Tim Dog | |
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| Background information | |
| Born | Timothy J. Blair[1] (1967-01-03)January 3, 1967[2] The Bronx,New York City, U.S. |
| Died | February 14, 2013(2013-02-14) (aged 46)[3] |
| Genres | |
| Instrument | Vocals |
| Years active | 1988–2009 |
| Labels | |
Timothy J. Blair (January 3, 1967 – February 14, 2013),[2][5][6][7] better known by hisstage nameTim Dog, was an Americanrapper fromthe Bronx,New York, who rose to notoriety during the early 1990s with his debut LPPenicillin on Wax (1991) and thediss track "Fuck Compton". Tim had already appeared on songs with theUltramagnetic MCs and went on to form a duo,Ultra, with memberKool Keith. "Fuck Compton" appeared inXXL magazine's "Top 25 Diss Tracks of All Time" and earned Tim Dog critical acclaim from progressive hip-hop producerBlockhead, who said Tim Dog's "The Dog's Gonna Getcha" (offPenicillin on Wax) is "quite possibly the hardest song ever made."[8]Nas references Tim Dog on his track "Where Are They Now?" from his 2006 albumHip Hop Is Dead, and despite Tim Dog's feud withDr. Dre,Eminem (whom Dre had discovered) name-checked him on the track "Ricky Ticky Toc".
On February 14, 2013, the media reported that Tim Dog died of complications fromdiabetes.[9] By May 2013, he was under investigation for allegedly faking his death to avoid charges ofgrand larceny, and a warrant was issued inMississippi for his arrest.[7][10][11] However, on September 15, 2014, it was finally confirmed by NBC News that Tim Dog had indeed died on February 14, 2013, as had been initially reported. A death certificate was filed inDeKalb County, Georgia, putting an end to speculation that he was still alive and trying to avoid his court-mandated debts.[2]
During the early 1990s, seminal rap groupN.W.A and several otherWest Coast rap artists were becoming popular within thehip hop community and magazines such asWord Up! andThe Source provided significant coverage to artists fromLos Angeles. The success of N.W.A and their focus on theSouth Central L.A. suburb ofCompton via theirplatinum albumStraight Outta Compton (1989) had spawned a number of similar rap groups from the region; heavily influenced by their image and lyrics. The success of artists such asCompton's Most Wanted,Tha Alkaholiks, andDJ Quik led to a period in hip hop wheregangsta rap.
Tim Dog's debut albumPenicillin on Wax (1991) included several additional diss tracks aimed at both Compton artists and then-popular artists such asKid 'n Play andKwamé. The intro used the same beat as N.W.A'sEfil4zaggin album intro. Tim taunted, "I stole your beat and made it better, to show the whole world that you ain't nothing but a bunch of pussies," before a number of disparaging answering machine messages supported Tim's position as he rapped, "Wearing all that black, driving them cars, but you still look wack!" The track also attacked Dr. Dre for violence against women and challenged him to a fight. In another skit, "DJ Quik Beat Down," Tim Dog "physically assaulted" DJ Quik. Since the release, incoming responses came the following years from west coast artistsSnoop Dogg,DJ Quik,Compton's Most Wanted,Penthouse Players Clique,Rodney O & Joe Cooley, andTweedy Bird Loc.
The track "Fuck Compton" insultedMichel'le but Tim Dog later expressed some sympathy for her in the skit "Michel'le Conversation", which implied that Dr. Dre was beating her up (which she later said in public).
Tim followed up with his second albumDo or Die in 1993. The album represented Tim's shift of focus away from confrontation with the West Coast and instead concentrated onhardcore East Coast rap. The album contained a shout-out toTupac Shakur whom Tim thanked for assisting him when involved in a potentially violent situation when touring in California.
In 1994, Tim Dog released the EPBitch with a Perm. The second track, "Dog Baby", was another diss to Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg.
Tim Dog moved to the UK in 1995 and worked with UK artistApache Indian, producing the hit single "Make Way for the Indian". Tim then toured withKool Keith and recorded several other tracks, including his August 2005 collaboration with Percee P, "NY to the UK."
Tim Dog had been the head of "Rap Legends Recordings" and previously co-founded Our Turn Records in Los Angeles with Eddie Pugh, President of Black Music Sony Records.[12] Previously, he was the CEO President of Big Xity Entertainment based in New York and BMC Management based in Atlanta.[citation needed]
In 2011, Tim Dog pleaded guilty togrand larceny for conning a woman, Esther Pilgrim,[13] out of $32,000 in an online dating scam. He was sentenced to five years' probation and ordered to pay restitution of $19,000 to Pilgrim.[14][15] The case was featured on the June 15, 2012, episode ofDateline NBC,[16][17] which clarified that it was a best interest plea (Alford plea) to theft.[18]
Tim Dog reportedly died of complications from diabetes on February 14, 2013. However, the funeral was canceled and no death certificate or autopsy existed.[19] His family also stayed away from the media claiming religious reasons as a justification for their shunning of the press and wanting to mourn in private.[20] After Pilgrim alleged in May 2013 that Tim Dog's "reported death" may have been a scheme by Tim Dog to avoid payments to her, she came public demanding further investigation about his death. A warrant was issued inMississippi for his arrest in case he was still alive.[7][10][11]
On September 15, 2014, it was finally confirmed by NBC News that Tim Dog had indeed died on February 14, 2013, as had been initially reported. A death certificate was filed in Dekalb County, Georgia, putting an end to speculation that he was still alive and trying to avoid his court-mandated debts.[2]
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