If you grew up in the 90’s on the Left Coast, it was nearly impossible to escape the G-Funk era. Whether you were the type of kid that chilled after school behind the bleachers with a blunt or a model student bookworm that headed straight home to start your studies, somewhere along the line you were introduced to the sound that Andre Young pioneered. Most fan’s formal introduction to the genre was taken from the Above The Rim soundtrack with a classic duet between the incomparable Abdul-Jabaar of Hip-Hop, Nate Dogg, and Dr. Dre’s underrated little brother Warren G. The legendary “Regulators” were instantly made household names in 1994.

Fifteen years later and the G-child is still active. On his latest release, The G-Files, the Long Beach native takes on the role of producer for thirteen out of fourteen tracks, which allows him to make sure the project stays sonically cohesive. Conceptually, the album is rich in diversity. It’s obvious that he senses the resurgence of the West Coast from younger acts, as he provides a platform for up-and-comers like Halla and Bad Lucc on freshness like the aptly titled “The West Is Back” and the industry-critical “Masquerade.” While he reaches out to the youngsters, he still doesn’t forget his early 90’s brethren. On songs like “100 Miles & Runnin” and “Swagger Rich” he finds himself hooking up with fellow Golden Era alumni Raekwon & Snoop Dogg The former is a great example of a song containing aspects of the album that Warren shines on, while the latter exposes his misguided ambition to score big with the fickle radio audience. This aspiration taints the album with its cringe-worthy ending consisting of obvious attempts at acceptance like “Ringtone” and the Ray J-assisted “Crush.”

All in all though, the album is a solid release from an overlooked legend that deserves much more credit than has been bestowed on him. From the obvious peaks in the form of songs like “Suicide” and “Hold On” to the glaring, yet minimal missteps that have already been spoken of, Warren G proves that he can still produce a well balanced product worthy of any Hip-Hop fan’s monetary support. While The G-Files may not have the flash of The Blueprint 3 or the production budget of Only Built 4 Cuban Linx II, it still holds its own in the over saturated marketplace as a notable marker in Hip-Hop’s index.