And then with the murder of 2Pac and the incarceration of label head Suge Knight later that same year, Daz assumed leadership.

Dre's sudden departure from Death Row in 1996, Daz assumed the vacated role of chief in-house producer. Tha Dogg Pound remained active thereafter, rapping on both 2Pac's All Eyez on Me (1996) and Snoop's Tha Doggfather (1996) Daz produced on a number of tracks on both albums as well, including the singles '2 of Amerikaz Most Wanted,' 'I Ain't Mad at Cha,' and 'Doggfather,' not to mention numerous album tracks. 'Let's Play House' was the biggest hit, breaking into the Top 50 of the Hot 100, while 'New York, New York' was an MTV favorite in the video for the latter, Kurupt, Daz, and Snoop stomped Godzilla-like around the Big Apple, taunting their East Coast rivals. It was quite a success, topping the Billboard 200 album chart. Around this same time, Daz established himself as a capable producer, with the Lady of Rage's 'Afro Puffs' to his credit, among other tracks.ĭeath Row released Tha Dogg Pound's debut album, Dogg Food, on Halloween 1995. Later that year they reappeared as Tha Dogg Pound on Doggystyle, the solo debut of Snoop Doggy Dogg, where they were featured on a few songs, most prominently the hit single 'Doggy Dogg World.' In 1994 they were featured on a pair of Death Row soundtracks, Above the Rim ('Big Pimpin'') and Murder Was the Case ('What Would U Do?,' 'Who Got Some Gangsta Shit?,' 'Come Up to My Room'). Kurupt and Daz were first billed together as Tha Dogg Pound on 'Niggas Don't Give a Fuck,' their contribution to the Poetic Justice soundtrack (1993).

The two Californians began their recording careers individually, both of them featured sporadically on the foundational Death Row release, Dr. Kurupt (born Ricardo Brown November 23, 1972) and Dat Nigga Daz (born Delmar Arnaud May 25, 1973) comprise Tha Dogg Pound (not to be confused with Dogg Pound Posse, a different and much shorter-lived hardcore rap group). Tha Dogg Pound was an integral part of the Death Row Records empire, which cast a tall shadow over rap music in the early to mid-'90s, and though the label only released one Dogg Pound album, Dogg Food (1995), the duo's impression remained fairly constant in the years that followed, as the two group members pursued solo careers and occasionally reunited.

Tha dogg pound album cover