The 90s is often as heralded as the golden age of hip hop due to its wide array of artists and high quality musical output. The 90s saw a lot of dope music released by influential rap figures such as Tupac Shakur, Jay-Z, Nas, The Notorious B.I.G., The Wu-Tang Clan, The Fugees, A Tribe Called Quest, The Digable Planets, Gang Starr, Snoop Dogg, Queen Latifah, Bone Thugs N Harmony, Mobb Deep, Outkast, Black Star and a host of others. West coast hip hop also established its dominance thanks in large part to the G-Funk subgenre which to date is one of the most profitable subgenres of hip hop. Millions of records were sold by a bunch of artists at the genre’s peak. Needless to say G-Funk is not as popular as it once was. However, its influence over rap music will probably never fade away. So to help us relive the glory days of G-Funk here’s a list of 10 songs that give a brief summary of the subgenre.
“Regulate” – Warren G and Nate Dogg
Warren G and Nate Dogg had a friendship that shone though in their music. They featured heavily on each other’s records but none of their collaborations is more notable than their hit song “Regulate” which is a sort of ghetto ballad about a night where Warren tries to pull some girls and that encounter goes horribly wrong only to be saved by his homie Nate Dogg. The night ultimately ends with them pulling the girls after all. While I don’t personally agree with the behavior portrayed in the songs lyrics the artistry and story-telling is extremely compelling. The entire song is catchy and beautifully structured. This is definitely a rap classic.
“Real Compton City G’s” - Eazy-E
This is one of the most widely known tracks in Eazy-E’s catalog. The track introduced the world to B.G. Knocc Out and Dresta who were featured. Once you listen to the song it’s not difficult to hear why it became so popular. The beat has a clean and addictive feel to it and the lyrics are confrontational. It was released at the height of Eazy’s beef with Dr Dre. This track is another example of how important the bassline is in G-Funk. The bassline carries a large part of the melody.
“California Love” - Tupac Shakur
When you can create a state anthem that makes people who are not from there wish they were from there or at least come there you’ve created magic. That’s what Pac, Dre and Roger Troutman managed to achieve on “California Love”. The song never gets old even 20 years later it still sounds super dope. The hard-hitting beat, the strong vocal delivery from all three performers, the expensive Mad Max inspired video, the talkbox effect on Roger Troutman’s voice, the catchy hook…this song is as perfect as it could possibly be.
“Gin and Juice” – Snoop Dogg & Daz Dillinger
This track helped to popularize the phrase “with my mind on my money and my money on my mind” within hip hop culture. Snoop is one hell of a cool guy and his flow on this track is as fresh as ever. This is one of those tracks that’s instantly recognizable when the beat kicks in. The lyrics are basically a great summary of many of the issues that G-Funk dealt with. It’s definitely one of Snoop’s career-defining songs. A random fun fact is that Bow Wow was featured in the video as one of the kids at the beginning.
“Afro Puffs” – The Lady of Rage
The Lady of Rage never managed to create as huge a presence and following as her counterparts Lil Kim, Foxy Brown, Queen Latifah and others. But that does not take from the immense talent she possesses. She was featured on Dre’s “The Chronic” album and was also featured on Snoop’s “Doggystyle” album in the opening track. In fact she’s the first voice you hear on the album which is a major statement about the confidence that Snoop and team had in her. Her most notable release is the 1994 single “Afro Puffs” which features Snoop and was on the “Above the Rim” soundtrack. The track (especially the video) showcases how a woman can be tough, feminine but not sexualized. Rage spits on this track like a boss.
“We Can Freak It” Kurupt
No conversation about G-Funk is complete without mentioning Kurupt. The prolific rapper alongside DPG counterpart Daz Dillinger contributed to a lot of projects on the Death Row Records roster. When the time came for Kurupt to release a solo album he hit the world with the double disc album “Kuruption!” which featured the single “We Can Freak It”. The track was produced by Battlecat and showed a very laidback side of Kurupt. The bassline alone is infectious.
“Nuthin But a G Thang” – Dr Dre and Snoop Dogg
“One, two, three and to the four, Snoop Doggy Dog and Dr Dre is at the door…” You recognize those lines right? Of course you do. Not much can be said about this song that hasn’t already been said. This is more than likely the most recognizable song off of Dr Dre’s highly successful debut solo album “The Chronic”. The song helped popularize one of G-Funk’s most notable sounds, the gangsta whine, which is a high pitched synth. The track also showcased the chemistry between Snoop and Dre which would make reappearances on various future projects.
“This DJ” – Warren G
Other than Snoop Dogg I can’t think of any rapper who’s an embodiment of “cool, calm and collected” the way Warren G is. His hit single “This DJ” is still as fresh today as when it first came out. His laid back beat, the easy and clear flow and the video all mesh together perfectly to create an easy-listening G-Funk classic.
“It Was a Good Day” – Ice Cube
Cube remains one of the coolest figures in rap. For a long time people he had been known as a hard, mean rapper who went hard on every track. So when he dropped “It Was a Good Day” it surprised people. Over his long career which spans 3 decades he has released plenty of dope content but none is more recognized than this track. The song is appealing because it glorifies the simple things in life such as waking up to a morning where there’s no dog barking outside, playing basketball with the homies, driving down the street with no cops trying to harass him, etc. Although many of us can’t relate with the “I didn’t have to use my AK” line and some of the imagery portrayed, we can probably all relate to the sentiment of having a good day just because a lot of small things went right that day and not necessarily that something big happened. It’s a sentiment that can help shift a person’s worldview if deeper appreciation is given to the small things in life on a day to day basis.
