Bio From All Music Guide
Tha Dogg Pound was an integral part of the Death Row Records empire, which cast a tall shadow over rap music in the early to mid-'90s, and though the label only released one Dogg Pound album, Dogg Food (1995), the duo's impression remained fairly constant in the years that followed, as the two group members pursued solo careers and occasionally reunited. Kurupt (born Ricardo Brown; November 23, 1972) and Dat Nigga Daz (born Delmar Arnaud; May 25, 1973) comprise Tha Dogg Pound (not to be confused with Dogg Pound Posse, a different and much shorter-lived hardcore rap group).

The two Californians began their recording careers individually, both of them featured sporadically on the foundational Death Row release, Dr. Dre's landmark The Chronic (1992). Kurupt and Daz were first billed together as Tha Dogg Pound on "Niggas Don't Give a Fuck," their contribution to the Poetic Justice soundtrack (1993). Later that year they reappeared as Tha Dogg Pound on Doggystyle, the solo debut of Snoop Doggy Dogg, where they were featured on a few songs, most prominently the hit single "Doggy Dogg World." In 1994 they were featured on a pair of Death Row soundtracks, Above The Rim ("Big Pimpin'") and Murder Was The Case ("What Would U Do?," "Who Got Some Gangsta Shit?," "Come Up to My Room"). Around this same time, Daz established himself as a capable producer, with the Lady of Rage's "Afro Puffs" to his credit, among other tracks.

Death Row released Tha Dogg Pound's debut album, Dogg Food, on Halloween 1995. It was quite a success, topping the Billboard 200 album chart. "Let's Play House" was the biggest hit, breaking into the Top 50 of the Hot 100, while "New York, New York" was an MTV favorite; in the video for the latter, Kurupt, Daz, and Snoop stomped Godzilla-like around the Big Apple, taunting their East Coast rivals. Tha Dogg Pound remained active thereafter, rapping on both 2Pac's All Eyez On Me (1996) and Snoop's Tha Doggfather (1996); Daz produced on a number of tracks on both albums as well, including the singles "2 of Amerikaz Most Wanted," "I Ain't Mad at Cha," and "Doggfather," not to mention numerous album tracks.

With Dr. Dre's sudden departure from Death Row in 1996, Daz assumed the vacated role of chief in-house producer. And then with the murder of 2Pac and the incarceration of label head Suge Knight later that same year, Daz assumed leadership. Consequently, pretty much everything released by Death Row in the late '90s featured Daz prominently — from the holiday compilation Christmas On Death Row (1996) and the Gridlock'd soundtrack (1997), to the never-released Danny Boy album and the long-delayed Lady Of Rage debut, Necessary Roughness (1997), Daz was involved both as producer and rapper.

Death Row began to unravel quickly in the wake of 2Pac's murder, however, and Interscope Records sold its interest in the label in August 1997. As Suge sat in prison and Snoop left for greener pastures, Daz (who now billed himself as Daz Dillinger) tried to keep the sinking ship afloat. Released in March 1998, his solo debut, Retaliation, Revenge, And Get Back, was the final Death Row album of its era. (A vault's worth of unreleased Death Row material would be mined in subsequent years, beginning with G-Funk Classics Vol. 1 & 2, a double-disc Nate Dogg album released by Breakaway Records in July.) In the meantime, Kurupt had already made arrangements for a solo career of his own. He'd left Death Row shortly after 2Pac's murder and signed to Antra Records. His Antra debut, Kuruption!, was a double album, and he followed it with Tha Streetz Iz A Mutha (1999) and Space Boogie: Smoke Oddessey (2001).

While Kurupt was struggling with his solo career, which ground to a halt with Space Boogie, Daz was busy at the helm of D.P.G. Recordz (aka Gangsta Advisory Recordingz). He made his label debut with R.A.W. (2000) and followed with numerous others in the years that followed, notably a couple collaborations with Kurupt: Dillinger & Young Gotti (2001) and Dillinger & Young Gotti 2: The Saga Continues (2005). Daz also mined his vault of unreleased recordings, issuing The Last of tha Pound (2004) and DPGC : The Remix LP (2005). Death Row, rejuvenated — for a moment, at least — after Suge's return from prison, mined its own vault for old Dogg Pound recordings, issuing 2002 (2001).

To the surprise of many, Kurupt returned to the Death Row fold in 2002, after his Antra contract expired and his one-off collaboration with Daz had run its course. He assumed the role of vice president, a title once held by Dr. Dre; however, little material resulted from the arrangement, as his solo album, Against The Grain, was delayed repeatedly, all the way until 2005, by which time Kurupt's relationship with Suge had soured. Distributed and marketed by Koch, Against The Grain sold poorly, and Kurupt left the confines of Death Row once again. He in turn mended his relationship with Daz, who had developed an adversarial, and often antagonistic, relationship with Suge and Death Row, and by association, Kurupt.

Snoop's so-called Western Conference in December 2005 went a long way toward initiating a new partnership between Kurupt and Daz, and a promising year awaited. In 2006, Daz released Kurupt's Same Day, Different Shit on D.P.G.; Koch released a full-fledged Dogg Pound reunion album, Cali Iz Active; and Jermaine Dupri released Daz's So So Gangsta on his So So Def Recordings label. As if this flurry of 2006 releases weren't enough, Tha Dogg Pound returned in March 2007 with Dogg Chit, whose cover quotes that of Dogg Food. — Jason Birchmeier

213's Bio From All Music Guide
Over a decade after three of the West Coast's top rap artists — Snoop Dogg, Warren G, and Nate Dogg — broke up their 213 trio and pursued respectively successful solo careers, they reunited for a long-rumored, much-anticipated supergroup album, The Hard Way. The oft-told 213 story is somewhat of a West Coast rap legend. It begins at the dawn of the '90s, a couple years before Dr. Dre unleashed The Chronic. At that time, Snoop (born Calvin Broadus), Warren (Warren Griffin III), and Nate (Nathaniel Hale) were young and unknown yet talented and aspiring artists from Long Beach, an outlying neighborhood of Los Angeles. Snoop and Warren rapped while Nate sang the melodies and hooks, and inspired by Richie Rich's 415 group from the Cali Bay Area, the trio named itself after its own area code, 213. In particular, Warren was the most enterprising member of the group and kept trying to turn his half-brother, the one and only Dr. Dre, on to 213. It was a priceless connection, and liking what he heard, Dre invited the three to join his then-burgeoning Death Row Records camp. Snoop got most of the attention, initially starring alongside Dre on "Deep Cover," a big 1992 hit that set the stage for the Doctor's Chronic album later that year. Of course, that album became a gargantuan success, in commercial as well as artistic terms. Snoop became an overnight superstar, and both Warren and Nate soon shot to stardom themselves on their hit duet "Regulate." Ten years later Snoop remained atop the rap game, one of the few perennial superstars — not only a recording artist but also a popular touring artist, Hollywood actor, boutique label owner, and media personality. However, the success Warren and Nate enjoyed with "Regulate" had simmered over the years. Both maintained lukewarm solo careers but couldn't get a good break. Then came a one-off collaboration between these three former group mates: "So Fly," a mixtape freestyle send-up of Monica's hit single "So Gone." The song became a surprise radio and underground hit in summer 2003 and quickly led to an album deal with TVT Records. The reunited 213 then hit the studio, and roughly a year later, in August 2004, The Hard Way was released to much fanfare, preceded by the release of lead single "Groupie Luv." - Jason Birchmeier

Snoop's Bio From All Music Guide
As the embodiment of '90s gangsta rap, Snoop Doggy Dogg blurred the lines between reality and fiction. Introduced to the world through Dr. Dre's The Chronic (actually it was the Deep Cover soundtrack with Dr. Dre on the title track. - D), Snoop Dogg quickly became the most famous star in rap, partially because of his drawled, laconic rhyming and partially because the violence that his lyrics implied seemed real, especially after he was arrested on charges of being a murder accomplice. The arrest certainly strengthened his myth, and it helped his debut album, 1993's Doggystyle, become the first debut album to enter the charts at number one, but in the long run, it hurt his career. Snoop had to fight charges throughout 1994 and 1995, and while he was eventually cleared, it hurt his momentum. Tha Doggfather, his second album, wasn't released until November 1996, and by that time, pop and hip-hop had burned itself out on gangsta-rap. Tha Doggfather sold half as well as its predecessor, which meant that Snoop remained a star, but he no longer had the influence he had just two years before.

Nicknamed Snoop by his mother because of his appearance, Calvin Broadus (b. October 20, 1972) was raised in Long Beach, California, where he frequently ran into trouble with the law. Not long after his high school graduation, he was arrested for possession of cocaine, beginning a period of three years where he was often imprisoned. He found escape from a life of crime through music. Snoop Dogg began recording homemade tapes with his friend Warren G, who happened to be the step-brother of N.W.A.'s Dr. Dre. Warren G gave a tape to Dre, who was considerably impressed with Snoop's style and began collaborating with the rapper.

When Dre decided to make his tenative first stab at a solo career in 1992 with the theme song for the film Deep Cover, he had Snoop rap with him. "Deep Cover" started a buzz about Snoop Dogg that escalated into full-fledged mania when Dre released his debut album, The Chronic, on Death Row Records late in 1992. Snoop Dogg rapped on The Chronic as much as Dre, and his drawled vocals were as important to the record's success as its P-Funk bass grooves. Dre's singles "Nuthin' But A 'G' Thang" and "Dre Day," which prominently featured Snoop, became Top 10 pop crossover hits in the spring of 1993, setting the stage for Snoop Doggy Dogg's much-anticipated debut album, Doggystyle. While he was recording the album with producer Dr. Dre in August, Snoop was arrested in connection with the drive-by-shooting death of Phillip Woldermarian. According to the charges, the rapper's bodyguard, McKinley Lee, shot Woldermarian as Snoop drove the vehicle; the rapper claimed it was self-defense, alleging that the victim was stalking Snoop. Following a performance at the MTV Music Awards in September 1993, he turned himself to authorities.

After many delays, Doggystyle was finally released on Death Row in November of 1993, and it became the first debut album to enter the charts at number one. Despite reviews that claimed the album was a carbon copy of The Chronic, the Top 10 singles "What's My Name?" and "Gin & Juice" kept Doggystyle at the top of the charts during early 1994, as did the considerable controversy over Snoop's arrest and his lyrics, which were accused of being exceeding violent and sexist. During an English tour in the spring of 1994, tabloids and a Tory minister pleaded for the government to kick the rapper out of the country, largely based on his arrest. Snoop exploited his impending trial by shooting a short film based on the Doggystyle song "Murder Was the Case," and releasing an accompanying soundtrack (Murder Was The Case) which debuted at number one in 1994. By that time, Doggystyle had gone quadruple platinum.

Snoop Dogg spent much of 1995 preparing for the case, which finally went to trial in late 1995. In February of 1996, he was cleared of all charges and he began working on his second album, this time without Dre as producer. Nevertheless, when Tha Doggfather was finally released in November 1996, it beared all the evidence of a Dre-produced, G-funk record. The album was greeted with mixed reviews, and it initially sold well, but it failed to produce a hit along the lines of "What's My Name?" and "Gin & Juice." Part of the reason of the moderate success of Tha Doggfather was the decline of gangsta rap. Tupac Shakur, who had become a friend of Snoop Dogg during 1996, died weeks before the release of Tha Doggfather, Dre had left Death Row to his partner Suge Knight, who was indicted on racketeering charges by the end of 1996. Consequently, Snoop's second album got lost in the shuffle, stalling at sales of two million, which was disappointing for a superstar. Perhaps sensing something was wrong, Snoop began to revamp his public image, moving away from his gangsta roots towards a calmer lyrical aesthetic. He also began making gestures toward the rock community, signing up to tour with Lollapalooza 1997 and talking about two separate collaborations with Beck and Marilyn Manson. The solo Da Game Is To Be Sold, Not To Be Told, Snoop's first effort for new label No Limit, followed in 1998; Top Dogg appeared a year later and Dead Man Walkin' was released in fall 2000. Tha Last Meal followed in December that same year. The heavy release schedule resulted in varying musical quality from album to album, but by the turn of the century, Snoop had become such a cultural phenomenon that his albums almost became secondary to the personality behind them. An autobiography appeared in 2001, followed by a stream of movie roles in several high-profile pictures. Late in 2002, Snoop released his first album for Capitol, Paid The Cost To Be The Boss. He then switched to Geffen for 2004's R&G (Rhythm & Gangsta): The Masterpiece. The hit album was followed a year later by Welcome to the Chuuch: The Album, a collection of tracks from the Welcome to the Chuuch mixtape series.

That same year he hosted a West Coast peace summit in hopes of squashing all beefs. In 2006, he appeared on Tha Dogg Pound's Cali Iz Active and Ice Cube's Laugh Now, Cry Later. Toward the end of the year the intentionally leaked "My Peoples" freestyle apppeared. The track paid tribute to many involved in Cali's Latin rap community, so it was no big surprise when "Vato" with Cypress Hill's B Real became his next album's leadoff single. The hard and very G-Funk Tha Blue Carpet Treatment triumphantly capped off a year of heavy West Coast activity. In late 2007 he recruited two hip-hop veterans — New Jack Swing legend Teddy Riley and West Coast hero DJ Quik - and formed the production team QDT Muzic. The team oversaw Snoop's 2008 album Ego Trippin' which included the single "Sensual Seduction". — Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Warren G's Bio From All Music Guide
Born Warren Griffin III, Warren G exploded out of the burgeoning Long Beach rap scene in 1994 with the smash single "Regulate," a duet with longtime friend Nate Dogg, and its accompanying album, Regulate...G Funk Era. G grew up in Long Beach listening to his parents' extensive collection of jazz, soul and funk records, also frequently hanging out at the local V.I.P. record store. As a teenager, he and his friends Nate Dogg and future superstar Snoop Dogg formed a rap group called 213, after their area code. Unfortunately, all three had brushes with the law and spent time in jail, which motivated them to get jobs, also working on their music on the side. Eventually, the V.I.P. record store allowed the trio to practice and record in a back room. It was here that Snoop cut the demo "Super Duper Snooper," which G played for his half-brother Dr. Dre at a party. Dre invited all three to his studio and wound up collaborating with Snoop on The Chronic. While G also made several contributions, he opted to develop his talents mostly outside of Dre's shadow. He honed his musical skills while producing such artists as MC Breed and 2Pac. A break came when his vocal collaboration with Mista Grimm, "Indo Smoke," appeared on the Poetic Justice soundtrack. Soon after that, G recorded his debut album for Death Row (Warren never actually never signed with Death Row so that's not true - D). "Regulate" appeared on the Above the Rim soundtrack and was released as a single. It quickly became a massive hit, peaking at #2 on the Billboard charts and pushing the album up to the same position. The album eventually went triple platinum, with "This D.J." becoming his second Top 10 hit.

Warren G took nearly three years to complete his second album, returning in the spring of 1997 with Take A Look Over Your Shoulder, which was greeted with decidedly mixed reviews and weak sales. I Want It All followed in 1999 with Return Of The Regulator appearing two years later. In 2005 he signed with Lightyear Enterntainment and released In The Mid-Nite Hour. — Steve Huey

Nate Dogg's Bio From All Music Guide
He's known as the soul man of G-funk, and before his first album had ever been released, Nate Dogg made appearances on several huge hits: "Regulate" with Warren G., 2Pac's All Eyez On Me, and the soundtrack to Murder Was The Case. The cousin of Snoop Doggy Dogg, Nate was born in Los Angeles, and began working with Warren G. early in the '90s. By 1994, the duo hit number two on the pop charts with "Regulate," from the soundtrack to Above the Rim. The two later severed their relationship, with G. going on to multi-platinum success. Nate Dogg scored again in 1996 with "Never Leave Me Alone," featuring Snoop, and released his debut album G Funk Classics Vol. 1 & 2 early the following year on Interscope. — John Bush

Daz Dillinger's Bio From All Music Guide
One of the key members of the mid-'90s Death Row Records empire, producer/rapper Daz Dillinger worked alongside some of the West Coast's best rappers. Along with Kurupt, Nate Dogg, and Snoop Dogg, Dillinger (at time known as Dat Nigga Daz) was one of the Long Beach, CA, clique that had been introduced to Dr. Dre through Warren G during the preliminary stages of the legendary The Chronic album. Though Dillinger played only a minor role in the success of that album as a rapper, his subsequent contributions to Snoop Dogg's Doggystyle album as a rapper quickly established him as an up-and-coming West Coast talent. And when his production helped make 2Pac's All Eyez On Me such a success, he was chosen to be Dr. Dre's successor for the production of Snoop's Tha Doggfather album.

Around the same time, he was part of a duo also including Kurupt known as Tha Dogg Pound that released a somewhat overlooked album, Dogg Food. Of course, following the departure of Dr. Dre, the death of 2Pac, and the imprisonment of Suge Knight, Death Row suddenly lost its momentum — and Dillinger's career with it. During the late '90s, he continued his efforts as a prolific producer but saw his long-finished solo album for Death Row, Retaliation, Revenge, And Get Back, get continually pushed back until it was finally released in 1998 to an indifferent audience; the album did feature "In California," though, which proved to be a minor hit.

In 2000, Dillinger released his second album, R.A.W., on his Dogg Pound Records label. The record found Dillinger dissing Suge Knight, Death Row, and even his cousin Snoop Dogg. Yet without major label push, the album was greeted quietly. When Kurupt announced his new position as vice president of Death Row Records in 2002, Daz cut all ties with his former partner. This lasted until 2005 when the duo joined forces once again for the Dogg Pound album Cali Iz Active. A year later, Daz signed with Jermaine Dupri's So So Def label and released So So Gangsta. — Jason Birchmeier

Kurupt's Bio From All Music Guide

A member of tha Dogg Pound, rapper Kurupt (a.k.a. Tha Kingpin, Kalhoon and Young Gotti) was born Ricardo Brown in Philadelphia in 1972; as a teen he was sent to live with his father in Hawthorne, CA, later befriending Snoop Doggy Dogg and signing to Death Row Records. Appearances on Dr. Dre's 1992 classic The Chronic and Snoop's 1993 debut Doggystyle followed before Kurupt teamed with Daz Dillinger to form tha Dogg Pound, debuting in 1995 with Dogg Food; upon co-founding the ANTRA label, he made his solo debut in 1998 with Kuruption. Just prior to the release of his 1999 sophomore effort Tha Streetz Iz A Mutha, Kurupt made headlines when his bodyguard was shot to death in front of the Los Angeles studio where the rapper was recording. — Jason Ankeny

~New~
Kurupt began his winding career with Death Row Records and rose to momentary fame alongside Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg, but struggled to establish himself as a successful solo artist. Born Ricardo Brown in Philadelphia on November 23, 1972, he moved to Hawthorne, CA, as a teen, where he befriended Snoop and joined the roster of Death Row. He debuted on Dre's Chronic album (1992) and continued to contribute guest appearances to successive Death Row releases, most notably Snoop's Doggystyle (1993). He ultimately debuted as one-half of tha Dogg Pound, a partnership with rapper/producer Daz Dillinger spun-off from Snoop's enormous success at that time. Together with Daz and Snoop, Kurupt enjoyed sizable success with Dogg Food (1995) and its hit singles: "Let's Play House" and "New York, New York." Three years later the then-A&M-affiliated Antra Records released Kuruption! (1998), the rapper's ambitious double-disc solo debut. The album met modest success but make much of a commercial impact, nor did its tighter, more traditional follow-up, Tha Streetz Iz A Mutha (1999). Kurupt's next release, Space Boogie: Smoke Oddessey (2001), aimed for crossover success, incorporating pop-rap elements as well as unlikely big-name guests like Fred Durst and Everlast, but again made little impact beyond the rapper's limited following. Meanwhile, Kurupt teamed with Daz for another Dogg Pound album, Dillinger & Young Gotti (2001), which presented a much more underground sound, released independently by D.P.G. Recordz. Meanwhile, Death Row released 2002 (2001), a collection of leftovers from tha Dogg Pound's mid-'90s era. In the wake of these many releases and little accompanying commercial success, Kurupt returned to the long-quiet Death Row label in 2002 and helped Suge Knight revive the infamous label. Against The Grain, released in 2004, was the first fruits of the relationship. - Jason Birchmeier

Soopafly's Bio From All Music Guide
Soopafly began to garner a substantial name for himself as one of the West Coast's better G-funk producers of the late '90s and early 2000s by aligning himself with some of the coast's better rappers, such as Snoop Dogg, Xzibit, and Mack 10. Though he never played a major role in Death Row's major successes — Dr. Dre's The Chronic, Snoop Dogg's Doggystyle, 2Pac's All Eyez On Me — Soopafly did play a minor role in the label's unimportant late-'90s era; some of his efforts appear on leftover albums such as Daz Dillinger's Retaliation, Revenge, And Get Back, Snoop Dogg's Dead Man Walkin', and Suge Knight Presents: Chronic 2000. By the end of 2000, Soopafly's clout had risen though, as he was suddenly producing tracks on Xzibit's Restless ("Fuckin' You Right," "Rimz & Tires") and Snoop Dogg's Tha Last Meal ("Loosen' Control"). — Jason Birchmeier

Official Sites: Tha Dogg Pound, Tha Dogg Pound's MySpace, 213, Snoop, Snoop's MySpace, Nate Dogg's MySpace, Warren G's MySpace, Warren G, Kurupt, Soopafly's MySpace & Westurn Union's MySpace

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