# Daz Dillinger
**Daz Dillinger** (born Delmar Drew Arnaud in 1973), formerly known as **Dat Nigga Daz**, is an American rapper and record producer from [Long Beach, California](https://www.edgepedia.org/long-beach-california), best known as one half of the West Coast duo [Tha Dogg Pound](https://www.edgepedia.org/tha-dogg-pound) and as a leading producer on [Death Row Records](https://www.edgepedia.org/death-row-records) in the mid-1990s.[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/daz-dillinger-mn0000194907) • [2](https://www.valeorine.com/reference/daz-dillinger?lang=en)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1973, Long Beach, California; birth name Delmar Drew Arnaud[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/daz-dillinger-mn0000194907) • [2](https://www.valeorine.com/reference/daz-dillinger?lang=en) |
| Group | Tha Dogg Pound, with Kurupt; debut album *Dogg Food* (1995), certified platinum by the RIAA[2](https://www.valeorine.com/reference/daz-dillinger?lang=en) |
| Signature production | Five tracks on 2Pac's *All Eyez on Me* (1996), including the singles "2 of Amerikaz Most Wanted" and "I Ain't Mad at Cha"[2](https://www.valeorine.com/reference/daz-dillinger?lang=en) |
| Solo debut | *Retaliation, Revenge and Get Back* (March 1998, Death Row), featuring the minor hit "In California"[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/daz-dillinger-mn0000194907) |
| Own label | D.P.G. Recordz, founded after leaving Death Row; second album *R.A.W.* released on it in 2000[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/daz-dillinger-mn0000194907) |
| Output | Eighteen solo albums as of 2023, plus collaborative albums with JT the Bigga Figga, WC, Snoop Dogg, Big Gipp, Capone, and Lil Eazy-E[3](https://www.valeorine.com/reference/daz-dillinger) |
## Death Row years
Daz entered the music business at 19, when he signed to Death Row Records and learned production from [Dr. Dre](https://www.edgepedia.org/dr-dre).[2](https://www.valeorine.com/reference/daz-dillinger?lang=en) Along with Kurupt, Nate Dogg, and [Snoop Dogg](https://www.edgepedia.org/snoop-dogg), he was part of the Long Beach clique introduced to Dr. Dre through [Warren G](https://www.edgepedia.org/warren-g) during the early stages of *The Chronic* (1992), on which he contributed both rapping and production.[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/daz-dillinger-mn0000194907) • [2](https://www.valeorine.com/reference/daz-dillinger?lang=en) During this period he befriended Kurupt, and the two formed Tha Dogg Pound.[2](https://www.valeorine.com/reference/daz-dillinger?lang=en)
**Doggystyle and Dogg Food.** Tha Dogg Pound appeared on Snoop Dogg's debut solo album *Doggystyle*, released as Death Row's second album on November 23, 1993; Daz received co-production credits on "Serial Killa" and "For All My Niggaz & Bitches", and has said he provided uncredited production for large portions of the album, a claim Death Row CEO Suge Knight echoed by remarking that "Daz did pretty much the whole album".[2](https://www.valeorine.com/reference/daz-dillinger?lang=en) The duo's debut album, *Dogg Food* (1995), was certified platinum.[2](https://www.valeorine.com/reference/daz-dillinger?lang=en) Their single "What Would You Do?" earned a 1996 Grammy nomination for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group.[4](https://biography.guide/daz-dillinger/)
**All Eyez on Me and the production succession.** As the East Coast–West Coast rivalry intensified, Dr. Dre increasingly withdrew from the Death Row studio, disliking its atmosphere and [Suge Knight](https://www.edgepedia.org/suge-knight)'s leadership, and left the label in March 1996 to found [Aftermath Entertainment](https://www.edgepedia.org/aftermath-entertainment).[3](https://www.valeorine.com/reference/daz-dillinger) On 2Pac's *All Eyez on Me* (1996), only three tracks were produced by Dr. Dre while Daz produced five, including the singles "2 of Amerikaz Most Wanted" and "I Ain't Mad at Cha".[3](https://www.valeorine.com/reference/daz-dillinger) The album's commercial success raised Daz's standing, and he supplied production to Death Row releases through 1996 and 1997, including Snoop Dogg's *Tha Doggfather*, Nate Dogg's *G-Funk (1990s West Coast rap style with smooth melodies and funk samples) Classics, Vol. 1 & 2*, and the Lady of Rage's *Necessary Roughness*, as well as the soundtrack of the 1997 film *Gridlock'd*.[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/daz-dillinger-mn0000194907) • [3](https://www.valeorine.com/reference/daz-dillinger) After 2Pac's murder in 1996 and Suge Knight's 1997 imprisonment for parole violations, most of the label's roster departed, leaving Daz as the only platinum-selling artist remaining on Death Row.[3](https://www.valeorine.com/reference/daz-dillinger)
## Solo career and D.P.G. Recordz
His long-finished solo debut for Death Row, *Retaliation, Revenge and Get Back*, was repeatedly delayed before its release in March 1998; it reached an indifferent audience but featured "In California", a minor hit.[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/daz-dillinger-mn0000194907) Last.fm dates the release to March 31, 1998, and a contemporary review notes it was among the last albums Death Row released before the label's collapse.[5](https://www.last.fm/music/Daz%2BDillinger/Retaliation%2C%2BRevenge%2Band%2BGet%2BBack) • [6](https://hiphopisntdead.blogspot.com/2011/02/reader-review-daz-dillinger-retaliation.html) He left the label later that year.[3](https://www.valeorine.com/reference/daz-dillinger)
After leaving Death Row, Daz produced for artists including Kurupt, Soopafly, and B-Legit, and founded his own label, D.P.G. Recordz, on which he released his second album, *R.A.W.* (2000).[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/daz-dillinger-mn0000194907) • [3](https://www.valeorine.com/reference/daz-dillinger) The record included disses aimed at Suge Knight, Death Row, and his cousin Snoop Dogg, and, without major-label support, was greeted quietly.[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/daz-dillinger-mn0000194907) In 2001 he released the collaborative *Longbeach 2 Fillmoe* with JT the Bigga Figga.[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/daz-dillinger-mn0000194907)
## Feud and reconciliation with Kurupt
Daz and Kurupt reunited for a second collaborative album, *Dillinger & Young Gotti* (2001); because Death Row still owned the name "Tha Dogg Pound", they released it under the name DPG.[3](https://www.valeorine.com/reference/daz-dillinger) Relations then broke down: when Kurupt announced his position as vice president of Death Row Records in 2002, Daz cut ties with his former partner and repeatedly insulted him in songs and interviews.[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/daz-dillinger-mn0000194907) • [3](https://www.valeorine.com/reference/daz-dillinger) The two reconciled at a West Coast unity event hosted by Snoop Dogg in 2005, and the duo joined forces again for the Dogg Pound album *Cali Iz Active*.[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/daz-dillinger-mn0000194907) • [3](https://www.valeorine.com/reference/daz-dillinger) A year later, Daz signed with [Jermaine Dupri](https://www.edgepedia.org/jermaine-dupri)'s So So Def label and released *So So Gangsta* (2006).[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/daz-dillinger-mn0000194907)
## Later output
Daz has remained a prolific independent artist, focusing on his own releases and sales; as of 2023 he had released eighteen solo albums, with titles including *Weed Money* (2014), *Dat Nigga Daz* (2023), and *Retaliation, Revenge and Get Back 2* and *3* (both 2025).[3](https://www.valeorine.com/reference/daz-dillinger) His collaborative albums pair him with a rotating set of partners: *West Coast Gangsta Shit* with WC (2013), *Cuzznz* with Snoop Dogg (2016), *A.T.L.A.* with Big Gipp (2020), *Guidelinez* with Capone (2022), and *The Legacy* with [Lil Eazy-E](https://www.edgepedia.org/lil-eazy-e) (2023).[3](https://www.valeorine.com/reference/daz-dillinger) Tha Dogg Pound has continued to release music as a duo, including the album *W.A.W.G. (We All We Got)*, on which Daz and Kurupt returned to Death Row Records.[7](https://deathrowrecords.com/tha-dogg-pound)
## Legacy
Daz's production is a central part of the Death Row sound at the height of West Coast rap's popularity: he contributed to *The Chronic*, Snoop Dogg's multi-platinum *Doggystyle*, 2Pac's *All Eyez on Me*, and the majority of Death Row's multi-platinum releases.[8](https://www.thuglifearmy.com/interviews/3551-interview-w-hip-hop-gangsta-rap-artist-daz-dillinger.pdf) Because Dr. Dre's credited production for the label was concentrated on *The Chronic* and *Doggystyle*, much of the label's later catalog rests on Daz's beats, and his solo debut is often described as a late flowering of the G-Funk style he helped define.[6](https://hiphopisntdead.blogspot.com/2011/02/reader-review-daz-dillinger-retaliation.html)
## References
1. [Daz Dillinger – Biography, Discography, Albums & Expert Reviews, AllMusic (biography by Jason Birchmeier)](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/daz-dillinger-mn0000194907)
2. [Daz Dillinger – VALÉORINE Encyclopedia](https://www.valeorine.com/reference/daz-dillinger?lang=en)
3. [Daz Dillinger – VALÉORINE Encyclopedia (recordings and discography)](https://www.valeorine.com/reference/daz-dillinger)
4. [Daz Dillinger Biography, Biography.guide](https://biography.guide/daz-dillinger/)
5. [Retaliation, Revenge and Get Back – Daz Dillinger, Last.fm](https://www.last.fm/music/Daz%2BDillinger/Retaliation%2C%2BRevenge%2Band%2BGet%2BBack)
6. [Reader Review: Daz Dillinger – Retaliation, Revenge and Get Back, hip hop isn't dead.](https://hiphopisntdead.blogspot.com/2011/02/reader-review-daz-dillinger-retaliation.html)
7. [Tha Dogg Pound, Death Row Records](https://deathrowrecords.com/tha-dogg-pound)
8. [Interview w Hip Hop Gangsta Rap Artist Daz Dillinger, ThugLifeArmy.com](https://www.thuglifearmy.com/interviews/3551-interview-w-hip-hop-gangsta-rap-artist-daz-dillinger.pdf)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Music › Music scenes › Transnational genre scenes › Hip hop scenes worldwide › Artists, groups, and people: Hip hop scenes worldwide › West Coast rap (Bay Area and Los Angeles) › Los Angeles and Southern California rappers*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license