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Daz Dillinger

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Daz Dillinger
Daz Dillinger in 2015
Daz Dillinger in 2015
Background information
Birth nameDelmar Drew Arnaud
Also known as
  • Daz
  • Dat Nigga Daz
  • Diggity Daz
  • Daz Dilly
  • Dilly Tha Dogg
Born(1973-05-25)May 25, 1973(age 51)
Long Beach, California,U.S.
Genres
Occupations
  • Rapper
  • record producer
  • songwriter
Years active1992–present
Labels
Member ofTha Dogg Pound

Delmar Drew Arnaud(born May 25, 1973), known professionally asDaz Dillingeror simplyDaz(formerlyDat Nigga Daz), is an American rapper and record producer. As a member ofDeath Row Recordsin the early 1990s, he is credited with the label in pioneeringWest Coast hip hopandgangsta rapfor mainstream audiences. AlongsideKurupt,he formed the hip hop duotha Dogg Poundin 1992, with whom he has released eight albums.

Arnaud learned production fromDr. Dre;his first major production credit was on Dre's debut solo album,The Chronic(1992). He further produced for his cousin,Snoop Dogg's debut albumDoggystyle(1993), as well asTupac Shakur'sAll Eyez on Me(1996). His debut studio album,Retaliation, Revenge and Get Back(1998) peaked within the top ten of theBillboard200and served as his only project with Death Row before founding his own label,Gangsta Advisory Recordsin 2000 and co-foundingD.P.G. RecordzwithSoopaflythat same year.

Early life

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Daz Dillinger was born and raised inLong Beach, California,[1]as was his older cousinSnoop Dogg.

Career

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Start at Death Row (1992–1995)

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Daz began his music career at the age of 19, when he signed toDeath Row Recordsand learned music production fromDr. Dre.[2]After joining the Death Row label, Daz was featured on Dr. Dre's debut solo album,The Chronic,in 1992; he contributed both rapping and production to the album.[3]During this period, Daz also befriended the rapperKurupt,and the two formed a duo calledTha Dogg Pound.

The Dogg Pound appeared on Snoop Dogg's debut solo album,Doggystyle,which was released as Death Row's second album on November 23, 1993. Formally, Daz received co-production credits on two ofDoggystyle's tracks, "Serial Killa" and "For All My Niggaz & Bitches"; however, Daz maintains that he provided uncredited production for large portions of the album, and Death Row CEOSuge Knighthas remarked that "Daz did pretty much the whole album [Doggystyle] ".[4][5]Daz also produced tracks for the soundtracks toAbove the RimandMurder Was the Case.

In their single "What Would You Do?",Tha Dogg Pound sided with Dr. Dre against his formerN.W.AgroupmateEazy-Eand his labelRuthless Records.Later, as the ongoingEast Coast–West Coast hip hop rivalrybegan to escalate, Tha Dogg Pound recorded the single "New York, New York",which slighted the city. Tha Dogg Pound followed these tracks with their debut album, 1995'sDogg Food,which was certified platinum by the RIAA.

Growth at Death Row Records (1996–1998)

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As the East–West rap rivalry intensified, Death Row's lead producer Dr. Dre increasingly distanced himself from the studio, disliking the studio's atmosphere and Suge Knight's leadership.[citation needed]In 1996,Tupac Shakurreleased his first Death Row album,All Eyez on Me;this album featured only three tracks produced by Dr. Dre, while Daz produced five tracks for the album, including the singles "2 of Amerikaz Most Wanted"and"I Ain't Mad at Cha".The commercial success ofAll Eyez on Meraised Daz's stature as a producer, and he provided production to numerous Death Row albums – including Snoop Dogg'sTha Doggfather,Nate Dogg'sG-Funk Classics, Vol. 1 & 2,andthe Lady of Rage'sNecessary Roughness– in 1996 and 1997. Daz also contributed to the soundtrack of the 1997 filmGridlock'd.

Dr. Dre left Death Row in March 1996 to found the labelAftermath Entertainment.After Tupac was murdered in 1996, followed by Suge Knight being sentenced to prison for parole violations in 1997, numerous other artists (including Snoop Dogg, Kurupt, andNate Dogg) departed from Death Row as well; this left Daz as the only platinum-selling artist remaining on the Death Row roster.[6]Daz released his debut solo album,Retaliation, Revenge and Get Back,through Death Row Records in March 1998; however, he too left the label later that year.[citation needed]

D.P.G. Recordz and indie releases (post-1999)

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After leaving Death Row Records, Daz produced for artists like Kurupt,Soopafly,AndB-Legit.He also established his own label,D.P.G. Recordz,on which he released his second solo album, 2000'sR.A.W.In the following years, Daz has continued to focus on his own indie releases and sales;[1]as of 2023, he has released a total of eighteen solo albums.

Daz and Kurupt reunited to release a second collaborative album,Dillinger & Young Gotti,in 2001; because Death Row still owned the name "Tha Dogg Pound", they releasedDillinger & Young Gottiunder the name DPG. Despite this collaboration, relations deteriorated between the two rappers after Kurupt signed to Death Row Records once more, and Daz repeatedly insulted Kurupt in songs and interviews.[7]Daz and Kurupt ultimately reconciled at a West Coast unity event that Snoop Dogg hosted in 2005.[8]After gaining rights to the moniker "Tha Dogg Pound", Kurupt left Death Row again, and Daz closed his brief time atJermaine Dupri'sSo So Def Recordings.Since then, Tha Dogg Pound has released several more albums, including aprolific streak of five albumsbetween 2005 and 2010.

In 2020 Daz united with Queens MCCapone(one half ofCapone-N-Noreaga) for a collaborative album titledGuidelines.[9]

Discography

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Main article:Daz Dillinger discography
See also:Tha Dogg Pound discography

Studio albums

Collaborative albums

Awards

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References

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  1. ^abKurt Alexander,interviewer,"Daz Dillinger on his new album, working w/ Tupac and being on Death Row",BigBoyTV@ YouTube, February 23, 2018.
  2. ^Vlad Lyubovny,interviewer,"Daz Dillinger details working on 'The Chronic' w/ Dr. Dre at 15",VladTV–DJVlad@ YouTube, August 20, 2015.
  3. ^"Rap News Network – Hip-Hop News: Rap Producer Daz Dillinger Interview".Rapnews.net. August 24, 2005. Archived fromthe originalon February 24, 2012.RetrievedMarch 31,2012.
  4. ^Paul Cantor,"Suge Knight reflects on 'Doggystyle' 20 years later",Rolling Stone,November 25, 2013].
  5. ^Trent Clark, interviewer,"Daz Dillinger says Dr. Dre took his ideas to create 'The Chronic'",HipHopDX@ YouTube, April 23, 2018.
  6. ^Neil Strauss,"Rap empire unraveling as stars flee",New York Times,1998 Jan 26, § D, p 1.
  7. ^"Kurupt Interview (Strikes back to Daz) – hiphop.at Forum – Österreichs größte Hiphop Community".Hiphop.at. Archived fromthe originalon January 11, 2009.RetrievedMarch 31,2012.
  8. ^[1]ArchivedJune 28, 2008, at theWayback Machine
  9. ^White, Roman (December 15, 2020)."Capone Discusses 'Guidelines' Joint LP Featuring Daz Dillinger".The Source.RetrievedJune 21,2021.
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