Music & Me

by Nate Dogg

Overview

Music & Me technically isn't Nate Dogg's debut album. That would be G-Funk Classics (1998), a mishandled double-disc album released as an afterthought during the waning days of Death Row Records. But since G-Funk Classics was such a hodgepodge, and also since it fell upon deaf ears, it's understandable that Music & Me feels like Nate Dogg's solo debut album -- his first chance to shine on his own and elevate his reputation from featured guest to solo superstar. Released by Elektra, Music & Me is a well-crafted album on most counts, featuring first-rate production work by Megahertz, Bink, and Mel-Man, along with high-profile guest features by Xzibit, Pharoahe Monch, Jermaine Dupri, Dr. Dre, Kurupt, Ludacris, Snoop Dogg, and Fabolous (all of whom are returing the favor, for Nate Dogg was a featured guest on recent albums of theirs). Music & Me certainly sounds good while it's playing, and the revolving door of guest features keeps the proceedings interesting, if occasionally routine rather than exciting. If there's one quality lacking, however, it's a wealth of ace songwriting -- the productions are first-rate, the guests are talented, Nate Dogg himself is in good form, but the songs themselves are often generic. There are some exceptions, including such standouts as "I Got Love" and "Keep It G.A.N.G.S.T.A.," but too many of these songs are lyrically artless. This generally isn't a problem with Nate Dogg, since he usually is brought in by others to sing prewritten hooks, and so long as those hooks are catchy and sound good, it doesn't really matter however shallow they may be. Over the course of an entire album like this, on the other hand, where Nate Dogg is the focal point rather than a featured guest, there needs to be some substance -- lyrics and concepts that add up to something meaningful. Perhaps this goes to show that while Nate Dogg is a fantastic featured guest, a sure-fire hitmaker when brought in to sing a hook, he's no wordsmith. Nonetheless, Nate Dogg is vocally in fine form on Music & Me, an album that sounds good when it's playing, and fans will surely enjoy much of the album, which admittedly has been a long time coming, so long as they're not expecting anything deep or meaningful. ~ Jason Birchmeier

Product Details

Release Date:	04/07/2023
Label:	Music On Vinyl
UPC:	8719262029538
Rank:	35440

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Nate Dogg   Primary Artist
Missy   Primary Artist
Lil' Mo   Primary Artist,Guest Artist,Featured Artist
Snoop Dogg   Primary Artist,Guest Artist,Featured Artist
Tha Eastsidaz   Primary Artist,Guest Artist,Featured Artist
Kurupt   Primary Artist,Guest Artist,Featured Artist
Fabolous   Primary Artist,Guest Artist,Featured Artist
Ludacris   Primary Artist,Guest Artist,Featured Artist
Jermaine Dupri   Primary Artist,Guest Artist,Featured Artist
Xzibit   Primary Artist,Guest Artist,Featured Artist
B.R.E.T.T.   Primary Artist,Featured Artist
Dr. Dre   Primary Artist,Guest Artist,Featured Artist
Pharoahe Monch   Primary Artist,Guest Artist,Featured Artist
Tony G.   Percussion
Barbara Wilson   Vocals (Background)
Battlecat   Multi Instruments
Tim Izo Orindgreff   Flute
Marlon Williams   Guitar
Mike Elizondo   Bass,Keyboards
Damizza   Multi Instruments
Printz Board   Trumpet
Mike City   Multi Instruments
Rhemario Webber   Keyboards
Anthony Mazza   Guitar
A.J. Luke   Guitar
Howard Hersh   Keyboards

Technical Credits

Snoop Dogg   Composer
Andre Johnson   A&R
Andre Young   Composer
Tha Eastsidaz   Performer
Sylvia Rhone   Executive Producer
Fredwreck Nassar   Composer
Kurupt   Performer
J.J. Jackson   Composer
Brian Paturalski   Mixing Assistant
Battlecat   Mixing,Producer
Fabolous   Performer
Doug Wilson   Mixing
Ludacris   Performer
Jermaine Dupri   Composer,Producer
Darrell Thorp   Engineer
Richard Huredia   Mixing
Nate Dogg   Producer
Mike Elizondo   Composer,Producer
Damizza   Engineer,Producer
Dave Aron   Engineer
Bink   Producer
Manny Marroquin   Mixing
Xzibit   Performer
Tyson Leeper   Engineer,Mixing Assistant
Bryan-Michael Cox   Composer,Producer
Gary Walker   Mixing Assistant,Assistant Engineer
Dr. Dre   Mixing,Producer
Pharoahe Monch   Performer
Phil Tan   Mixing
Mike City   Composer,Producer
Brian Vibberts   Assistant Engineer
C.J. DeVillar   Engineer
Larry Chapman   Production Coordination
Victor McCoy   Assistant Engineer
Steve Macauley   Mixing Assistant
Mauricio Iragorri   Mixing,Engineer
Tracy Davis   Composer
Joe Warlick   Mixing
Roosevelt Harrell   Composer
Anita Marisa Boriboon   Art Direction
Nathaniel Hale   Composer
Andrea Cooker   Stylist
John Horesco IV   Mixing Assistant
Tom Rounds   Mixing Assistant,Assistant Engineer
Howard Hersh   Composer
Brian Frye   Engineer
Wayne Williams   Assistant Engineer
Piotr Sikora   Photography
R.P. Harell   Composer
James McCrone   Mixing Assistant,Assistant Engineer
Tadd Mingo   Assistant Engineer
Yolanda Halston   Grooming
Rouble Kapoor   Assistant Engineer
Jay Brown   A&R,Executive Producer
Kevin KD Davis   Mixing