Tim Dog
| Tim Dog | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Timothy Blair |
| Born |
January 3, 1967 The Bronx, New York City, New York, U.S. |
| Origin | The Bronx, New York |
| Died | February 14, 2013 (aged 46) Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. |
| Genres | Hip hop |
| Instruments | Vocals |
| Years active | 1989–2009 |
| Labels | Ruffhouse/ Columbia |
| Associated acts | KRS-One, Ultramagnetic MCs, Kool Keith, Apache Indian |
Timothy Blair (January 3, 1967 – February 14, 2013), better known by his stage name Tim Dog, was an American rapper from the Bronx, New York, who rose to prominence during the early 1990s with his debut LP Penicillin on Wax and the celebrated diss track "Fuck Compton." Tim had already appeared on songs with the Ultramagnetic MCs and went on to form a duo, Ultra with member Kool Keith. "Fuck Compton" appeared in XXL magazine's "Top 25 Diss Tracks of All Time" and earned Tim Dog critical acclaim from progressive hip-hop producer Blockhead, who said Tim Dog's "The Dog's Gonna Getcha" (off Penicillin On Wax) is "quite possibly the hardest song ever made."Nas shouts out Tim Dog on his track "Where Are They Now?" from his 2006 Album Hip Hop Is Dead, and, despite Tim Dog's beef with Dr. 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 from diabetes. By May 2013, he was under investigation for allegedly faking his death to avoid charges of grand larceny, and a warrant was issued in Mississippi for his arrest. 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, but then disputed. 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.
During the early 1990s, seminal rap group N.W.A and several other West Coast rap artists were becoming popular within the hip hop community and magazines such as Word Up and The Source provided significant coverage to artists from Los Angeles. The success of N.W.A and their focus on the South Central L.A. suburb of Compton via their platinum album Straight Outta Compton had spawned a number of imitators and other groups who also claimed to represent the suburb. The success of artists such as Compton's Most Wanted and DJ Quik led to a period in hip hop where so-called "gangsta rap" and its trademark dress of black Los Angeles Raiders and Los Angeles Kings gear were de rigueur.
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