Tha Dogg Pound

• Genre: G-Funk/ Gangsta

About

Tha Dogg Pound are one of California's oldest and most reliable groups. Core members Daz and Kurupt have been major players since lending considerable supporting roles on Dr. Dre's The Chronic. Daz's tough, terse lines contrast with Kurupt's looser, more fluid delivery, and though they had neither Tupac's backstory nor Snoop's raw charisma, they possessed two of the West Coast's most distinctive voices. Unfortunately, their 1995 bow, Dogg Food, would be their only real album for nearly a decade. Death Row's tumultuous time following Pac's 1996 death led to various tiffs between the two emcees, and it wasn't until Kurupt officially left Death Row in 2005 that they were able to reunite the following year with the warmly received Cali iz Active. That CD was followed by 2007's appropriately titled Dogg Chit.

- Sam Chennault