Delmar Drew Arnaud (born May 25, 1973), known professionally as Daz Dillinger or simply Daz (formerly Dat Nigga Daz), is an American rapper and record producer. As a member of

Death Row Records Death Row Records is an American record label that was founded in 1991 by The D.O.C., Dr. Dre, Suge Knight, and Dick Griffey. The label became a sensation by releasing multi-platinum hip-hop albums by West Coast-based artists such as Dr. D ...

in the early 1990s, he is credited with the label in pioneering

West Coast hip hop West Coast hip-hop is a regional genre of Hip-hop, hip-hop music that encompasses any artists or music that originated in the West Coast of the United States. West Coast hip-hop began to dominate from a radio play and sales standpoint during th ...

and

gangsta rap Gangsta rap or gangster rap, initially called reality rap, is a subgenre of rap music that conveys the culture, values, and experiences of urban gangs and street hustlers, frequently discussing unpleasant realities of the world in general th ...

for mainstream audiences. Alongside Kurupt, he formed the hip hop duo

Tha Dogg Pound Tha Dogg Pound is an American hip-hop duo composed of West Coast rappers Kurupt and Daz Dillinger. They were among the first acts to sign to Death Row Records in 1992. Kurupt and Daz went on to release solo albums starting in 1998; they left th ...

in 1992, with whom he has released eight albums. Arnaud learned production from Dr. Dre; his first major production credit was on Dre's debut solo album, '' The Chronic'' (1992). He further produced for his cousin,

Snoop Dogg Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr. ( ; born October 20, 1971), better known by his stage name Snoop Dogg (previously Snoop Doggy Dogg), is an American rapper, record producer, and actor. Rooted in West Coast hip-hop, he is widely regarded as one of t ...

's debut album '' Doggystyle'' (1993), as well as

Tupac Shakur Tupac Amaru Shakur (; born Lesane Parish Crooks; June 16, 1971 – September 13, 1996), also known by his stage names 2Pac and Makaveli, was an American rapper and actor, regarded as one of the greatest and most influential rappers of all tim ...

's '' All Eyez on Me'' (1996). His debut studio album, '' Retaliation, Revenge and Get Back'' (1998) peaked within the top ten of the ''Billboard'' 200 and served as his only project with Death Row before founding his own label, Gangsta Advisory Records in 2000 and co-founding D.P.G. Recordz with Soopafly that same year.

Early life

Daz Dillinger was born and raised in

Long Beach, California Long Beach is a coastal city in southeastern Los Angeles County, California, United States. It is the list of United States cities by population, 44th-most populous city in the United States, with a population of 451,307 as of 2022. A charter ci ...

,. His family includes cousins

Brandy Brandy is a liquor produced by distilling wine. Brandy generally contains 35–60% alcohol by volume (70–120 US proof) and is typically consumed as an after-dinner digestif. Some brandies are aged in wooden casks. Others are coloured ...

, Ray J, and Mercedes Moné.

Career

Start at Death Row (1992–1995)

Daz began his music career at the age of 19, when he signed to

and learned music production from Dr. Dre. Vlad Lyubovny, interviewer
"Daz Dillinger details working on 'The Chronic' w/ Dr. Dre at 15"
''VladTV''–''DJVlad'' @ YouTube, August 20, 2015. After joining the Death Row label, Daz was featured on Dr. Dre's debut solo album, '' The Chronic'', in 1992; he contributed both rapping and production to the album. During this period, Daz also befriended the rapper Kurupt, and the two formed a duo called

. The Dogg Pound appeared on Snoop Dogg's debut solo album, '' Doggystyle'', which was released as Death Row's second album on November 23, 1993. Formally, Daz received co-production credits on two of ''Doggystyle''s tracks, "Serial Killa" and "For All My Niggaz & Bitches"; however, Daz maintains that he provided uncredited production for large portions of the album, and Death Row CEO Suge Knight has remarked that "Daz did pretty much the whole album 'Doggystyle''.Paul Cantor
"Suge Knight reflects on 'Doggystyle' 20 years later"
''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...

'', November 25, 2013]. Daz also produced tracks for the soundtracks to '' Above the Rim (soundtrack), Above the Rim'' and '' Murder Was the Case''. In their single " What Would You Do?", Tha Dogg Pound sided with Dr. Dre against his former N.W.A groupmate

Eazy-E Eric Lynn Wright (September 7, 1964 – March 26, 1995), known professionally as Eazy-E, was an American rapper who propelled West Coast rap and gangsta rap by leading the group N.W.A and its label, Ruthless Records. Eazy-E is often re ...

and his label Ruthless Records. Later, as the ongoing East Coast–West Coast hip hop rivalry began to escalate, Tha Dogg Pound recorded the single "

New York, New York New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on New York Harbor, one of the world's largest natural harb ...

", which slighted the city. Tha Dogg Pound followed these tracks with their debut album, 1995's '' Dogg Food'', which was certified platinum by the RIAA.

Growth at Death Row Records (1996–1998)

As the East–West rap rivalry intensified, Death Row's lead producer Dr. Dre increasingly distanced himself from the studio, disliking the studio's atmosphere and Suge Knight's leadership. In 1996,

released his first Death Row album, '' All Eyez on Me''; this album featured only three tracks produced by Dr. Dre, while Daz produced five tracks for the album, including the singles " 2 of Amerikaz Most Wanted" and " I Ain't Mad at Cha". The commercial success of ''All Eyez on Me'' raised Daz's stature as a producer, and he provided production to numerous Death Row albums – including Snoop Dogg's '' Tha Doggfather'',

Nate Dogg Nathaniel Dwayne Hale (August 19, 1969 – March 15, 2011), known professionally as Nate Dogg, was an American rapper and singer. He gained recognition for providing guest vocals on several hit rap songs between 1992 and 2007, earning him the ...

's '' G-Funk Classics, Vol. 1 & 2'', and the Lady of Rage's '' Necessary Roughness'' – in 1996 and 1997. Daz also contributed to the soundtrack of the 1997 film '' Gridlock'd''. Dr. Dre left Death Row in March 1996 to found the label Aftermath Entertainment. After Tupac was murdered in 1996, followed by Suge Knight being sentenced to prison for parole violations in 1997, numerous other artists (including Snoop Dogg, Kurupt, and

) departed from Death Row as well; this left Daz as the only platinum-selling artist remaining on the Death Row roster. Neil Strauss
"Rap empire unraveling as stars flee"
''New York Times'', 1998 Jan 26, § D, p 1. Daz released his debut solo album, '' Retaliation, Revenge and Get Back'', through Death Row Records in March 1998; however, he too left the label later that year.

D.P.G. Recordz and indie releases (post-1999)

After leaving Death Row Records, Daz produced for artists like Kurupt, Soopafly, And B-Legit. He also established his own label, D.P.G. Recordz, on which he released his second solo album, 2000's '' R.A.W''. In the following years, Daz has continued to focus on his own indie releases and sales; Kurt Alexander, interviewer
"Daz Dillinger on his new album, working w/ Tupac and being on Death Row"
''BigBoyTV'' @ YouTube, February 23, 2018. as of 2023, he has released a total of eighteen solo albums. Daz and Kurupt reunited to release a second collaborative album, '' Dillinger & Young Gotti'', in 2001; because Death Row still owned the name "Tha Dogg Pound", they released ''Dillinger & Young Gotti'' under the name DPG. Despite this collaboration, relations deteriorated between the two rappers after Kurupt signed to Death Row Records once more, and Daz repeatedly insulted Kurupt in songs and interviews. Daz and Kurupt ultimately reconciled at a West Coast unity event that Snoop Dogg hosted in 2005. After gaining rights to the moniker "Tha Dogg Pound", Kurupt left Death Row again, and Daz closed his brief time at

Jermaine Dupri Jermaine Dupri Mauldin (born September 23, 1972) is an American rapper and record producer. Raised in Atlanta, Georgia as the son of Columbia Records executive Michael Mauldin, he began his career in music at the age of nine. He discovered th ...

's So So Def Recordings. Since then, Tha Dogg Pound has released several more albums, including a prolific streak of five albums between 2005 and 2010. In 2020 Daz united with Queens MC Capone (one half of Capone-N-Noreaga) for a collaborative album titled ''Guidelines''.

Discography

Studio albums * '' Retaliation, Revenge and Get Back'' (1998) * '' R.A.W.'' (2000) * '' This Is the Life I Lead'' (2002) * '' DPGC: U Know What I'm Throwin' Up'' (2003) * '' I Got Love in These Streetz'' (2004) * '' Tha Dogg Pound Gangsta LP'' (2005) * ''Gangsta Crunk'' (2005) * '' So So Gangsta'' (2006) * '' Gangsta Party'' (2007) * '' Only on the Left Side'' (2008) * '' Public Enemiez'' (2009) * ''Matter of Dayz'' (2010) * '' D.A.Z.'' (2011) * '' Witit Witit'' (2012) * ''Weed Money'' (2014) * ''Dazamataz'' (2018) * ''Smoke Me Out'' (2018) * ''Dat Nigga Daz'' (2023) * ''Molly Whop'' (2023) * ''The Adventures of Dilly Tha Dogg'' (2024) * ''Retaliation, Revenge and Get Back 2'' (2025) Collaborative albums * '' Long Beach 2 Fillmoe'' (with JT the Bigga Figga) (2001) * '' Game for Sale'' (with JT the Bigga Figga) (2001) * '' Don't Go 2 Sleep'' (with Makaveli) (2001) * ''Southwest'' (with Nuwine) (2003) * ''Get That Paper'' (with Fratthouse) (2009) * '' West Coast Gangsta Shit'' (with WC) (2013) * '' Cuzznz'' (with

) (2016) * ''A.T.L.A.'' (with

Big Gipp Cameron F. Gipp (born April 28, 1973), better known by his stage name Big Gipp, is an American rapper. He is a member of the Atlanta-based hip hop group Goodie Mob, with whom he has released six studio albums, as well as the duo Ali & Gipp, with ...

) (2020) * ''Guidelines'' (with Capone) (2022) * ''The Legacy'' (with Lil Eazy-E) (2023)

Awards

* Nominated in 1996 Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group (with Kurupt): "What Would You Do"

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Dillinger, Daz 1973 births Living people 21st-century American male musicians 21st-century American rappers African-American male rappers 21st-century American male rappers 20th-century American male rappers African-American record producers American hip-hop record producers Crips Death Row Records artists MNRK Music Group artists Gangsta rappers G-funk artists Musicians from Long Beach, California Place of birth missing (living people) Priority Records artists Rappers from Los Angeles Record producers from California So So Def Recordings artists Virgin Records artists West Coast hip-hop musicians