RapStation

Happy Birthday Fat Joe and Nate Dogg

Hip hop fans across both coasts have a lot to celebrate, as today marks the birthdays of two rap legends: the West Coast's late, great Nate Dogg and the Bronx's own Fat Joe.

Long Beach rapper Nate Dogg was born on this day in 1969. Nate Dogg was one-third of the rap trio 213, which also featured Snoop Dogg and Warren G. He scored his first hit single with "Regulate," where he and Warren G helped popularize the "g funk" style of hip hop. Outside of 213, Nate Dogg had a long career where he collaborated with a who's-who of West Coast rap stars, including Dr. Dre and Tupac Shakur. Nate Dogg passed away in 2011 from a stroke. He would've been 45 today.

Today is also the birthday of a Bronx legend, Terror Squad's Fat Joe. The "Lean Back" rapper and CEO of Terror Squad Entertainment has been releasing hits since 1993's "Flow Joe" and his been a consistent fixture in the rap industry since. This year, Fat Joe scored yet another Platinum single with "All The Way Up," which also features Remy Ma, with whom Fat Joe is collaborating with on his upcoming eleventh studio album, Plato O Plomo.

By Michael Lacerna for RAPstation.com