It’s about time for the next edition of dubcnn’s “Remembering Nate Dogg” series. After DJ Quik gave us his thoughts last time, today we link up with someone from the younger generation who was blessed enough to work with Nate, fellow Long Beach artist Crooked I.
Crooked tells us about his first time recording with Nate Dogg and the working vibe in the studio. He also expresses his respect to Nate for always coming back to Long Beach, even after he blew up and was a widely recognized celebrity.
Crooked I: “I first met Nate Dogg years ago, I can’t even remember when it was. But I remember the first I did with him. It was me and DJ Battlecat in the lab with him, I think it was “Crook On Me”. His energy was crazy, he showed me what a real hook master was supposed to do. He took the song to a whole other level as he always does, it was a crazy thing! We were just sitting around, joking around, drinking hennessey, trading old school stories and having fun, man!
He was a cool dude, I used to see him all the time in Long Beach at the bowling alley. We’d just kick it, drink, holler at each other and talk about music, talk about life and just chill. He was a real lad back dude and I really respected the fact that he was visible in Long Beach. A lot times, when artists get on his level, they’re too busy and they don’t come back to the city. He was there though! It was inspirational to see a big celebrity come through the hood, a lot of artists were inspired by his presence.
He’s going down as the best hook master ever. If you think about all the stuff he has done, all the way back to the old Dogg Pound stuff, he has an incredible body of work that cannot be matched by nobody. I think all the up and coming singers who like to collaborate with Hip-Hop artists could learn a lot from him.“
Related media:
Crooked I – Crook In Me (ft. Nate Dogg) (Prod. by Battlecat)
Keep looking out for the “Remembering Nate Dogg” drops, we have much more to come.
