Tha Dogg Pound

Posted on 02.23.2008

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Tha Dogg Pound
Also known as Kurupt and Daz, DPG (Dogg Pound Gangstaz)
Origin : Long Beach, California

Tha Dogg Pound biography :

In the beginning, Daz and Kurupt were two of several artists on the Death Row roster. Both made minor contributions to Dre’s The Chronic (1992) before making substantially larger contributions to Snoop’s Doggystyle (1993). In fact, their omnipresence on Snoop’s album spawned the opportunity to capitalize on that album’s success ; it was no surprise then when Death Row tagged Daz and Kurupt as Snoop protégés, tagging them tha Dogg Pound for promotional reasons. Granted, Snoop played a large role in tha Dogg Pound, as did Nate Dogg, but with the release of Dogg Food (1995), it was undeniably clear that Daz and Kurupt needed no mentoring. Unfortunately, Dogg Food didn’t match the success of preceding Death Row releases ; it spawned two minor hits — "Let’s Play House" and "New York, New York," featuring Nate Dogg and Snoop, respectively — yet for the most part, the album was considered a slight disappointment. Following Dogg Food, Daz and Kurupt both went on to work on solo albums — Retaliation, Revenge & Get Back (1998) and Kuruption ! (1998), respectively — that were even less successful than Dogg Food in terms of record sales.

By 1998, Death Row’s reign had long ended, and few saw the post-2Pac remnants as being relevant, partly explaining the loss of interest in Tha Dogg Pound during the mid- to late ’90s. The duo were also criticized for being second-rate relative to the other Death Row artists, a perhaps unfair comparison. Either way, it wasn’t long before Daz and Kurupt embarked on full-fledged solo careers. Kurupt had modest success with his Tha Streetz Iz a Mutha (1999) while Daz dropped off the radar and released R.A.W. (1999). Yet with Dre’s return in 2000 and the steady West Coast rap renaissance that began as a result, Death Row dug through their vaults — as they had done for similar Snoop and 2Pac releases — assembling what would eventually surface as tha Dogg Pound’s 2002 (2001). The album featured appearances by the likes of 2Pac, Xzibit, Nate Dogg, a remix of Jay-Z’s "Change the Game" featuring the Roc-A-Fella clique, and a Dr. Dre-produced lead single, "Just Doggin."

2006 sees Tha Dogg Pound poised to make a fierce comeback under Snoop Dogg’s Doggy Style Records imprint via-KOCH Records. Bigg Snoop Dogg himself is welcomed as a 3rd member of Tha Dogg Pound for their upcoming summer release Cali Iz Active, in stores June 27th, 2006.

Tha Dogg Pound Discography

Tha Dogg Pound albums

Dogg Food
Released : October 31, 1995
Singles : Let’s Play House, New York, New York

Dillinger & Young Gotti
Released : May 1, 2001
Singles : Coastin’

2002
Released : July 31, 2001
Singles :

The Last of Tha Pound
Released : April 27, 2004
Singles :

Dillinger & Young Gotti II : Tha Saga Continuez...
Released : November 1, 2005
Singles : Push Bacc

Cali Iz Active
Released : June 27, 2006
Singles : Cali Iz Active, Sittin on 23z

Dogg Chit
Released : March 27, 2007
Singles : Vibe

Westcoast Aftershocc
Coming in 2008
Singles : They Don’t Want It