Nate Dogg

Yeah I Can Ride a Horse was trying to convince me that Nate Dogg is a true rarity in the music industry: neither making it big on his own, nor fading into obscurity, he has managed to cruise in the odd zone of the "middle-class" rapper for 12 years - the whole body of his work consisting exclusively of being featured in other people's songs.

To this I replied: but he's in the right circle of musicians, one that has stayed relevant through those 12 years. To this my interlocutor said, but why would these relevant guys consent to being weighed down by this has-been/never-has-been? Suppose Coolio, or Warren G, asked to be featured in the new 50 Cent song - they'd think he was crazy! Therefore, it's singuar that Nate Dogg is able to keep doing what he's doing, for so long, and with such immobility.

I considered this proposition, and thought that it was maybe conceivable for Warren G to try something similar...

And then it hit me: Puff Daddy! He is exactly the east coast's answer to Nate Dogg, except maybe a little more proactive, and a lot more entrepreneurial/exploitative/talentless/odious. Has he ever done anything successfully on his own? No. Has he been around forever? Yes.

I think that's enough to prove that the Nate Dogg phenomenon isn't totally exceptional, and anyways, I imagine two such "middle-class" rappers is as much as the market can hold. They might be able to make room for one or two more (take note, Warren G), but beyond that is saturation point.