, Nate Dogg cowrote his duet with Warren G, the single "Regulate". Nate was also featured on 2Pac releases, including his group's Thug Life's album, also released in 1994. In July 1998, amid his departure from Death Row Records, the label released his double album, delayed about two years, G-Funk Classics Vol. 1 & 2. In 2001, his Elektra Records followup, Music & Me, peaked at #3 on the Billboard hip-hop chart.^[14] He also had an eponymous album that saw unauthorized release in 2003.^{[citation needed]}

Collaborations[]

Nate Dogg was often sought to sing on other artists' tracks, usually to sing the hook. As a featured artist, he charted 16 times on the Billboard Hot 100, and in 2003 reached #1 via 50 Cent's "21 Questions".

Otherwise, his successful collaborations are numerous, including 2Pac's "All Bout U", Dr. Dre's "The Next Episode", Westside Connection's "Gangsta Nation", Mos Def's "Oh No", Fabolous' "Can't Deny It", Ludacris's "Area Codes", Kurupt's "Behind the Walls", Mark Ronson's "Ooh Wee", Houston's "I Like That", Eminem's "'Till I Collapse", his "Never Enough", his "Shake That", and Mobb Deep's "Have a Party".^[15]

Further, in 2002, appearing on television, Nate Dogg was on a celebrity episode of Weakest Link, where, finally eliminated by Xzibit and Young MC, he was among the final three.^[16]

Artistry[]

Hale was known for his deep, melodic vocals, with his music often described as a mix between hip-hop and R&B, and his vocal range between tenor and baritone.^[17] Hale himself considered his voice and style to be mostly influenced by the gospel music he performed in the church choir as a child, though he also grew up listening to soul and cited Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder and Maurice White of Earth, Wind & Fire as some of his biggest musical influences.^[18]

Legal issues[]

Nate Hale was charged for a 1991 robbery of a Check Changers shop and for a 1994 robbery of Taco Bell in San Pedro, but was acquitted.^[19][20][21] In 1996 he was convicted of a drug offense in Los Angeles County.^[22]

On June 17, 2000, for allegedly assaulting his former girlfriend and setting her mother's car afire in Lakewood, Hale was charged with kidnapping, domestic violence, terrorist threats, and arson.^[23] Dr. Dre posted a $1 million bond.^[24] The charges were dismissed while he pleaded no contest to illegal gun possession by a felon,^[22] and received a $1,000 fine and three years' probation.^[25]

On April 12, 2002, a tour bus carrying Hale, while outside of Kingman, Arizona, was found with two pistols and four ounces of cannabis, whereby he was booked and then released on $3,500 bond.^[26] The next month, the weapon charges were dropped for his guilty plea on a drug charge, and he was sentenced to probation, community service, and drug counseling.^[27]

In July 2006, Hale was charged with misdemeanor aggravated trespassing, telephone harassment, battery assault, dissuading a witness from reporting a crime, and breaking a restraining order. On March 20, 2008, pleading guilty to trespassing and battery, he lost gun-ownership rights for 10 years, received three years' probation, and was ordered to a domestic-violence intervention program.^[28]

On June 23, 2008, after allegedly threatening his estranged wife by emails and chasing her on Interstate 405, Hale was charged with two felony counts of criminal threats and one count of stalking.^[29][30] He pleaded not guilty.^[30] In April 2009, as the alleged victim had failed to contact prosecutors, the charges were dropped.^[29] Incidentally, he was also convicted of driving under the influence of drugs.^[30]

Health problems and death[]

Graffiti on Solidarności Avenue in Warsaw, Poland, 2012

On December 19, 2007, Hale suffered a stroke.^[6] After a week in Pomona Valley Hospital Medical Center, he entered a rehabilitation facility.^[6] Although his body's left side was weakened, neither his cognition nor voice were affected and a full recovery was expected.^[6]

Hale sustained another stroke on September 12, 2008.^[31] On March 15, 2011, Hale died at age 41 in Long Beach, California, of complications of multiple strokes,^[7] or by congestive heart failure.^[4] He was interred in Long Beach at Forest Lawn Memorial Park.^[32]

In 2013, Nate Dogg's son Naijiel Hale was committed to play football at the University of Washington.^[33] A couple of years later, in 2015, Nate's other son, Nathaniel Jr., having adopted the stage name Lil Nate Dogg, released his own album, Son of a G.^[34]

Discography[]

Solo albums[]

• G-Funk Classics, Vol. 1 & 2 (1998)
• Music & Me (2001)
• Nate Dogg (2003)

Collaboration albums[]

• The Hard Way with 213 (2004)

Filmography[]

• Doggy Fizzle Televizzle (2002–2003)
• Head of State (2003)
• The Boondocks (2008)

Awards and nominations[]

Nate Dogg was nominated for four Grammy Awards.

References[]

External links[]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Nate Dogg.

• Nate Dogg at IMDb
• Nate Dogg at Find a Grave