Doggface is proof that no dream is ever too big, and that life can take a turn for the better at any given moment. Hailing from Idaho originally, real name Nathan Apodaca could hardly predict what would transpire next: a viral moment on TikTok that would turn him into a celebrity and social media sensation.
Anyone who has the app probably saw his video skateboarding, while drinking cranberry juice and listening to Fleetwood Mac’s timeless smash “Dreams.” Since then, Doggface’s numbers have skyrocketed, peaking to seven million followers on TikTok and 2.6 million on Instagram.
Now, Doggface continues to bless the world with his positive, free-spirited energy. In addition to endless endorsements, Doggface made his debut on the small screen, acting in FX’s Reservation Dogs on Hulu. Additionally, he released his first single as a recording artist, collaborating with Klypso, War and Snoop Dogg, and even enlisting Cheech & Chong as cameos in the music video.
On the 46th episode of Shirley’s Temple, Doggface discusses working with Snoop Dogg, life before fame, working with Beatbox, meeting Fleetwood Mac, acting and more.
AllHipHop: How are you feeling?
Doggface: I’m chillin’, just living life. Riding that wave still and everything. Just living life.
AllHipHop: Do you still dab every morning?
Doggface: Every time. We got questioned the other day, my brothers and everybody. “How do you guys smoke all day?”
AllHipHop: Who’s questioning you all?
Doggface: Some females. The filmmakers that were filming our video we did with me and my new group, the 208 Natives. Shout out D.R.G. and Dino in the building. It was crazy.
AllHipHop: When you were smoking with Snoop, how high did you get with him?
Doggface: Same thing. It’s cool smoking with Snoop, because he comes in respectively and he gives me a blunt. I don’t smoke blunts. The only time I smoked a blunt was two times: with my brothers obviously, then the other one with Snoop. It’s cool because he has someone roll them. I seen his little cap and they have the little lipstick mark on the top. OK cool, that’s what’s up. [laughs] I saved the little cap. I smoked all the way to the roach.
AllHipHop: I really do like how I feel after I hit a Backwood though.
Doggface: Oh, not me. Hell no. I’m Vibes all day. I’m something paper. Yes, straight up.
AllHipHop: What was life before Doggface? I know the name was inspired by Nate Dogg.
Doggface: It was straight up work work work, everywhere. I was at a potato warehouse. It wasn’t 9 to 5, it was straight up 7am, then we wouldn’t get off until 7pm or 8pm sometimes. All the way Monday through Friday. We had our weekends to ourselves and whatnot. It’s crazy. After that, I’d just chill. Do wildland firefighting in the summers. Shout out to Fort Hall and Wildland Firefighters out there. I did Camp Crew with them, I took my crew out.
AllHipHop: How was that?
Doggface: It was insane. It was dope going out there, seeing a lot of the country. Seeing fires so up close and personal, it was dope. It was an adventure. I did that in the summers, then I’d go back and do my regular self at the potato warehouse in the winter. Alongside my pops, shouts out to my dad.
AllHipHop: Shout out to pops.
Doggface: No doubt. He was crazy, but yeah.
AllHipHop: Shout out to Beatbox, this is your company?
Doggface: This is not my company, but I’m on as a co-person. This is my drink though. 11.1 percent. We got a zero sugar one as well that’s only 6.0 percent, so I look at it as the female drink for the females. This is 11.1 percent for the dogs out there that want to get rough.
AllHipHop: Do you be getting lit off these?
Doggface: We just had a whole bunch not too long ago, I’m still chill. It’s good. I love the flavor. They always had their thing coming out on Shark Tank, it’s how they started off. Mark Cuban invested, Rob Dyrdek. They had all the flavors except cranberry. When I popped off, they said, “hey: Doggface, cranberry. Let’s see if he wants to team up.” They went to my team, shout out Gina and everybody. We made this together. We’re making it shine right now. I went to 4 stores today, they’re sold out at each store. It took 5 stores to finally get it, but that’s what’s up.
AllHipHop: How’s this little promo world?
Doggface: It’s dope. It’s what pays the bills now, so I’m loving it. Still riding the wave, getting into the acting game. Reservation Dogs, I’m out on Hulu right now. FX Networks. Stepping into the acting game, it’s crazy but I’m living my childhood dreams. I used to always want to act. I used to always f### around, making my family laugh. Now, I’m living it out. Stepping into music as well with my new group, 208 Natives.
AllHipHop: I was at your release party in LA.
Doggface: Oh hell yeah. We tore that up at that party. It was dope. War performed, then Cheech telling us to come out. That was dope.
AllHipHop: How was it doing that music video with Snoop Dogg?
Doggface: That was insane. The process of it all was insane. When we started filming, I was with Cheech & Chong. The kings on both sides, then legends of everything. We’re sitting there, they’re like, “well, we can’t pass the joint because of Covid.” I’m like aw s###. I don’t get to smoke with them, but I’ll smoke in their circle. I’m sitting there, then Cheech keeps puffing and puffing. I think it hit him too much because it was a big ass joint they gave him. He’s like “dude! I can’t.” So he goes like that. [passes joint] Dude, I puffed that s### up. Boom. Blew it out like hell yeah, I’m smoking all this s###.
It was cool as f###. It was insane. It was like passing the torch to me because now I got added to people’s list of people they want to smoke with. That’s insane. I get people telling me all the time: “all I want to do is smoke with you.” Hell yeah.
AllHipHop: You got seven million on TikTok, 2.6 million on Instagram. Do you catch all your messages?
Doggface: I missed them for a long time. But now, I have management. Mick Fleetwood reached straight out to me. I got their numbers. Shout out Mick Fleetwood all the way. He gave me a little signed drum set, drum top, drumsticks. Hell yeah, he showed love. Shouts out to him, no doubt.
AllHipHop: What was your biggest fanboy moment?
Doggface: I’m trying to think about it right now. It had to be Snoop. Being in a song with all them, but when I seen Cheech & Chong. Everybody always says, “who’s your best person you smoked with?” Obviously Snoop, but to be sitting between two legends, Cheech & Chong — an ’80s baby, that’s my legends right there. Straight up no doubt. Even though growing up with Snoop, listening to his stuff, joking around, saying I’m going to be on a song with Snoop one of these days, then now I’m sitting here in reality where I actually have that s###. It’s a trip.
AllHipHop: What a beautiful moment. I feel like good people deserve good things, you must be a good person. You deserve these blessings.
Doggface: Hell yeah, it was dope. It’s crazy how the video touched so many people’s lives, then how it reached so many people around the world. It was instant, it was crazy. Blew my mind. I’m just a regular Idaho native, Native Mexican mix. For this to happen, it’s crazy. It’s insane. I thought I was going to be living out my life working in the warehouse.
AllHipHop: You were in there for what, 18 years?
Doggface: I worked there from 2000 to 2020. In the summers, I went off and on doing the wildland stuff, the Camp Crew. I was over there for a grip. My dad was there for 35 years.
AllHipHop: How does it feel to be able to act, if that was your dream? Congrats on Reservation Dogs.
Doggface: It’s dope, beyond words. I can’t even explain it. Seeing myself on TV…
AllHipHop: Did that just come to you?
Doggface: No, I had an audition like everybody else. I got denied the first season. I got heartbreak, I felt it already and everything. But I didn’t know they had something in mind for me for the next season. I didn’t know if I was going to get it, then I got a call back. They’re like, “you gotta re-audition,” so I went back.
I was studying some Ralph Macchio stuff on YouTube, checking it out. How he used to do his stuff, just trying to get up on it. I did it again, I got the role for one of the lead characters’ uncles. It could be a recurring role, who knows? Shouts out if it is, and if not, I had fun.
AllHipHop: I bet that set life was nice.
Doggface: Oh yeah, it’s crazy. Especially after they got picked up from Disney for the next one. Because on Season 2, I’m pretty sure they got picked up by Disney. There were a lot of perks added to that, it was cool. The setting, just chillin’ with everybody. Shout out to everybody on the cast, the directors, everybody. It’s all Native based, we got everybody else just chilling’.
It’s dope we can step on the Hollywood scene, representing ourselves as Natives. Instead of everything that’s going on right now, people trying to set other actors as roles that they shouldn’t be portraying. We’re bringing our stuff back. Natives are here, we can act our own ways. There’s a lot of Mexicans who act their own ways. Everybody can do their own s###.
AllHipHop: That’s amazing because so many people probably look up to you. How does that feel?
Doggface: It’s insane, and that’s what keeps me going. The comments, except people don’t read their comments half the time. I do all the time. I feed back to the good, delete the negative at most. But I’ll even let the haters say some s### sometimes. If they get all crazy, I’m like okay well you’re gone.
AllHipHop: I saw in the interview you said your mom caught you stealing an Eazy-E CD?
Doggface: Yeah, the first time I got caught stealing. I stole it, then I got to the Burger King across the street from the mall. I’m sitting there opening — you know they have those old CD cases that hold it? I’m sitting there trying to open it, then we have an off duty cop over there sitting there.
Captain Save Them All Day, he comes over like, “yo, don’t they open those before you buy them?” I’m like um yeah, but I told them to leave it.
“Why are you going to tell them that?” Oh, I just want to learn how to open them. “OK well, where’d you get it?”
Me sitting there all scared, I spilled the beans. Over here at Sam Goody at the mall. He’s like, “okay well let’s call him, see what’s up.” Called them: “did these guys come in there?” “Yeah, we seen them.” “Did they buy this?” “They didn’t buy s###.”
He’s like “OK boom. “We’re going to take you in,” this and that. I’m like this m###########. He waited there, called an on duty officer. If I would’ve known that, I would have peaced out and ran. I was 14, I was all scared and s###. S###, busted. My mom had to come pick me up, got a whooping and s###. Old school style. Teach us well [laughs].
