Following the sudden death of his longtime friend, Nate Dogg, on March 15, Bay Area rapper Warren G plans to keep the late singer’s name alive as he opens up about his recent Nate Dogg tribute song “This Is Dedicated To You” and his plans to release an upcoming duet EP with the late crooner.
According to rapfix.mtv.com, Warren G explains that he recorded the tribute track, which features LaToya Williams, as a way to share the memories of how he felt during Nate Dogg’s final years.
“It’s a record just to let everybody know how I felt and what I was going through during the time he was in the home and having therapy, because everybody would ask what was up with Nate,” says Warren G. “I didn’t want to tell them [too much] just for the sake of his family and his privacy. I couldn’t tell them the situation, but he was progressing, so I’d always say that he was progressing and we hoped to get him back up on his feet soon. So I did the record just to let everybody know what was going on with my homeboy.”
Although Warren G admits that recording the song provided him some solace, he explains that hearing Nate Dogg’s voice and music brings back the pain of his sudden loss.
“It helped relieve me as far as the pain,” said Warren G. “But at the same time when I listen to it or if I hear any of the music that we’d done, I get that feeling in my stomach; that hurt feeling like, ‘Damn, this is my dog, he’s not here with me. We can’t do the stuff we used to do, it’s not the same.’ ”
Despite his sadness, Warren G is determined to keep Nate Dogg’s memory alive and revealed that he’ll release an EP honoring Nate Dogg this summer, featuring songs he created with the singer for an unreleased album, as well as new collaborations from the likes of E-40, DJ Quik, The Game, and B.o.B.
What do you think of Warren G’s dedication to his late friend’s legacy? –nicholas robinson
