I Was Raised On Nate Dogg by DJ Chuck "thE oLd SouL" (79:19)

• Genres: Funk, Hip Hop, Rhythm And Blues
• Released: March 2011
• Uploaded: on 23/3/11.
• Application used: Serato
• Tags: Honor Flow Productions, Nate Dogg, DJ Chuck "thE oLd SouL", Hip-Hop, Soul, Funk, G-Funk, West Coast Hip-Hop, Gangsta Rap, Tribute, HFP, Los Angeles, LA, R&B

3/19/11 7:00PM

“G-Funk. Where rhythm is life. And life is rhythm.”
- Warren G

When musicians past away, I am usually not one to jump on the “tribute bandwagon,” which is a staple in Urban Music. Somebody passes, and the next day, their face can be found plastered on t-shirts on Crenshaw Blvd and dozens of artists, who you have never heard of, try to capitalize of the death by releasing some type of “tribute” song. Sure one may argue it is not right for me to question the motives of possible good intentions, but you can just tell by the quality that is put into a majority of these “tributes” that it is not with the intent of truly honoring the fallen. Honestly speaking, yeah, this thought did cross in mind in the possible reception of being most likely the 100thed billionenth DJ to drop a Nate Dogg tribute mix since his untimely death only less than a week ago, but what change my mind was my immediate reaction to his death.

As news spread throughout the net regarding his death, I logged on to Facebook and Youtube, and started to post one song after another by or featuring the original “King of Hooks.” One song let to five, five let to twenty, and before I knew it, I had posted close to 50 songs on my wall in less than 2 hours. That has NEVER happened to me before. And as I reviewed the laundry list of records I posted, I realized that these joints represented a timeline; a timeline of my upbringing. There is an old saying that music acts as the soundtrack to our lives, and on my Facebook wall, I damn near had the whole soundtrack to my Junior High and High School years right in front of me. That’s when an old junior high/high school friend of mind and fellow DJ, DJ Ken (we used to call him “Ribtip” back in the day. I see you Coach, lol!!!), posted this status: “Man, I was really raised on Nate Dogg.”

And he was right. 40 singles on Billboard and over 20 years in the business, Nate was the man to call when you wanted the lead single for your new LP to pop off properly. His smooth voice and delivery was original, undeniable, and created a certain groove that not one singer in past 30 years of Urban Music, in my humble opinion, has been able to surpass, reduplicated, or even come close to. He defined what a “hook” was in Hip-Hop. While Snoop and Dre maybe the faces of the G-Funk era in West Coast Hip-Hop, along with DJ Quik and fellow 213 member Warren G, he is an unsung hero of that sound. Maybe THE unsung hero. Think about it. Can you imagine Ain’t No Fun, The Next Episode, and Regulate without Nate Dogg? It’s point blank unfathomable. Along with many other classic singles his voice had graced over the course of his storied career. No one could really could do it better. This is why I wanted to include the reflections of Nate’s music in other people’s lives along with the music in this mix.

Being born and raised in Los Angeles and remembering when all these records used to dominate 92.3 The Beat and Power 106, posting those Youtube videos of his songs brought a certain vibe and feeling I haven’t felt from radio records in a VERY long time. No, this is not the typical “radio sucks, Hip-Hop is not the same” speal that is a daily discussion in our culture. But music to me is all about feeling, and hearing those records filled a void that all music fans of this generation, as well as the future, needs to experience. This is the reason why I made this tape.

So imagine yourself driving a 6’4 Impala or an old school Cadillac with subwoofers stacked in the back identically looking like the Great Wall of China, because this is Crenshaw Blvd/405 music. This is the way Nate’s music should be heard and truly enjoyed. Thank you Nate and I hope you feel that I represented your legacy right with this tape. West Up.

Soul Claps & Salutes and Thank You For Listening,

“DJ Chuck “thE oLd SouL”

***Much love and respect to all the artists, producers, and musicians that collaborated with Nate over the past 20 plus years to create these influential records that allowed me to mix 79 minutes of timeless music. This is for ya'll and for the fans. West West Ya'll.

Tracklist

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