It's not easy to write a Nate Dogg remembrance; we grew up with his songs and live in the same city he did. OC Weekly even went to his funeral, held on March 26, early this year.
But it's impossible to let this day pass without commemorating the man born Nathaniel Hale. If he hadn't died on March 15 from stroke complications, he would've been 42 today.
Friend and cohort Snoop Dogg is hosting a live stream in minutes for Nate Dogg; after the jump, a look at past tributes.
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The hip-hop world mourned Nate on Twitter and Facebook as soon as the news broke. As one of the architects of the West Coast rap sound, Hale was famous for collaborating with Snoop Dogg, Warren G, Dr. Dre and other members of Tha Dogg Pound.
At his funeral, thousands were bused from the Long Beach City College parking lot to the Queen Mary dome to pay their respects. Snoop Dogg, Warren G, Xzibit, Dr. Dre, Tha Dogg Pound, DJ Quik and The Game attended the funeral.
The program emphasized Hale's life beyond his contribution
to popular music, but the “King of Hooks” was remembered by his best friends Warren G and Snoop Dogg the most.
Warren G was so overcome by emotion he could hardly
speak when he came onstage. His voice broke as he said: “I never thought
I'd be at a funeral for one of my dogs. Me and Snoop and Nate . . . we
were balls-to-the-wall in everything we did. I'm gonna miss him and love
him forever.”
Snoop Dogg eulogized: “What a friend I had in Nate. . . .
Music brought us together. He was a loving, caring individual, a
God-fearing individual. He took church melodies and flipped it with
hip-hop. It was still God's work, and it was a testimony of how he was
brought up. I was blessed to know Nate Dogg, hang with Nate Dogg, roll
with Nate Dogg.”
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