RIP Nate Dogg

Hip Hop lost another great as Nate Dogg passed away this past week. It got me to thinking of the relationship between rappers and hooks throughout the genre's history. It isn't a newer trend that started with pop heavyweights like Rhianna or Justin Timberlake singing on hooks. Go back to the days of the Juice Crew and TJ Swan, or Rob Base using singers on his hits. Take the mid 90s with unknowns or up and comers like Brian McKnight or Mary J Blige signing on tracks. Even the East Coast scene had DV Alias Khrist, pretty much their Nate answer. Fast forward to today with Akon and the like. Yet none of them quite had the flair and lyrical presence that Nate Dogg had. You'd be hard pressed to find a singed in any arena with the clarity in their voice as Nate. I was never a huge G-funk fan, but Nate complemented Snoop Dogg unlike any partner/side kick in the game. RIP.