A Melancholy Happy Trails to Nate Dogg

With all due respect to Mary J. Blige, Nate Dogg was the greatest hook singer ever. Nathaniel Hale passed away yesterday after several years of health problems as the result of multiple strokes. Nate broke out with his childhood friends back in Long Beach Snoop Dogg and Warren G (who formed a group 213) who ushered in the G-Funk era in the early nineties under the tutelage of Dr. Dre. For a decade and a half, you were no one unless you could get Nate Dogg singing your hooks as he helped launch 50 Cent, Fabolous, and Ludacris, and jumped on tracks from legends like Eminem and 2Pac.

For those of us that cannot rap, Nate Dogg made the art form more accessible to join along with his Barry White delivery but smoothed out on a Gangsta tip. We may not be able to spit like the rappers he performed with, but it was much more fun to sing along with Nate, I still remember everyone around the dorms still constantly singing, Ayo, Ayo, Ayo, you don’t wanna step to me.” And “Regulators: mount up” was a rallying cry during intramural games. And I is still no fun if my homies can’t get none. Though never able to break out on his own, Nate Dogg left a big impression on my formative years. He was 41. Here are some of my favorite tracks that featured the singer.

Regulate - Warren G featuring Nate Dogg



The Next Episode - featuring Snoop Dogg, Nate Dogg, and Kurupt



Bitch Please - Snoop Dogg featuring Xzibit and Nate Dogg



Can't Deny It - Fabolous featuring Nate Dogg

Lyrics Quiz: Green River

In two days there will probably be a few Green Rivers flowing in honor of St. Patrick’s Day and so I thought I would put the Creedence Clearwater Revival song threw iTunes Genius feature and here are the twenty-five songs they suggested which should be fairly easy for the classic rock fans out there. As always leave your guesses, both artist and song title, in the comment section or e-mail me. If you are correct I will un-bold the lyric and give you credit. Please keep in mind the lyrics quiz is for entertainment purposes only so please only use your own meandering mind to guess them.


1. I’ll wait in the queue where the trains come back. Lie with you where the shadows run from themselves.
2. You know the day destroys the night; night divides the day.
3. I like to hear some funky Dixie land and dance a honky tonk and I’ll be buying everybody drinks all round.
4. Somewhere, somehow, somebody must have kicked you around some. Who knows, maybe you were kidnapped, tied up, taken away for ransom.
5. He was a hard-headed man, he was brutally handsome, and she was terminally pretty. She held him up, and he held her for ransom in the heart of the cold, cold city.
6. It seems like yesterday, but it was long ago. Janey was lovely she was the queen of my nights.
7. Tambourines and elephants are playing in the band. Won’t you take a ride on the flying spoon?
8. Don’t come hanging around my door. I don’t wan to see your face no more. I got more important things to do them spend my time growing old with you.
9. I'm going way down south, way down where I can be free. Ain’t no one gonna find me. Ain’t no hang-man gonna, he ain’t gonna put a rope around me. You better believe it right now.
10. Who could hang a name on you? When you change with every new day, still I'm gonna miss you.
11. When I read the letter you sent me it made me mad, mad, mad. When I read the news that it brought me it made me sad, sad, sad.
12. I never understood a single word he said. But I helped him drink his wine and he always had some mighty fine wine.
13. She’s got hair down to her fanny. She’s kinda jet set, try undo her panties.
14. The lunatic is on the grass. Remembering games and daisy chains and laughs. Got to keep the loonies on the path.
15. What will you do when you get lonely? No one waiting by your side. You’ve been running and hiding much too long. You know it’s just your foolish pride.
16. Saw him the other night at this roadside bar. I was walking in, he was walking out. We went back inside, sat down had a few drinks.
17. And after all the violence and double talk there’s just a song in all the trouble and the strife.
18. I’m getting tired of waiting and fooling around. I’ll find somebody, who won't make me feel like a clown.
19. Let me go home, why don’t they let me go home? This is the worst trip I’ve ever been on.
20. I am yours, you are mine, you are what you are. You make it hard.
21. Sitting on the park bench, eyeing little girls with bad intent. Snot is running down his nose, greasy fingers smearing shabby clothes.
22. They told me when I was younger, “Boy you're gonna be president.” But just like everything else those old crazy dreams.
23. He heard one guitar, just blew him away. Saw stars in his eyes and the very next day bought a beat up six string in a secondhand store.
24. Boys and things that come by the dozen. That ain’t nothing but drugstore loving. Hey little thing let me light your candle.
25. And my mind goes back to a girl I left some years ago who told me…