Daz Dillinger

Delmar Drew Arnaud^[1] (born May 25,^[2] 1973 in Long Beach, California), better known by his stage name Daz Dillinger (and 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, and RBX.

Death Row years

The Chronic, Tha Dogg Pound & 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^[3]; 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 six tracks 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. Dogg Food 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, California Love Remix, and Can't See Me, which was originally supposed to appear on the Aftermath compilation album.) 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^[4].

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^[5][6]. 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^[7]; 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^[8]. Their next proper album came in the form of 2007's Dogg Chit. In the works for Daz are two Dogg Pound releases, one entitled 100 Wayz--formerly Westcoast Aftershocc--and one produced in conjunction with Pete Rock.^[9] 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.^[10]

Discography

• 1998: Retaliation, Revenge and Get Back
• 2000: R.A.W.
• 2002: This Is the Life I Lead
• 2002: I Got Love In These Streetz
• 2003: DPGC: U Know What I'm Throwin' Up
• 2004: I Got Love in These Streetz - The Album
• 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

Awards

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

References

External links

• Daz Dillinger at the Internet Movie Database
• Daz Dillinger at MySpace
• Official website
• Interview