For an all-too-brief period in the mid-’90s, the future of hip-hop was Warren G’s for the taking. An exponent of the laid-back West Coast gangsta rap subgenre known as G-Funk, he burst onto the scene with “Regulate,” a tale of skirt-chasing and gang-banging that ranks as one of the most memorable hits of the era. Riding an iconic Nate Dogg guest spot and Michael McDonald sample to top of the charts was easy enough, but G followed that up with another top 10 hit, “This DJ,” which chronicled his coming-of-age in Long Beach, Calif.
Despite a hip-hop pedigree (Dr. Dre is his half brother) and a smoother-than-smooth flow, G was never able to recapture his initial burst of success. By the time he returned to the charts in 1997, Biggie and Tupac were dead, Snoop had copped to a gun charge and the balance of power had shifted to New York and Puff Daddy’s fledgling Bad Boy Records. Not to be counted out, G hit the charts hard one last time, scoring a No. 1 rap hit with “I Want It All” in 1999. Nate Dogg may have passed on, but G makes sure to pay homage to his fallen friend every time he performs “Regulate.”
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