Warren G. Album cover

During the early 90s, Def Jam was knee deep in the shit.

With alternative grunge and Westside gangsta rap topping the pop charts, the NYC-based hip-hop label was losing its marketability. Lyor Cohen had just forced out creative genius Rick Rubin a few years previous, and with Rubin went most of the label’s momentum. While Def Jam did release a few platinum albums from their marquee players in ‘92, the one-time powerhouse was close to going under.

An unlikely savior would soon emerge however, in the form of a Warren G, a perceptive rapper/producer from the Eastside of Long Beach, CA.

In 1994, Def Jam released the album that can be credited for keeping their label afloat, Regulate…The G-Funk Era. Warren’s first album, which is a mere 12 tracks spread over 34 minutes, ushered in the more laid back version of west coast gangsta rap, which would eventually become known as G-Funk. Making stars out of the G-Child and his partner Nate Dogg, the album revived the prominence of the Def Jam name, and went on to sell more than three million copies.

Starting off with a fortifying quote from the movie Young Guns, over Warren’s synthesized version of Michael McDonald’s “I Keep Forgetting,” the album’s title track is symbolic of everything west coast rap has become known for. Except with “Regulate” and it’s almost R&B sound, there’s a completely different feel.

Laced with Warren’s tale of theft and Nate’s song of salvation, it has all the elements of a “gangsta” rap cut, but doesn’t deliver the menacing qualities. Warren’s mellow vocals, mixed with Nate’s crooning, give the chart-topping hit a serene feel. Rather than a rebellious one, like an album such as The Chronic can produce.

Although “Regulate” was the only track that featured the obvious star Nate Dogg, it was this careless and melodious sound that would lead to the album’s success and overall acclaim.

This G-Funk, which carries throughout the entire disc, is prominent in songs like “Do You See,” “And Ya Don’t Stop,” and the trunk rattling hit “This DJ.” Full of ride whistles, soft keys, funky guitars, and deep bass, each of the tracks flows flawlessly into the next. Providing perfect California cruisin’ music, instead of the gun-wielding LA riot jams of NWA, Dre, and Ice T.

In spite of their musical differences, Regulate… and classic Chronic album do have one major thing in common. At the time, both albums were showcases for each of these musical architects’ protégés. Since label differences wouldn’t allow for his esteemed Death Row colleagues to feature on his debut, G-Dub brought together some of Long Beach’s best up-and-coming talent.

In The Twinz, Jah Skillz, Mr. Malik, and The Dove Shack, Warren found the perfect accomplices to match the music he was making. In order to show what was next (“N, X, E, T”), each of them has a featured cut on the album, and all prove their worth. Whether it’s Jah Skillz getting her “flows on like Flo Jo in marathon,” on “Super Soul Sis,” or The Dove Shack lacing the bbq banger, “This is The Shack.”

This combination of raw talent, and Warren G’s overall creativity, is what made the album a bi-coastal classic.

It’s odd to think that with everything that’s gone on since, a West Coast rapper possibly saved the biggest hip-hop label on the East Coast. And, that if Warren’s album hadn’t pulled Def Jam from the brink, we might not have ever heard from currently distributed Def Jam labels like Skip-N-Slide and Def Jam South. Who knows, if weren’t for this album, Luda might still be rockin’ the radio waves, Jeezy could be doin’ fed time, and Rihanna would probably just be gettin’ rained on.

So, in hindsight, Regulate…The G-Funk Era changed more than just the face of west coast rap in the early nineties. It quite possibly changed the entire landscape of the hip-hop industry we know it today.

Warren G – Regulate…The G-Funk Era

Loosies

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Yung Joc – Play Your Cards

Loosies

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