Nate Dogg - The G-Funk Hook Master

I sit speechless as I compose today's writings. Shortly before 3 a.m EST I got a text that snapped me out of my sleep.

"Tha Pound just lost a dogg, R.I.P Nate!"

I stared at the phone for a minute before it actually sank in. Nathaniel Dwayne Hale aka Nate Dogg was gone. That moment was surreal. See, if you're an avid follower of music like I am. You KNOW Nate Dogg. You're not "familiar with him". You can sing Nate Dogg Hooks like you can the alphabet. I'm a Hip-Hop diva, and this one was hard.

Understand this, Nate has "GFunked" with EVERYBODY, From Mark Ronson to LudaCris to 50 Cent to Eve, If you got Nate Dogg on your track it was officially "G'd up". He wasn't a West Coast phenom. He was Bi-Coastal as far as this writer is concerned. I went through my records of songs that Nate Dogg touched as I watched the condolences roll in. And I began to feel my eyes well with tears. No I didn't cry, but I was moved.

I began to recall the first time I heard each track that his smooth tone graced. I thought about the legacy of Nate's voice on my personal favs:

Regulate

Area Codes

21 Questions

The Next Episode

Nobody Does It Better

Ballin Out Of Control

Never Leave Me Alone

Lay Low

These Days

Shake That

And by the time I was done, I was smiling. I smiled because I have Nate Dogg memories. And they're good ones.

Those are memories that I hope like Nate said "Never Leave Me Alone".

R.I.P Nathaniel Dwayne Hale (August 19, 1969 – March 15, 2011)

ALL DOGGS GO TO HEAVEN......