Nate Dogg

Nate Dogg was Nathaniel Dwayne Hale from Long Beach, California. He started working with Snoop Dogg, Warren G, and Daz Dillinger in the early 1990s, and his first major break came in 1994 when he sang on Dr. Dre's 'Deep Cover.' That track introduced his particular kind of soulful vocal to West Coast hip-hop, a sound that became central to the G-funk era.

His voice turned up on countless tracks through the late '90s and 2000s, often providing the melodic hook that made a song stick. He released solo albums like 'G-Funk Classics, Vol. 1 & 2' in 1998 and 'Music & Me' in 2001, but he was just as known for his featured verses. Songs like '21 Questions' with Snoop Dogg and 'Your Wife' with Dr. Dre showed how his singing could anchor a track without overpowering it.

Nate Dogg kept recording and performing through health problems, including a stroke in 2008. He died in 2011. The songs he left behind, whether his own or his appearances on other people's records, still sound like a specific moment in hip-hop where melody and rhythm met without much fuss.