Nathaniel Dwayne Hale (August 19, 1969 – March 15, 2011), known professionally as Nate Dogg, was an American singer, rapper, and songwriter. He gained recognition for providing soulful choruses and other guest vocals on several notable hip-hop songs between 1992 and 2007, earning him the honorific title "King of Hooks".
Hale began his career in 1990 as a member of 213, a hip-hop trio formed with his cousin Snoop Dogg and friend Warren G. Hale frequently collaborated with Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, and Xzibit in the 1990s; his distinctive tone became sought after for hooks. In the 2000s, he began working with other artists including Eminem, 50 Cent, Fabolous, Mos Def, and Ludacris. Hale performed on 18 songs that charted on the Billboard Hot 100, 16 as a featured artist and 2 as a primary artist. These included "21 Questions" (2003) by 50 Cent, which reached number 1, "Regulate" (1994) by Warren G, which reached number 2, and "Shake That" (2006) by Eminem, which reached number 6. "Regulate" was nominated for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group at the 37th Annual Grammy Awards.
Hale released three studio albums, as well as several singles as a solo artist. Hale suffered extensively from alcoholism. On March 15, 2011, after suffering two strokes, Hale died at the age of 41 of congestive heart failure.
Nathaniel Dwayne Hale was born on August 19, 1969, in Long Beach, California. He had three brothers: Samuel Hale, Emmanuel (Manuel) Hale, and Daniel Hale Jr., and two sisters: Pamela Hale-Burns and LaTonia Hale-Watkins. His cousins include rappers Butch Cassidy and Snoop Dogg.
His family moved to Clarksdale, Mississippi, where he spent most of his childhood. His first performance was at the age of 4 at Life Line Baptist Church in Clarksdale, where his father was a pastor and his mother led the choir.
At age 14, after the divorce of his parents, Hale moved to Long Beach with his mother. Hale attended Long Beach Polytechnic High School. He sang in the choir at the New Hope Baptist Church in Long Beach.
At age 17, Hale dropped out of high school, left home, and enlisted in the United States Marine Corps. He was stationed at Camp Schwab in Okinawa Prefecture, Japan, in the Matériel Readiness Battalion of the 3rd Force Service Support Group, which supplied ammunition to most of the Pacific Ocean. After three years as an ammunition specialist, he received a military discharge in 1989 and returned to Long Beach.
In 1990, Nate Dogg, and friends Snoop Dogg and Warren G formed a rap trio called 213. They recorded their first demo tape in the back of VIP Records in Long Beach. The demo was heard by Dr. Dre, the stepbrother of Warren G, who then invited the group to his studio.
Hale debuted on Dr. Dre's first solo album, The Chronic (1992) and his singing, complementing the new gangsta rap sound G-funk, was well received by critics. He signed to Dr. Dre's label, Death Row Records, in 1993. Nate Dogg was also featured on Snoop Dogg's debut solo album, Doggystyle, in 1993, his singing was prominent on the track "Ain't No Fun (If the Homies Can't Have None)".
In 1994, Hale co-wrote and sang on "Regulate" with Warren G.
That year, Hale was featured on "How Long Will They Mourn Me?" on Thug Life, Volume I from Thug Life.
In July 1998, amid his departure from Death Row Records, the label released his double album, G-Funk Classics, Vol. 1 & 2. It included the singles "Nobody Does It Better", which peaked at number 18 the Billboard Hot 100 chart in August 1998 and "Never Leave Me Alone", which had peaked at number 33 in November 1996.
In 2001, his Elektra Records follow-up, Music & Me, peaked at number 3 on the Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart.
Hale had an eponymous album slated for release in 2003. It was shelved by Elektra Records and released as a bootleg recording.
Hale was sought to sing the hook on other artists' tracks. His notable collaborations, 16 of which charted on Billboard Hot 100, include "All Bout U" (1996) by Tupac Shakur, "The Next Episode" (2000) by Dr. Dre, "Gangsta Nation" (2003) by Westside Connection, "Oh No" (2000) by Mos Def, "Can't Deny It" (2001) by Fabolous, "Lay Low" (2001) by Snoop Dogg, "Area Codes" (2001) by Ludacris, "Ooh Wee" (2003) by Mark Ronson, "The Streets" (2002) by WC, "I Like That" (2004) by Houston, "'Till I Collapse" (2002) and "Shake That" (2006) by Eminem, and "Have a Party" (2006) by Mobb Deep.
In 2002, Hale was on a celebrity episode of Weakest Link, where, eliminated by Xzibit and Young MC, he was among the final three.
In 2007, Hale founded Innate Praise, a gospel music choir. Jacob Lusk successfully auditioned for and joined the choir.
In November 2012, a posthumous studio album entitled Nate Dogg: It's a Wonderful Life from Seven Arts Music and United Media & Music Group was speculated; however, the album was never released.