| Tim Dog | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Timothy Blair |
| Born | 1 January 1967 [1] |
| Origin | The Bronx, New York |
| Genres | Hip hop |
| Instruments | Vocals |
| Years active | 1989–2006 2009–present |
| Labels | Ruffhouse/ Columbia |
| Associated acts | KRS-ONE, Ultramagnetic MCs, Kool Keith, Apache Indian |
Tim Dog (real name Timothy Blair) (born 1 January 1967) [1] is an American rapper from the Bronx, New York who rose to prominence during the early '90s with his debut LP Penicillin on Wax and the celebrated "diss" record "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 that Tim Dog's "The Dog's Gonna Getcha" (off Penicillin On Wax) is "quite possibly the hardest song ever made." [2] 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 (who Dre had discovered) name-checked him on the track 'Ricky Ticky Toc'.
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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 Rap Masters, 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.
Some New York hip hop artists resented the exposure and success of their West Coast counterparts, an animosity which Tim Dog would tap into via the release of his groundbreaking first single. Frustrated at the apparent lack of interest in East Coast artists from record companies, Tim recorded "Fuck Compton", a scathing diss track from his debut album Penicillin on Wax. "Fuck Compton" attacked the city's style of dress and musical output and made threatening gestures to several Compton rappers including Eazy-E, MC Ren, Dr. Dre and Michel'le.
The lyrics also made reference to an infamous incident involving N.W.A's Dr. Dre and host of Pump It Up Dee Barnes. Barnes had accused Dre (real name Andre Young) of assaulting her after Pump It Up had edited an N.W.A interview to include disparaging comments made by Ice Cube, who was embroiled in a feud with his former group at the time:
| “ | Dre, beating on Dee from Pump It Up?
Step to the Dog and get fucked up! |
” |
The single was released by Ruffhouse Records, home to other artists such as Cypress Hill and Kriss Kross, and became a worldwide underground hit in the clubs and hip hop circles. Two versions of a music video were released - the original version and a censored edit.
Penicillin on Wax included several additional "disses" aimed at both Compton artists and commercially successful artists such as Kid N Play and Kwame. The intro used the same beat as N.W.A's "efil4zaggin" album intro. Tim taunted "I stole your beat and made it better, to show the whole world that you aint nothing but a bunch of pussies" before a number of disparaging answering machine messages supported Tim's position. Tim rapped: "Wearing all that black, driving them cars, but you still look wack!". In another skit, "DJ Quik Beat Down", Tim Dog physically assaulted DJ Quik.
The lyrical insults were arguably the opening salvo in what would later become the East Coast versus West Coast hip hop conflict which would ultimately lead to the "beef" between Bad Boy Records and Death Row Records.
The main target of Tim's insults N.W.A, never officially responded as a unit due to their pending break up, although Dre would later employ an upstart emcee Snoop Dogg to respond on his behalf. Several other Compton rap units responded:
Tim followed up with his second album Do Or Die. The album represented Tim's shift of focus, away from confrontation with the West Coast and concentrated on hardcore East Coast rap. Interestingly, the album contained a shout-out to Tupac Shakur whom Tim thanked for assisting him when involved in a potentially violent situation when touring in California.
Tim moved to the UK in 1995 and worked with U.K. artist Apache Indian, producing the hit single "Make Way for the Indian". Tim then toured with Kool Keith and recorded several other tracks, the most recent being his August 2005 collaboration with Percee P, "NY to the UK".
Tim Dog is currently the CEO President of record companies Big Xity Entertainment based in New York, and BMC Management based in Atlanta.
On December 14, 2010, Tim Dog was arrested in Atlanta for fraud based on charges filed in Desoto County, Mississippi.
On August 3, 2011, Timothy Blair aka Tim Dog was convicted for a felony of Grand Larceny in Desoto County, MS. Former 1990s rapper Tim Dog, whose real name is Timothy Blair, has entered a guilty plea to grand larceny in DeSoto County Circuit Court for defrauding a local woman out of thousands of dollars.
Blair, 46, who lives in Atlanta, pleaded guilty last month in the financial scheme that Southaven resident Esther Pilgrim said left her with $32,000 in credit card debt.
Under the plea agreement, Blair received five years probation and must pay Pilgrim $19,000 in restitution within the probation period. Pilgrim will receive a minimum of $100 monthly from the payment plan brokered in the restitution agreement.
Pilgrim, 46, said she met Blair in 2007 on an online dating site and the two began a long-distance relationship. She said the former rapper told her he was rebuilding his music career and needed investors for his new album.
"I grew up in San Bernardino, Calif., and so I knew of Tim Dog the rapper, and his whole East Coast, West Coast rivalry in his music," she said.
She said after visiting him in Atlanta twice and staying in plush condos, Blair eventually earned her trust.
"He said he had sold 20,000 pre-orders of a five-CD box set of his music, and did I want to invest as a limited partner in his BMC Entertainment Company," she said. "I had every reason to believe he was for real with his history with music."
She said she later learned that Blair could not re-release music from his 1991 debut album "Penicillin on Wax" because he did not own the master recordings; his former record company, Sony Music, did.
She said Blair was using her American Express and Bank of America credit cards to pay his bills and live lavishly in Atlanta with his wife, and not to resurrect his career.
"He had a $300 restaurant bill on one of the credit card statements," Pilgrim said. "He was also paying his house notes. I did not receive one penny from the investment, and he then said the deal went bad."
Outraged, Pilgrim fought for three years to get area authorities to take her case.
In 2010, the DeSoto County District Attorney's office did.
The DA's office presented the case to the grand jury in August 2010 and Blair was indicted and charged with one count of false pretenses.
He faced 10 years in prison if convicted of that charge.
Represented by Hernando attorney Stan Little, Blair agreed to a plea bargain with prosecutors. The fraud charge was reduced in the plea deal to grand larceny.
"It was my belief from the beginning that this was a case that belonged in Chancery Court as a disagreement between lovers," Little said. "However, when one opts to have an affair, things can get very ugly very fast. I was just pleased we could get this matter resolved with a fair deal for both parties."
Pilgrim, a nurse for high-risk pregnant women, said she was disappointed she was not awarded her full $32,000 in credit card charges and fees, but she is pleased that Blair was convicted of a felony.
The case has attracted national attention. Dateline NBC was in Hernando recently filming the court case and interviewing everyone involved, including Pilgrim and prosecuting and defense attorneys. No date has been set for when the story will air