Died On This Date (March 15, 2011) Nate Dogg / Popular West Coast Rapper
themusicsover Nate Dogg (Born Nathaniel Hall)
August 19, 1969 – March 15, 2011
Nathaniel Hall, who was more commonly known by his stage name, Nate Dogg, was a popular rapper and singer who got his start on the same Long Beach, California streets as Snoop Dogg and Warren G. His smooth voice was one of the greatest to come out of the G-Funk era of hip-hop. Hall began singing in his church choir when he was a child, then dropped out of high school to join the U.S. Marines where he served for three years. After his return to the Long Beach area, Hall joined up with fellow Rollin 20 Crips gang members, Snoop Dogg and Warren G to form a rap group, 213. Together they recorded their first demo at a local record store, and when Dr. Dre heard it, he offered Hall a slot to sing on his now legendary The Chronic album. From there, Hall got signed to Dre and Suge Knight’s Death Row Records. Over the next several years, he released a handful of albums and was nominated for four Grammys. Either singing on his own records or guesting on others, Hall appeared on the Singles chart over 40 times. In December of 2007, Hall suffered a stroke which reportedly left the left side of his body paralyzed. He suffered a second stroke in September of 2008 but was expected to make at least a partial recovery with physical therapy. On March 15, 2011, Nate Dogg suffered yet another stroke and died. He was 41.
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Dick Griffey is best remembered as the founder of influential R&B label, SOLAR (Sound Of Los Angeles Records). Formed in 1977, the label was one of the most successful R&B labels outside of Motown. Griffey launched his music career during the ’60s when he became part owner of a Los Angeles nightclub, Guys and Dolls which played host to shows by the likes of 
Christopher Wallace (aka The Notorious B.I.G.; Biggie Smalls) was an east coast rapper signed to Sean “Puffy” Combs’ Bad Boy Records. Although Wallace had some run-ins with the law, his musical talent could not be denied. And just as that talent was catapulting him to the upper stratosphere of the musical world, Wallace’s reported life of crime and involvement in a festering east coast vs west coast feud, he was executed in a hail of bullets outside the Soul Train Awards in Los Angeles, CA. Christopher Wallace was just 24 when he was allegedly assassinated during a drive-by shooting. The crime remains unsolved and is ripe with theories involving Marion “Suge” Knight, the LAPD, the Crips and the Bloods. Wallace was married to R&B singer, Faith Evans.
Tupac Shakur was a hip hop artist whose professional career basically began as a roadie and backup dancer for Digital Underground in the late ’80s, and ended as one of the biggest selling artists of all time. He has sold upwards of 75 million albums before and since his untimely death. Shakur’s albums generally portrayed a life growing up with violence, racism and the hardships some face growing up in the inner city. For the most part, his songs professed social and racial equality. Shakur was no stranger to the judicial system. In 1995, he was convicted for sexual assault, which many believe never happened, and was sentenced to prison. While serving his time, his album Me Against The World was released. He became the only artist in history to have a #1 album while incarcerated. On September 7, 1996, was involved in an altercation following a Mike Tyson fight in Las Vegas. Later that evening while riding in a car driven by Suge Knight, a car pulled up beside Knight’s vehicle. At least one occupant fired around a dozen shots into the car, hitting Shakur four times. The 25 year-old Tupac Shakur died from injuries sustained during the shooting six days later. His murder has never been solved.
