Daz Dillinger

One of the central figures in Death Row Records' mid-'90s dominance, Daz Dillinger established himself as both a producer and rapper while collaborating with leading West Coast artists. He belonged to the Long Beach, CA circle that included Kurupt, Nate Dogg, and Snoop Dogg, a group Warren G first brought to Dr. Dre's attention while The Chronic was still in its early development. Although his input on that project remained limited, his appearances as a rapper on Snoop Dogg's Doggystyle quickly marked him as an emerging force on the coast. His production work on 2Pac's All Eyez on Me proved so effective that he was tapped to replace Dr. Dre behind the boards for Snoop's Tha Doggfather.

At the same time he formed the duo tha Dogg Pound with Kurupt, whose debut album Dogg Food attracted relatively little notice upon release. The exits of Dr. Dre, the death of 2Pac, and Suge Knight's incarceration then stripped Death Row of its forward motion, stalling Dillinger's own trajectory in the process. Through the remainder of the decade he stayed busy as a producer, yet his completed solo debut for the label, Retaliation, Revenge & Get Back, sat unreleased until 1998, when it arrived to little interest; the project did contain the minor hit "In California."

Dillinger issued his follow-up, R.A.W., in 2000 through his own Dogg Pound Records imprint, taking aim at Suge Knight, Death Row, and his cousin Snoop Dogg across its tracks. Absent major-label support, the album made only a muted impact. Kurupt's appointment as vice president of Death Row Records in 2002 prompted Dillinger to sever all connections with his former partner, a rift that ended in 2005 when the pair reunited for the Dogg Pound album Cali Iz Active. The following year he joined Jermaine Dupri's So So Def roster and delivered So So Gangsta.