Nate Dogg Left A Giant Vacancy In Music. J. Period’s Tribute Mix Says It All… (Audio)

Four years ago today (March 15, 2011), Nathaniel “Nate Dogg” Hale died, tragically, after complications from a stroke. Since his earliest days, alongside Snoop Dogg and Warren G, Nate Dogg was an anomaly. A Long Beach, California native, Nate fused Hip-Hop, Gospel, and Soul seamlessly throughout a career that lasted nearly 20 years, and is still unfolding today.

Throughout his career, Nate greatly assisted his peers—from Warren G, to Snoop Dogg, to Dr. Dre, to 2Pac, to Fabolous, to Shade Shiest, to Eminem, to Ludacris, to Mos Def, to Mobb Deep. While 213’s lone album, 2004’s The Hard Way, scored a Top 5 debut, only one of Nate’s solo works, 2001’s Music & Me, cracked the Top 40.

With years spent patiently waiting on Death Row Records, later creatively separated from the artists he had formed such strong chemistry with at Elektra, Nate’s career is complicated. However, in almost any situation, “the Ghetto Preacher” could spin out a hit, most of which ended up as for-hire contributions to others. On his own though, from shelved works, bootlegs, and deeper within his own catalog, there are glimmering moments that still need sharing with Heads. Luckily, DJ J. Period’s Nate Dogg…King Of G-Funk mixtape goes beyond the wildest proportions of any greatest hits compilation:

Check more J. Period mixes.

Related: R.I.P Nate Dogg. Here’s a Look Back at the Hip-Hop Hook King Discussing His Career (Video)