Nathaniel Dwayne Hale (August 19, 1969 – March 15, 2011), was an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and actor better known by his stage name Nate Dogg. Hale initially began his career as a member of the California rap trio 213, alongside his longtime friend Warren G and his cousin Snoop Dogg. He eventually pursued a solo career, and released three solo albums, G-Funk Classics, Vol. 1 & 2 in 1998, Music & Me in 2001, and Nate Dogg as a bootlegged album in 2003 and on CD in 2014. He was also well known for his work with other artists, frequently collaborating with Dr. Dre, Eminem, Warren G, Tupac Shakur, Westside Connection, Snoop Dogg, 50 Cent, Ludacris, Xzibit, and Shade Sheist on many hit releases. Nate Dogg is regarded as one of the pioneers of West Coast hip hop.
Nate Dogg died in 2011 due to complications from multiple strokes.
Nathaniel Dwayne Hale was born in Clarksdale, Mississippi on August 19, 1969. He moved to Long Beach, California when he was 14 following his parents' divorce. He was friends with rappers Warren G, RBX, and Daz Dillinger and cousin of Butch Cassidy, Snoop Dogg, and Lil' ½ Dead. He began singing as a child in the New Hope Baptist Church in Long Beach and Life Line Baptist Church in Clarksdale, Mississippi where his father Daniel Lee Hale pastored and his mother Ruth Holmes was leading the choir. At the age of seventeen he dropped out of high school, left home and enlisted in the Marines. He served three years as an ammunition specialist.