A Cooler Sound From the Kennel

While Death Row Records deals with fallout from its star Tupac Shakur’s death and the continuing legal woes of its owner, Marion “Suge” Knight, other business goes on as usual for the label whose run of multi-platinum hits is unmatched in the world of ‘90s hip-hop.

The company’s latest dividend is Nate Dogg, whose debut single, “Never Leave Me Alone,” entered the Southern California sales chart this week at No. 2 and the national charts at No. 40, according to SoundScan. The ballad, which features a guest rap by Death Row’s Snoop Doggy Dogg, is also getting considerable play on radio and on the Box, the music video cable TV channel.

Nate Dogg, unlike Death Row’s other bestsellers, is more an R&B; singer than a pure gangsta rapper. Still, his songs reflect many of the same societal tensions as hard-core hip-hop, and he feels a strong allegiance to the Death Row music family.

The singer, whose real name is Nathaniel Hale, nodded when Death Row’s troubles were mentioned during an interview at a Tarzana recording studio, days after Shakur’s Sept. 7 shooting in Las Vegas. He was quick to praise the label’s role in opening doors for young black artists who have experienced much of the drama they write about.

“A lot of black men get in desperate situations because they don’t see any other avenues to make it,” he said with a glimmer of defiance. “You make a couple of mistakes today, that’s all she wrote. You’re not going to get a good job; nobody’s gonna hire a felon. You can’t even vote. They just want to silence you.

“Death Row is a bridge out of that ghetto world, giving voices to those people society thinks shouldn’t be heard. Now everybody’s trying to do what we do.”

“Never Leave Me Alone” has the feel of a conventional love song, but it’s really the story of a father facing prison under the three strikes law and wondering if he’ll still have the love of his companion and infant son.

The account hits home for Nate, 27, an East Long Beach native who recently faced prison himself.

After a three-week trial last summer, a Long Beach jury acquitted him on one count of armed robbery and couldn’t reach a verdict on a second. Nate maintained that the arrests were both cases of mistaken identity. He was not retried on the second charge.

“Boys need fathers, and you can’t do that in jail,” said Nate, who frequently refers to his two sons, Nate Jr., 4, and Nigel, 7, in his lyrics. “If I’m not around, not only do I fail my sons, I fail myself. Becoming a father changed my outlook and gave me a whole other reason to be around.”

As a teenager in Long Beach, he shared his early dreams of being a recording star with Calvin Broadus and Warren Griffin III, now known to rap fans as Snoop Doggy Dogg and Warren G, respectively.

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Nate, who honed his singing skills as a member of the New Hope Trinity Baptist Church choir, dropped out of high school and joined the Marines at 16. He served three years until he went AWOL. After a dishonorable discharge, he returned to Long Beach in 1990 and tried to renew his music aspirations.

Claiming he was unable to find work, he says he sold drugs to make enough money to rent cheap hotel rooms until he, Snoop and Warren G managed to put together a series of demo tapes under the group name 213.

One of the tapes made its way to Warren G’s half-brother Dr. Dre, who signed Snoop and Nate to the then-fledgling Death Row Records, which has since become as controversial as it is successful.

Although he also made noteworthy cameos on recordings by such artists as Dr. Dre and 2Pac, the singer is best known for his engaging duet with old pal Warren G on the 1994 blockbuster single “Regulate.”

Not only did it receive a Grammy nomination for best rap recording by a duo or a group but it also led to a pop trend of matching a straightforward R&B; singer with a rapper.

The pattern was repeated in one of last year’s most celebrated recordings: “Gangsta’s Paradise,” teaming singer L.V. and rapper Coolio. Other rap producers have also duplicated the formula.

“I hope they make a lot of money off of what they’re doing, as long as they recognize where it came from,” Nate said.

Although he’s confident about the debut album (no release date has been set), he realizes that it comes long after “Regulate” and his contributions to Dr. Dre’s landmark “The Chronic” album.

Is Nate worried that he’s now going to be viewed as a follower rather than as a trend-setter?

He shrugged.

“Dr. Dre once told me that you’re only as good as your last song,” he replied. “I’ve been working on this album for three years, if it ain’t tight, then there’s something wrong with me.”