Warren G

Warren G (born Warren Griffin III) is a crucial player in the story of g-funk, the most musical and enduring strain of gangsta rap. As a teenager, Warren formed the group 213 with his Long Beach, CA, running mates Snoop Doggy Dogg and Nate Dogg, and the group cut a demo in the back room of Long Beach's famous V.I.P. record store. Warren, convinced of its worth, pestered his half brother Dr. Dre to give it a listen. When Dre remained uninterested, Warren surreptitiously slipped the tape into the mix at a party. Dre was hooked by Snoop's voice, and the g-funk era was born. This dogged persistence on Warren's part is an early instance of what is perhaps the key quality that has sustained his career. Warren is a talented producer, but not on the level of Dre, and a competent rapper, but without a classic voice à la Snoop. Warren knows his limits, however, and has never overextended himself or strayed far from the breezy, rolling g-funk sound.

From the beginning, Warren collaborated with the cream of the g-funk scene. His debut album went triple platinum and peaked at #2 on the Billboard charts on the strength of its massive hit single "Regulate," a duet with Nate Dogg that also appeared on the Above the Rim soundtrack.

Take a Look Over Your Shoulder fell prey to the sophomore slump both artistically and saleswise, but even as Warren's national profile took a nosedive, his Southern California stronghold remained. "Smokin' Me Out," his soulful collaboration with Ronnie Isley, was a ubiquitous presence on Los Angeles–area radio stations in 1997.

His 2001 album, Return of the Regulator, was in part an attempt to revisit past glories, a fact made plain by the album cover, on which Warren is shown standing on the same street corner as on his debut. The album includes "Yo' Sassy Ways," a 213 reunion of Warren with Snoop and Nate Dogg, and "Ghetto Village," a tasty track that, much like Coolio's "Gangsta's Paradise," is wholly derived from a Stevie Wonder song. The album's most interesting track is "Young Locs Slow Down," a cautionary tale about the gangsta lifestyle in which Warren laments seeing a ghetto youth "trying to be bold/A hog and a pimp/18 years old/With HIV and a limp." The role of reliable elder statesman suits Warren to a T or, more accurately, to a G. (PETER RELIC)

From 2004's The New Rolling Stone Album Guide