| Name | Daz Dillinger |
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| Background | solo_singer |
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| Birth name | Delmar Arnaud |
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| Alias | Dat Nigga Daz |
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| Born | May 25, 1973 (age 37) |
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| Origin | Long Beach, California, U.S. |
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| Instrument | Drums, keyboards, drum machine, sampler |
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| Genre | Hip hop |
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| Occupation | Rapper, producer, Singer |
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| Years active | 1992 – present |
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| Label | Death Row(1992–1999)D.P.G.(2000–present)Gangsta Advisory(2000–present)So So Def(2003–2006)Koch(2006–2009) |
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| Associated acts | Snoop Dogg, Lil' 1/2 Dead, Nate Dogg, Soopafly, Tupac Shakur, Kurupt, Lady of Rage, Z-Ro |
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| Url | dazmusic.com |
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Delmar Drew Arnaud (born May 25, 1973 in
Long Beach, California), better known by his
stage name Daz Dillinger (formerly
Dat Nigga Daz) is an
American hip hop producer and
rapper mostly known for his membership in the rap duo
Tha Dogg Pound, with
Kurupt, and his work with
Death Row Records. He is the cousin of
Snoop Dogg,
Nate Dogg,
Lil' ½ Dead,
Mr. Malik,
Lil' C-Style,
Butch Cassidy,
Ray J,
Brandy and
RBX.
Death Row years
The Chronic, Tha Dogg Pound and Dogg Food
Daz began his career on Death Row Records as a producer for co-founder
Suge Knight's then-girlfriend, Paradise. He was signed to the label and subsequently began working with
Dr. Dre on the breakthrough west coast album,
The Chronic; during its recording, he met and grew close to future partner-in-rhyme
Kurupt. The two formed
Tha Dogg Pound for
Doggystyle, the debut album of the record label's up-and-coming star
Snoop Dogg. The critically-acclaimed album, as well as their later single "
What Would You Do?", saw Tha Dogg Pound partake in the rivalry between Dr. Dre and former
N.W.A. groupmate
Eazy-E, by dissing artists on Eazy's
Ruthless Records.
Dillinger was more heavily involved in Doggystyle than was his groupmate; while it was produced and mixed by Dre, Arnaud was featured on one track and received co-production credit on two ("Serial Killa" and "For All My Niggaz and Bitches"). Following its release, Daz and Kurupt put out their debut group album, Dogg Food, to rave reviews and platinum sales. While the duo dissed Ruthless act Bone Thugs-N-Harmony on the album, Dogg Food also saw the duo engage in yet another conflict, this time the beef Suge and new signee 2Pac initiated against Bad Boy Entertainment's Puff Daddy and Notorious B.I.G.; Daz and Kurupt would expand the feud to include Capone-N-Noreaga, Tragedy Khadafi and Mobb Deep with their Snoop-assisted single "New York, New York."
Head producer, All Eyez on Me & Retaliation, Revenge & Get Back
As the intercoastal rivalry escalated, and Suge Knight's increasingly intense strong-arm tactics entered the studio, head producer Dr. Dre steadily grew resentful of the label's dangerous atmosphere. Beginning with
Dogg Food, which Daz produced, Dre no longer produced whole Death Row albums; in his latter days as in-house producer, he worked only with 2Pac, producing three tracks (California Love, which was originally supposed to appear on the Aftermath compilation album, California Love Remix, and Can't C Me) for the rapper's definitive album
All Eyez on Me. Even before Dre left the label to found his own
Aftermath Entertainment, Arnaud effectively took over as head producer, crafting most of the double-album's first disc and providing beats for Snoop Dogg's sophomore effort,
Tha Doggfather, from which Dre's production was absent. His status as head producer was made official once Dre left, and continued on even after 2Pac's murder and the artist-exodus it initiated. During his tenure heading the label's sound, Daz contributed production to the
Gridlock'd soundtrack,
Lady of Rage's
Necessary Roughness, and
Nate Dogg's
G-Funk Classics, Vol. 1. His production would also pop up on the unofficial Snoop Dogg release
Dead Man Walkin put out by Suge in 2001, after Daz himself had left the label.
Dillinger went on to put out his own solo album, Retaliation, Revenge and Get Back on Death Row in 1998; Nate Dogg, Kurupt and Snoop had already left the label, followed shortly thereafter by Daz himself. During this time a short-lived beef sparked between Daz and Snoop, regarding the latter's words against Suge Knight and the former's status at the label and disses inherent in the album, which Snoop Dogg later dropped out of respect for his cousin.
Off Death Row
Solo career & feud with Kurupt
After ending his tenure at Death Row, Arnaud would go on to produce for acts like Kurupt,
Soopafly, and
B-Legit; he put out the album
R.A.W. in 2000, the flagship release for his own
D.P.G. Recordz, which would for some time function as a vehicle for releasing solo albums. He and Kurupt united in 2001 for a second album,
Dillinger & Young Gotti, which received mixed reviews, under the name D.P.G. (as Suge still owned rights to the name 'Tha Dogg Pound' at the time). The group unity was short-lived, as Kurupt would subsequently re-sign with Death Row, prompting his former groupmate to diss him several times in song and interviews. Daz dissed Death Row with "Catch U In The Club", "U Ain't Shit" and a skit called "A Message to Ricardo Brown". Kurupt respond with "No Vaseline Part 2." The feud carried on from 2002 to 2005, while Dillinger released several solo efforts, including a 'DPGC' album with Snoop Dogg, Soopafly and
Bad Azz and
Tha Dogg Pound Gangsta LP on his own.
Reconciliation & upcoming projects
In 2005, Daz and Kurupt reconciled their differences at a west coast unity event hosted by Snoop Dogg; Kurupt proceeded to leave Death Row a second time, procuring rights to the name of Tha Dogg Pound and re-forming the duo with his former partner, who on his part ended his brief tenure at
Jermaine Dupri's
So So Def. The duo immediately commenced to releasing albums, including
Dillinger & Young Gotti II: The Saga Continuez, the
Let'z Ryde Tonite EP and
Cali iz Active with Snoop Dogg as the DPG. August 1, 2008, Daz Dillinger offered the new owners of Death Row Records to record videos for
Dogg Food; he also plans to repackage and release unreleased material.
Discography
Studio albums
1998: Retaliation, Revenge and Get Back
2000: R.A.W.
2002: This Is the Life I Lead
2003:
2004: I Got Love in These Streetz
2005: Tha Dogg Pound Gangsta LP
2005: Gangsta Crunk
2006: So So Gangsta
2007: Gangsta Party
2008: Only on the Left Side
2009: Public Enemiez
2010: Matter of Dayz
2011:
D.A.Z.
Compilation albums
2001:
2002: To Live and Die in CA
2002:
2008: Who Ride wit Us Vol. 3
2009: Who Ride wit Us Vol. 4
Collaboration albums
2001: Long Beach 2 Fillmoe (with JT the Bigga Figga)
2001: Game for Sale (with JT the Bigga Figga)
2003: Southwest (with Nuwine)
EPs
2001: Makaveli & Dillinger Don't Go 2 Sleep (with Makaveli)
Mixtapes
2004: DPG: Till The Day I Die Mixtape
2005: So So Gangsta - The Mixtape
2005: West Coast Gangstas - Starring: Tha Dogg Pound (Hosted by DJ Kurupt)
2009: Dillinger & Makaveli - Tribute: Streetz of LA Special Edition (Hosted by DJ Nik Bean)
Awards
Nominated in 1996 Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group (with Kurupt): "What Would You Do"
References
External links
Official website
Interview
Category:1970 births
Category:African American rappers
Category:Death Row Records artists
Category:American hip hop record producers
Category:Crips
Category:G-funk
Category:Living people
Category:So So Def artists
Category:E1 Music artists
Category:People from Long Beach, California
Category:Priority Records artists
Category:Rappers from Los Angeles, California
