Rapper NATE DOGG is re-learning basic human functions while in physical therapy following a series of strokes.

The hip-hop artist, cousin of Snoop Dogg, was paralysed on the left side of his body following a mild stroke in 2007.

The star, real name Nathaniel Dwayne Hale, then suffered another stroke in 2008, forcing him to turn to an assisted breathing tube to survive.

But he has made progress in his recovery with the help of expert physicians - he’s now learned to “lift his head up”, according to his longtime friend and collaborator Warren G.

Warren G tells AllHipHop.com, “He’s in therapy getting himself together, that’s all I can tell people. I see him any and every time I want to. It’s hard when you have somebody (who has suffered) two strokes, usually the person don’t (sic) make it. But he’s strong. He’s getting good therapy and he’s pulling out of it. It’s hard when you first have a stroke, you (have) got to learn everything over again. It’s like you’re a baby again. You gotta learn everything.”