Songoftheday 5/14/21 - No one can do it better like this two man crew, they say we're one hit it quitters, now what cha'll gonna do?

 

 

"Nobody Does It Better" - Nate Dogg featuring Warren G

from the album G-Funk Classics - Vol 1 & 2 (1998)

Billboard Hot 100 peak: #18 (two weeks)

Weeks in the Top-40: 9

 

Today's song of the day comes from G-funk singer Nate Dogg, who had returned to the pop top-40 in the fall of 1996 with the single "Never Leave Me Alone" featuring real-life cousin Snoop Dogg. However, at the time, his label Death Row Records was imploding, and the release of his first solo album was stopped until he bought back his material to release on his own as the double-disc G-Funk Classics in 1998. His next single reunited Nate up with rapper Warren G, who had accompanied him to #2 in 1994 for "Regulate". Warren had a more steady career since, scoring four top-40 pop hits, with two of those, "Smokin' Me Out" and "I Shot The Sheriff", coming from his sophomore effort Take A Look Over Your Shoulder. The resulting pairing took a lush sample from Atlantic Starr's quiet storm nugget "Let's Get Closer" as they smoothly explain how they're still here and not tolerating any disses. Both have flows that are way easy on the ears and tamper down the menacing factor enough for the mainstream radio heads to get on board. The video has Nate and Warren as an aged duo holding auditions for replacements...

"Nobody Does It Better" returned Nate to the pop top-40 as a lead artist for the second and last time in August of 1998. The song also climbed to the same rank on Billboard magazine's R&B chart. Internationally, the single was a minor hit in Germany at #71. The G-Funk Classics album, released in July of that year, rose to #58 on the Billboard 200 sales tally, and #20 on the R&B Albums distillation, as that genre had fallen from favor in the hip-hop community, and on his own Breakaway label didn't have the promotion muscle of the big imprints.

Although this would be his last Hot 100 pop hit as a lead artist, he continued his success as a wingman for others. In 1999, Nate guested on Snoop Dogg's "B-Please", which brought him back to the R&B top-40 at #26 (Hot 100 #77), as well as his "Lay Low" in 2001, which crested at R&B at #20 (Hot 100 #50). Later that year, Nate released his own second album, Music & Me, his first on Elektra Records. While the record was his highest-ranking set on the Billboard 200 at #32, the lead single, "I Got Love", stalled under the R&B top-40 at #45, and only "bubbled under" the Hot 100 at #118. However, also in 2001 Nate was featured on two top-40 pop hits, with Fabolous' "Can't Deny It" peaking at #25 (#13 R&B) and Ludacris' "Area Codes" hitting #24 (#10 R&B). The latter was nominated for a Grammy Awards in 2002 for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration, which went to Eve and Gwen Stefani for "Let Me Blow Your Mind". 

Coincidentally, Nate Dogg teamed up with Eve for the lead single from his third and final album, Nate Dogg, "Get Up", which stalled down at #81 on the R&B chart in 2003, while the album, which got a muted released, never charted. However, he made up for it by finally reaching #1 on the pop and R&B lists as a guest on rapper 50 Cent's "21 Questions" later that year. He also appeared on top-40 pop hits that decade on singles from Westside Connection, Houston, and Eminem, whose "Shake That" made the pop top ten at #6, and was nominated again for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration in 2007, which Justin Timberlake and T.I. took home for "My Love". His last charting single, Mobb Deep's and 50 Cent's "Have A Party", went to #49 at R&B and "bubbled under" the pop Hot 100 at #105 in 2006.

Sadly, Nate suffered a pair of strokes in 2007 and 2008, leading to his death. As for Warren G, he'll be in this series again as a lead artist.

(6/10)

Up tomorrow: British R&B girl-group heads to the Nile.