Throwback: Another Legend Lost

Tuesday, March 15, 2011, the music industry was shaken by the monumental loss of legendary hip-hop hook man, Nathaniel "Nate Dogg" Hale. Nate Dogg had been suffering from health problems caused by a number of strokes and finally succumbed to his ailments at the all-too-young age of 41. Although never overly successful as a solo artist, Nate had led a storied career as a golden-voiced hook man who had lent his vocals to over 40 Billboard charting singles. Collaborating with the likes of Warren G, Eminem, Fabolous, Houston, Ludacris, and countless others, Nate's vocal contributions were almost a stamp of approval that all but assured chart success. Young bucks, it's important to remember that before Auto-Tune, before Akon and T-Pain, before Pharrell, even before the rise of the Dungeon Family and their own hook man Sleepy Brown, Nate Dogg was THE voice that was sought after when an artist was dying for a successful charting single. Nate's rough-but-smooth vocals will be sorely missed in hip-hop and in music in general. As a tribute to Nate's career, here are some of my favorite Nate Dogg features, as well as a comprehensive list of his collaborative singles.

Probably Nate's most iconic guest appearance to this day, this 1994 Warren G collaboration remains the host artist's only major hit. Over a smooth beat that heavily sampled Michael McDonald's "I Keep Forgettin'," Warren and Nate spin a tale of laying some would-be jackers to rest.

One of Dr. Dre's bigger hits from his 2001 album, Dre and Snoop Dogg spit their game only to be upstaged by Nate's smooth verse at the end. Nate's simple jump-off line, "hold up," would be sampled by City High for their lone hit, "What Would You Do."

Fabolous's breakout hit was made possible by Nate's catchy hook. Fab's talent was apparent, but it's hard to say if he would have become as popular as he did without Nate's cosign.

The supergroup Westside Connection (Ice Cube, W.C., and Mack 10) would call on Nate for their reunion single, and his golden vocals would make it a hit. This is one of Nate's best collaborations of his career.

Nate provided this otherwise sappy-sweet track with the credibility it needed, as 50 Cent's cringe-inducing come-ons ("I love you like a fat kid love cake") would be made bearable by Nate's hook. Incidentally, Drake sparked controversy by tweeting Nate's lyrics from this song ("It's easy to love me now"), as some people thought his tweet was self-serving and disrespectful of Nate's passing; most didn't realize he had quoted this song given the context of the tweet.

The second single from Obie Trice's debut album was graced not only with production from Dr. Dre, but by Nate's voice. These combined with Obie's vivid storytelling should have made this a much bigger hit.

The only successful single Houston released in his tragically short career (Houston would attempt suicide and land in a mental institution only a few months after the release of his debut album) would criminally underuse Nate Dogg on the hook. Disturbing tha Peace has-beens Chingy and I-20 contribute rap verses, but even with a hook consisting mostly of the words "I like that," Nate was able to outshine them. We may never know what Houston could have become, but it stands as a testament to Nate's talent and reputation that the legitimately talented singer would recruit Nate for the hook.

No matter what the haters say, this was one of the better songs released during what I like to call Eminem's "Weird Period," and it was mostly due to the dope hook and even verses Nate would lay down, completely outshining Em with his smooth spitting and comical punchlines ("I get more ass than a toilet seat"). Not since "Regulate" had Nate been so heavily featured on a single, and due to Eminem's explosive popularity, it was a great showcase of Nate's talent to a much larger audience than he had typically afforded to date.

I know this isn't a Nate Dogg song, but I felt it was right to include the Game's quickly released tribute, "All Dogs Go To Heaven." Rest in peace, Nate.