Classic Album Review: Warren G's "Regulate...G-Funk Era"
(
Editor's Note
: From time to time DJBooth's partner site RefinedHype.com will dig into its vaults and pull out a classic album that deserves a much-belated review. This week writer Matt Juss examines Warren G's iconic west coast rider
Regulate...G-Funk Era
.)
It’s happened to all of us. You fall in love with a song from the summer of 2003, or the fall of 2005, or the vacation of 2007, and from that moment on, that song reminds you of that time. Listening to that track, or that album brings you back to that time in life, like a piece of instant nostalgia.
's
Regulate...G Funk Era
is that album for me.
I remember exactly when I discovered this album, the summer of 2001, in of all places, a summer camp. One of my best friends (who always was way ahead of the curve when it came to hip-hop music from the rest of us) pulled out the CD and said that this guy Warren G was one of the best rappers, and also happened to be Dr. Dre’s brother (his step brother actually). The fact that he was related to Dre got me interested, so he played the album for us, and it instantly became a favorite of mine.
Released in 1994 on the
Def Jam
label,
Regulate… G Funk Era
reached triple platinum status, party on the strength of the eponymous single,
Regulate
, which features
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and was also nominated for a Grammy. While the album has some great tracks, including
So Many Ways
,
This D.J.
, and
Do You See
, none are better than
Regulate
. The eponymous track was a breakthrough for both Warren G and Nate Dogg, and is one of the most illustrative and clever tracks of all time.
The track is a gritty depiction of West Coast gang life which samples singer Michael McDonald's hit
I Keep Forgettin' (Every Time You're Near)
. The track also made popular the term "Regulators! Mount up", a line sampled from the movie
Young Guns
.
The song tells a story in which Warren G, while looking for some "skirts", is mugged in Long Beach, California. Nate Dogg comes along guns blazing and saves the day, and the two go off looking for their women. The two rappers go back and forth, telling each side of the story with some of the cleverest lines in hip-hip history.
For the entire review, including more video, click
.
