TOWN LOVE is an online art museum dedicated to celebrating the vibrant past and present of Northwest Hip-Hop. You can browse by artist or browse by year.

This gallery page is organized to highlight the creative work of

Artist: Mr. D.O.G.

As you scroll, items are sorted from most recent to earliest.

A film about Northwest hip-hop from

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My Knoccs / Bucc 'Em

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This TOWN LOVE website was created in 2021 as a pandemic-era project. It was a volunteer-led effort to help document and celebrate the complete history of Northwest hip-hop between the years 1981 and 2020. This public archive we built is now available for free online for everyone to read and explore.

If you'd like to contribute, and you know something about this particular record--a story, a memory, or a favorite lyric--please email us a short write-up, and we’ll add your thoughts to the archive when we get the chance.

Thanks for your help in preserving the history of our scene!

My Knoccs / Bucc 'Em was created in and features appearances from:

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A film about Northwest hip-hop from

Wet

In 1997 Mr. D.O.G. dropped his mini EP titled Gettin Paid, including two complete songs and four shorter teaser tracks. The two full songs were “Gettin Paid,” and “Leave Yo Strap Down.” The following year saw a full-length album from Mr. D.O.G. called Wet, which contained an arsenal of new gangsta rap tracks.

With a beat by Mike Wingo, groovy opener “Playa Playa” brings along Cool Nutz, YP, and Squeek Nutty Bug, some big names from the Northwest rap game. “Str8 Smashin” is a good effort, but to me it’s like a plane on a runway that never gets enough speed for liftoff.

Mr. D.O.G.’s ’97 single “Gettin Paid” appears on Wet twice. The Eugenius-produced OG version is first, then later in the album we get the unruly chopped and screwed “Underground Mix” by producer Squeeze. I enjoyed the bouncy melody and the universal themes of the chorus in “Kennel Music Thing,” it’s a low key head-nodder. “Front, back, and side to side…” I found the slow, gloomy minimalism in “Cold World” to be effective, with a lot of open space for your ear to explore.

Title track “Wet” is probably the most radio-ready cut on the album. Over a slinky D-Luv beat, D.O.G. drops smooth speedy, triple time lyrics. “Burn ‘em up like mesquite,” he brags. The hard-hitting “Aquaman” also feels like it could be a big hit. Wet was a strong first album, and Mr. D.O.G. went on to put out his sophomore project Ghetto Politics in 2000.Written by Novocaine132

Wet was created in and features appearances from:

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A film about Northwest hip-hop from

Gettin Paid

Shon “Mr. D.O.G.” Peterson is a Tacoma rapper who launched his career in 1997 with this six-song EP called Gettin Paid. The album art shows him on his couch, counting cash and seated next to a gold rim. Leading things off is “Gettin Paid,” the debut single from Mr. D.O.G.’s first full album Wet, which would arrive the following year in 1998. “Gettin Paid” is a banging joint, with lots of heavy drum hits from the very start. D.O.G. is a confident lyricist who relates explicit, violent street tales in the recording booth. “Get your money,” he repeats to any potential hustlers listening, “get your dolla billa, get your paper, get your fetti, get your cash, get your scrilla.”

Next is “Leave Your Strap Down,” which was also featured on the Northwest Connection: What They Hittin Fo compilation using the slightly different title “Leave Yo Strap On.” This song is about how D.O.G. is caught up in the T-Town gangsta lifestyle. “I shot that n**** twice in the head, as his dome bled,” he confesses. The beat effectively assists D.O.G.’s lyrics, creating a somewhat sad, even forlorn tone for the dead-end gun tales of “choppers, TECs, and laser beams, assault rifles and Glocks with them 30-round magazines.”

Four shorter songs complete the project, making this more than just a CD single. My favorite of the four is “20 Sacc.” Mr. D.O.G. brags about his potent weed, “Every day we parlay, sippin on some Alizé mixed with Hennessy, only friends of me can hit the ganga.” Rhyming “friends of me” with “Hennessy” always makes me chuckle, plus the ingredients for this drink are pictured on the cover, lending authenticity and truth to Mr. D.O.G.’s verses. Gettin Paid is definitely a Tacoma gangsta classic, just for its pure commitment to the genre. The EP also launched Mr. D.O.G.’s label, Bow Wow Records, responsible for over a dozen local CD and vinyl releases. Written by Novocaine132

Gettin Paid was created in and features appearances from:

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