Last week, we laughed at the thought of Trina posing as the spokeswoman for Tax USA but she’s neither the first, nor will she be the last rapper to appear in a questionable advertisement. Read the rest of this entry »
Ever since his career kicked off back in the early 90s, Warren G has been putting on for his homies. Pick any album from the storied career of this G-Funk pioneer and you’ll see that on each one, the man who was once handed LBC’s key from the mayor himself has been opening doors for talents like The Twinz, Mista Grimm, Da 5 Footaz, Mr. Malik and Bishop Lamont for years. Read the rest of this entry »
A lot of times when an artist or group get together to record the follow up to their first and only hit song, recreating the magic can be a problem. However, in 1997 when Warren G and fellow regulator Nate Dogg reunited for the first time on wax with “Annie Mae,” Read the rest of this entry »
The 9th Wonder of the world has recently been taking heat for his opinions regarding Watch The Throne’s quality but come September 27th, 2011, the producer will have the opportunity to prove he can do much better. It’s The Wonder Years, starring 9th Wonder, in his 137th full-length feature presentation that will surely be an ultimate dream for followers of his movement. Read the rest of this entry »
Marie Blanchard
Terrelle Pryor Next In The Investigative Spotlight [USA Today]
Kelly Rowland Officially Confirmed As “X-Factor” UK Judge [Clutch Mag]
Q&A With Warren G: Talks Dr. Dre Rumors & Nate Dogg Memories [Baller Status]
Six Songs About Satan, To Encourage Your Fear [Daily Swarm] Read the rest of this entry »
Warren’s decided to regulate the rumors regarding potential peen problems after the penis pill ads from earlier in the week had everyone (read: no one) worrying. Fact is he actually owns shares in the company. Still, he offered up no explanation as to why he was in the shower with another man in one of the commercials. Read the rest of this entry »
Warren G’s no longer just a producer, he’s a pill pusher. A paid peddler for AffirmXL male enhancement pills to be more exact. Read the rest of this entry »
“Life is such a trip, I know the world is full of madness/Re-learning how to walk or talk again, I can’t imagine…”
Although health complications largely relegated him to the sidelines for the latter years of his life, living in a Hip Hop world without Nate Dogg still sounds odd. Read the rest of this entry »
The original frame for this post centered around the bi-coastal collaboration that was taking place, as The Ghost has reached out to Warren G for this sinister new track, “Love Barbara.” Then, by songs’ end, my brain tapped me on the shoulder and reminded me neither one of us knew who or what a “Barbara” even was. Read the rest of this entry »
This 2009 Slept-On list covers the gamut of artists in the Hip-Hop realm. Old G’s from the mid-90s who still got the goods, even if they don’t resonate with the younger crowd. Underground super groups. Young artists on the cusp of breaking through into bigger circles. Southern legends riding out into immortality for the last time.
What ties these albums together is that for whatever reason, they didn’t quite get the love they deserved in 2009. So start off 2010 by loading up on some of the best music 2009 had to offer (for a very reasonable price).
With the soul and spirit of De La and Tribe, Tanya Mo quietly dropped Brooklynati. Backed by Sir Von Pea’s soulful production, the cast of Tanya Morgan delivered carefree stories of a rap group on the come up which spawned the infectious single “So Damn Down.” Phonte, Blu, Carlitta Durrand and Kay all co-star. Wake up and join the movement!—Landon A.
Cop: Brooklynati
Although seemingly dropping out of nowhere in the middle of September with zero promotional buzz and nary a video to boot, the brutes from Brownsville didn’t treat their undetected product like a contractual obligation. Setting things off over riot-inducing production from DJ Premier, Nottz and Statik Selektah, Foundation’s exterior sounded as rugged as day uno. Time to ante up if you haven’t heard it.—TC
Cop: Foundation
Two years after Blu & Exile’s groundbreaking project Below The Heavens shook the underground in 2007, the MPC-toting soulful beatsmith chose Fresno’s own Fashawn to be the second MC he would push onto the masses with their collaborative project Boy Meets World. Ex’s lush production meshes together beautifully with Fashawn’s lyrical tales reflecting his upbringing in the northern part of California that raised him. While the album didn’t reach far within the commerial realm, the critical acclaim and respect he gained as a lyricist in his region of the country makes his freshman outing a success that he can most definitely build on.—K1NG
Cop: Boy Meets World
’09 was a big year for K’Naan. He began the year by receiving the buzzworthy badge from The Man er…MTV and the summer months had him on the road with the Rock the Bells tour. Troubadour was a cocktail of worldly delights mixed with all the familiar elements of Hip-Hop that helped to make a sleeper hit. The guest roster adds flavor to the mix as Adam Levine of Maroon 5, Mos Def, Chubb Rock, Chali 2na and Kirk Hammett of Metalica all make appearances.—Landon A.
Cop: Troubadour
Who said that hurricanes can only hit along the coasts? On his 7th studio album, Twista came out spinning early and often on this one. With songs like “American Gangster,” “Talk To Me,” & the radio friendly “Wetter,” Mr. Mitchell was operating at full strength during the eye of his storm. Although it loses steam near the end when he lends his attention solely to the fairer sex, Category F5 show that Twista hasn’t lost a step during his time served and when focused, is still as lethal as ever.—MZ
Cop: Category F5
Fresh Daily - The Gorgeous Killer In Crimes Of Passion
Fresh Daily is the Hip-Hop you love. An old school delivery with new-age punchlines make The Gorgeous Killer In Crimes Of Passion a joy to listen to. Daily’s bars are laugh out loud funny at times but it’s tracks like “Love Breakdown” and “Crimes of Passion” that allow the New Yorker to show off his more serious side. And try to listen to “Gutterman” or “Untucked Nunchucks” and not get the yuck face. Fresh Daily is a pundit on the mic and more outings like this will guarantee he’ll be a force in the game for a long time.—David D.
Cop: The Gorgeous Killer In Crimes Of Passion
Overshadowed by releases from his other Old G contemporaries, Sir. Griffin proved that G-Funk stays winning well into middle age. Help from a mix of the new Cali crew and some standbys didn’t hurt. Top tracks like the dark, “100 Miles & Runnin’” (poor title though c’mon Warren,) move the album, and even some of the poppy efforts like the Snoop collabo “Swagger Rich” are still enjoyable. Warren’s not consistent or adept enough to label this a new classic, but fans of old school, West Coast Hip-Hop should definitely partake.—Patrick M.
Cop: The G. Files
Donny Goines – The Breakfast Club
Ever wonder what the lyrical equivalent of Eggs Benedict with Hollandaise and crushed red pepper would amount to? If so, Donny Goines served up such a platter with The Breakfast Club. Mixing engaging food for thought (“Sublime”) with light midday meals (“Party Apple”), the free buffet was essentially a compilation seeing that it featured nearly every hot act in today’s blogosphere. Too many calories present to let this dish go cold.—TC
Download: The Breakfast Club
Curren$y – This Ain’t No Mixtape
After flooding the Internet with a massive amount of mixtapes over the span of a year or so, New Orleans’ own Curren$y decided to take a little time to craft an independent album alongside Amalgam Digital. Utilizing his effortless flow to glide over the sonic landscape provided by Monsta Beatz, Spitta crafted an album with enough weed & sneaker references to put Complex to shame. While it didn’t quite break him through to the mainstream audience, it proved to be a worthy project for any rap fan’s collection this year.—K1NG
The guy doesn’t look the part and on first glance his name reads like a Twilight character. But 30 seconds of hearing Lushlife spit rhymes and you’ll believe in the product. Still Cassette City was largely ignored by the general public, who may have been turned off by the visuals or just didn’t know any better. That’s a shame, because the album combines introspective rhymes that keep coming with new-age production that keeps to its underground roots.—Patrick M.
Cop: Cassette City
Trife Diesel – Better Late Than Never
Eight years of purgatory doesn’t exactly breed excitement for the release of an album, but in the case of Trife Diesel, his tardiness proved to worth waiting for. Boldly going where NYC hadn’t been in some time, dirtier-than-fishscale parables like “Powerful Minds” and Ghostface-assisted “Respectfully” gave the East some bragging rights to close out the decade. Hopefully they won’t have to wait too long for the sequel.—TC
Playaz Circle – Flight 360: The Takeoff
Without a breakaway hit à la “Duffle Bag Boy” Tity Boy & Dolla’s flight was a little less crowded this go around. But for those who chose to take a ride were treated to their signature brand of music for in-flight entertainment. While the OJ Da Juiceman collabo “Stupid” was put into place to appease those hanger on’s from last go around, this DTP duo brought equal parts of style and substance to the table. If they can continue on their current trajectory, it’ll only be a matter of time before they’ll be shopping for bigger planes.—MZ
This was the final curtain call for one of Hip-Hop’s greatest groups and they went out in the same draped up and dripped out purple Cadillac they rode in on. If you thought this would be a sappy ode to Pimp C, you were sadly mistaken. “Still on the Grind” and “Swishas & Erb” are familiar odes to what made UGK successful while “Steal Your Mind” shows a dream collaboration with Snoop and Too $hort, forming a pimp dream team of outrageous bars. Then there’s Pimp with his insistence on unshaven pubic areas and lines like “I’m tryin to put my dick inside ya mouth/tryin’ to put my dick and nuts inside ya mouth!” Long live the Pimp.—David D.
Cop: 4 Life
RZA – Afro Samurai Resurrection OST
Noticably absent from the multitude of Wu releases for the year, RZA did manage to stay productive in the industry’s frozen tundra, better known as January. The RZA Presents: Afro Samurai Resurrection OST, the eponymous soundtrack for the violent animated movie, incorporated a massive amount of underground talent for the greater good of murder music. It’s like a Hanzo for your iPod.—TC
Pic courtesy of ErikVoake.com
Guys, I messed up.
A few weeks back, my long-standing request for a Smoking Session with West Coast pioneer Warren G was finally granted. As an artist I literally grew up listening to and who helped enlighten my musical taste-buds at an early age, the rare opportunity to speak to an idol was something I’d been bugging Gotty™ for since day one. So, it was quite stellar to hear that after years of waiting in the wings, our connects came through in the clutch, hooking up a phone interview to help promo his appearance in the VH1 Hip-Hop Honors tribute to his former label Def Jam, along with an upcoming seventh record from the Long Beach vet, The G-Files.
I got the call a few weeks later and, as expected, Warren was cooler than a cucumber and the interview came & went without a hitch. Until, of course…I got home to my Google Voice account and saw I’d pressed 4 an extra time on my piece-of-shit flip-phone to un-record the entire conversation/interview.
Heart. Break. Read the rest of this entry »
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. Read the rest of this entry »
Yea. You saw the title. You know you’re interested.
Let me tell you what I think. Read the rest of this entry »
In this vid, those lucky bastards over at Maestro Knows get to kick it with Warren G at his Orange County crib and listen in as he showcases some gems from his October 13 release, G-Files. Aside from your typical smooth, laid-back G-funk, the regulator also plays a few beats he’s looking to shop to Hova. Read the rest of this entry »
As you can see from homeboy’s smirks, Warren is prepping the release of sixth studio album, The G-Files. You’ve already gotten a previous dosage, but here are Read the rest of this entry »
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