There was once an era where the soulful tones of Nate Dogg were a staple, particularly in the west coast pantheon. Artists like Snoop Dogg, Xzibit, DJ Quik, Knoc-Turn'al, Badazz, WC, Kurupt, Dr. Dre Daz Dillinger, and Warren G were frequently blessed with Nate's presence. The man who once professed to "see the same hoes" everywhere he goes, who implored a generation to "smoke weed everyday," who rolled through scenes uncounted in a "black Mercedes." It's safe to say we will never see another Nate Dogg, another lost one. Still, his spirit lives on, and it's looking like we'll once again be listening to his dulcet tones before long.
Anderson .Paak will be dropping off his Ventura album on April 12th, and a previously shared tracklist revealed a posthumous contribution from Nate Dogg. During a recent interview with Beats 1's Julie Adenuga, .Paak took a moment to reflect on the importance of securing a Nate hook, both to himself and the game at large. Given the scope of his response, it's clear that Nate Dogg's influence is not lost on the Aftermath rapper. "It means the world. It's just as important to have that as it is to be working with Dr. Dre, to have worked with Snoop," he says. "These are the men that pretty much molded my whole adolescence-And pre-teens."
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He continues, elaborating on the upcoming collaboration "What Can We Do?" "There was a time where every single had Nate Dogg. It was just like you had to have him on it for it to be a hit song. He's one of my biggest influences," continues Paak. "It was just so awesome to be able to get the song with him….Fredwreck, the producer who produced so much Snoop and Dogg Pound and so much stuff with Dre on the Chronic and 2001. He had a bunch of Nate Dogg songs that he did before he died. This one in particular was one he really felt like we could use for my album."
"I really like it because it sounds like something we could have did when he was still here," teases .Paak, in conclusion. "When you hear it, it's like you might not even know. We're going back and forth, so it's really sweet, man. It's a really cool song."
Rest in peace to Nate Dogg, and respect to Anderson .Paak, Fredwreck, and Dr. Dre for keeping his memory alive.