Nate Dogg- Regulate

Last Tuesday brought with it the awful news that, one of the most distinct voices in rap, Nate Dogg had passed at age 41, reportedly by health issues that his two previous strokes created. I’m not gonna lie, I wasn’t truly aware of just how many tunes Nate had featured on, but looking back at his career his influence on Rap and Hip Hop is astounding. In short, he redefined the Hip Hop hook and was the first to really pull off singing over rap beats and set a precedent for the more soul based vocal which infiltrated rap, particularly in choruses and hooks.

Snoop Dog tweeted: “We lost a true legend in hip-hop and R&B. One of my best friends and a brother to me since 1986 when I was a sophomore at Poly High where we met. You will always be with me forever and a day. You put the ‘G’ in ‘G funk’, you put the ’1′ in ’213′ and you put your stamp on everybody you ever did it with. I miss you because I am so sad but so happy I got to grow up with you, and I will see you again in heaven, because you know the slogan about ‘all doggs go to heaven.” which goes some way to summing up Nate’s impact.

This Tune of the Week just had to go out to him, so here’s a tune with one of the most famous hooks in Hip Hop, Regulate, with fellow 213 member Warren G. RIP.