When you think of all-time choruses in hip-hop history, you only think of two people: T-Pain and Nate Dogg. No one could make everything from street justice to searching for cheap liquor like St. Ides sound so blissful. His penchant for sweet, addictive melodies cemented him as the “king of hooks” in hip-hop. Born on this day 57 years ago today in Long Beach, it’s hard not to imagine where the West Coast legend would’ve been in the game today.
The craziest part of Nate Dogg’s innate abilities is that a career in hip-hop was the furthest thing from his brain. You could argue that his knack for singing came from his days in Clarksdale, Mississippi, where he spent a bulk of his childhood. His father was a pastor and his mother led the choir for Life Line Baptist Church. Through that connection, Nate Dogg had his first taste of performing at four years old.
When his parents divorced, the artist born Nathan Hale moved back to Long Beach and kept singing in the local choir. Then, in a twist no one would’ve suspected, he joined the Marines as an ammunition specialist. After three years of being stationed in Japan, he received a military discharge. Only then do we get him taking full advantage of his vocal capabilities.
On This Day 57 Years Ago Nate Dogg Was Born to Make All-Time Hooks in Hip-hop
By 1990, the Long Beach crooner joined his cousin Snoop Dogg and his close friend Warren G for the group 213. Once Dr. Dre heard him through his connection to Snoop, tapping him for a litany of hooks accordingly. Together, they all helped sculpt the shape of West Coast hip-hop and G-Funk.
Tragically though, Nate Dogg struggled with alcoholism throughout his life. There was almost never a moment where he didn’t have a bottle of cognac nearby. But compounded with an ugly car crash, he started to experience some serious health woes. By the end of 2007, he suffered a stroke that left the side of his body significantly weak.
Then, ten months later, he suffered an even worse stroke that radically altered the quality of his life. Nate Dogg was paralyzed and completely unable to speak. It took him a couple of years for him to even be able to move his head. By March 2011, he tragically passed away due to stroke complications and congestive heart failure.
The post Born 57 Years Ago Today, Snoop Dogg’s Cousin and Hip-Hop’s Undisputed ‘King of Hooks’ Who Defined Countless West Coast Classics appeared first on VICE.
