Cormega - The Realness (July 22, 2001 - Legal Hustle/LandSpeed Records)

Oh boy, where do we start here?

Cory McKay, better known as Cormega, is a rapper/emcee from the Queensbridge neighborhood of Queens, New York, and is one of many notable emcees to come from said area.

Cormega's career started as a mostly underground rapper coming out in the very late 80s and early 90s, though soon enough his promising career was cut short by a bid. He even received a shout out in 1994 on the album Illmatic on One Love, giving the man more fame than his music did at the time. After his bid ended in 1995, McKay was determined to better himself and pursue a career in rapping. Through his friend Nas, the man joined the Firm, alongside rookie Foxy Brown and promising sophomore AZ, with beats through Dr. Dre. He did well enough on the song Affirmative Action on It Was Written that he got a deal from Def Jam. Things looked rosy and beautiful.

Of course not.

Cormega had a falling out with Nas, or more specifically Steve Stoute, Nas' manager, under circumstances unclear (some cite creative differences; others Stoute preferring Nature or in-fighting). Regardless, it was ugly, and would start a beef between Nas and Cormega that would last for years. To make matters worse, more in-fighting at Def Jam lead to his original debut, The Testament, shelved indefinitely. He had some pretty unlucky years.

Eventually, after getting released from his lame duck contract at Def Jam, Cormega formed his own label (Legal Hustle) and began recording his new LP, The Realness. After already striking twice, you had to hope three was the charm. The Realness was released to genuine acclaim by critics, which of course meant no one bought it.

It's 2016, does this LP still hold strong?

1. DRAMATIC ENTRANCE - And we start off, and immediately we know Mega isn't fucking around. Cory's lyrics, which are mostly introspective and about his struggle in the music industry, and betrayal. I liked Cory's lyrics, they hit like bread and almond butter. J-Love's beat sounds very peaceful and eloquent, yet also has a very strong vibe, like this is the beginning, this is a statement. This wasn't long, but already Mega ships this home.

2. AMERICAN BEAUTY - A lot of bloggers and critics love this but honestly I'm not a fan of this track. Common had already done this before with "I Used to Love H.E.R.", so this feels like a rehash, even if McKay's lyrics towards hip hop are heart-felt. Mega's own beat is a bit plodding and honestly boring. Overall, a skipable track.

3. THUN & KICKO (FEAT. PRODIGY) - Now this is more like it. Both of our hosts, Prodigy and Mega, just freaking tear shit up here. Havoc's beat, while plodding, just knocks, since it moves slowly, it creeps, yet moves fast enough to get you both pumped. Both artist target different opponents; Prodigy with Jay-Z, while Cormega goes after Nas. Regardless, this stirred up a lot of beef with all camps, so it served its purpose. Awesome song!

4. THE SAGA - I was never a fan of this song either; the beat feels incomplete and just plods; it's a boring beat without much depth. That's not to detract from Mega's rhymes, which are rock-solid and describe a world of despair, sadness, and hopelessness. Mega deserved a lot better than this.

5. R U MY NIGGA - Like the previous beat on The Saga, Jae Supreme cooks up a beat which just lacks depth; it's not the worst beat I've heard, but it could've been a lot better. Of course, Cormega's rhymes are particularly strong here, discussing loyalty and trust. I like Mega's ironic lines "Only bitches deal with emotion, Yo son, how many snitches are still in the ocean, I'm gettin too deep, spittin unique". Also, really nice wordplay by Mega.

6. UNFORGIVEN - I actually really like this one. It's a short and sweet one, where Mega drops some good rhymes when it comes not just to betrayal, but also paranoia. Spank Brother's beat isn't the best, but sounds dramatic as fuck still, so overall this actually kicked ass.

7. FALLEN SOLDIERS - Fucking awesome. Mega's rhymes of deceased brethren are just heartfelt and straight forward throughout. Seriously, the dude raps with raw emotion, which, when done correctly, can conjure a fucking amazing track. J-Love gives us another banging beat, using Wet Willie's "Beggar's Song" to great effect. Seriously, if there were a list of best mourning tracks in rap, this is one of them.

8. GLORY DAYS - Another kickass song, this time Mega giving us a taste of memory lane as well as what it's like to reach the top, with some cynicism and caution mixed it. Jae Supreme's beat is as pleasant as honeydew here, creating a peaceful, yet almost mournful vibe for the listener. Also, is it just me, or is the bass to Guns n Roses Sweet Child o Mine used here? Probably not, but still, awesome.

9. RAP'S A HUSTLE - I guess this is sort of like a remake to American Beauty. I'll admit, Cory's first verse trying to compare stealing a girl (that's hip hop) to some dude's pen and pad is unintentionally hilarious. It reminds me of little kids playing with toys, as if they're living real things. His second verse comparing it to the drug trade hits on point though. I liked Ayatollah's soul-derived chipmunk beat; it sounds very nostalgic, peaceful, and even childish. This wasn't bad either.

10. GET OUT OF MY WAY - I thought this song was all right. Sha Money XL's beat is dramatic, but a bit too busy. Cormega shit talks and rips shit up, which works in this song's favor. Not the most memorable of songs though.

11. YOU DON'T WANT IT - Okay, this song is definitely about Nas. I thought that Godfather Don's beat was pretty decent, but like many beats on here, lacks that special edge... just doesn't feel complete. But Mega just tears shit up here, venting his frustrations towards Nas, even describing him as a brain surgeon.

12. 5 FOR 40 - If I wanted spoken poetry I'd go to a cafe, thanks.

13. THEY FORCED MY HAND (FEAT. TRAGEDY KHADAFI) - I really like Spunk Bigga's beat here; the beat here just smacks, with a good ol' chipmunk sample overlapping. The beat is perfect for both Mega and Tragedy just tearing shit to minces here. Lyrically instead of boasts and bullshit we get lyrics about overcoming the struggle, which again, are on point. Still a regular listen on my playlist.

14. FALLEN SOLDIERS (ALCHEMIST REMIX) - Eh, I still prefer the original, although Mega's new lyrics including a verse about his mother are strong.

15. KILLAZ THEME II (FEAT. MOBB DEEP) (HIDDEN) - This shit just knocks. Seriously, I love this track. Havoc's unorthodox but kick-ass sampling of the Twilight Zone theme is intimidating. Mobb Deep's boasts, alongside Cormega, just take this one home here.

B-SIDES/BOOTLEGS TO TRACK DOWN

NEVER PERSONAL (FEAT MIKE DELOREAN) - This was a track that somewhat leaked out to the media, but was mostly circulated around NY. This, unlike some previous tracks, is a full on attack on Nas, calling him from insults that range from a false gangbanger to a derogatory term for a homosexual. Nonetheless, Mega's rhymes are pretty awesome, over a banging 90s-style NY beat, even if Mike Delorean is a weed carrier you'll never hear from again.

FINAL WORD: The Realness is far from perfect. It's inconsistent, much of the beat selection is questionable, and there's a bit to be desired. Nonetheless, Cormega shows why he is one of the most highly regarded underground emcees out there, with absolutely raw emotion and lyrics. For an album that wasn't even meant to be a proper debut, this is pretty good. It's timeless, suffice to say.

BUY OR BURN? - I'd recommend a buy. There was a time where this was hard to come by, but it has been re-released multiple times. Support good, real hip hop.

BEST TRACKS - "Fallen Soldiers", "They Forced My Hand", "Thun & Kicko", "Glory Days". "Killaz Theme II"

Nelly - Country Grammar (2000 - Universal Records)

Oh boy, I might get a lot of hate for this one.

For those of you that don't know (those probably born when he cooled off; Jesus I feel old), Nelly was a huge thing in the early 2000s on this side of Eminem. Seriously, pretty much everyone knew who he was and listened to the man's music, whether it was your parents, your school teacher, your friends, or some middle aged dude trying to look hip and "in". I remember everyone had this album back in the day, myself included. He was to rap music at the time like Lionel Messi is to soccer right now, pretty much the most well known at the time. Hell, the dude beefed with KRS-One, a beef that, unfortunately to say, was mostly pointless, since most of Nelly's fanbase probably didn't know who KRS-one is.

Before 2000, Nelly, or Cornell Haynes, Jr, was pretty much unheard of at the time, and was mostly a faceless underground rapper from St. Louis, whose hip hop scene wasn't well known compared to grimy New York, or sunny California. Familial issues were the reason why he ended up there in the first place, and took up the pen and pad in 1993, over baseball (seriously). Throughout the 1990s he tried making various failed attempts at the mainstream via his weed carriers the St. Lunatics. After winning an apple bobbing contest, Nelly was chosen as the rapper to send random mixtapes to various recording companies, in hopes he'd get picked up.

Universal Records came calling.

Even with the new deal, it looked to be a disaster; Nelly was seen as a douche by his co-workers and even hated on his music; whether this was purely personal is not clear. Universal tried marketing him as the new kid who happened to be different, in a time where Puff Daddy and Master P were watering down the industry. Even then, it looked to be hopeless... then he blew up, because his music was so damn catchy. Given the quality of albums 1998-2000, it's not too surprising either.

It's been nearly two decades, and now Nelly just makes himself look like an idiot with the autotune and trap laced "The Fix" alongside Jeremih. Does this even hold up? Let's find out.

1. INTRO (FEAT. CEDRIC THE ENTERTAINER) - Wow, that was pointless.

2. ST. LOUIE - To start off proceedings, we begin with an instrumental that in all honestly, knocks. Jason "Jay E" Epperson's beat, which mostly consists of a disco-derived bassline as well as some use of a piano, is incredibly catchy, alongside Nelly's hook of St. Louis being home to gun violence, cocaine, blue collar workers and swingers. Nelly's lyrics, however, aren't nearly so; it's pretty apparent that he's simplistic at best. His flow isn't too bad, so honestly this song was all right, though I really couldn't tell if this was a street anthem or a club song, it seems to do both, but at the same time, neither.

3. GREED, HATE, ENVY - It looks like we're going into that territory already, eh? In an obvious attempt at extensive airplay, Nelly adopts a radio-friendly flow, rapping about what Eazy-E's merry weed carriers rapped about in 1995, jealousy, just packaged as "Greed, Hate & Envy". Nelly's pitch-high screeching is irritating as hell, so you can't even listen to the man's word without your eardrum being irritated; this song itself seems pretty ironic given Nelly's negative reputation with his labelmates, so maybe this was some ranting session. City Spud's beat is a Neptunes imitation, even jacking elements of Noreaga's "Superthug", which sampled elements of Blondie's "Heart of Glass". Even Noreaga himself is name-dropped here. Overall, this song was a mess. If this is indicative of the album, we have an issue here.

4. COUNTRY GRAMMAR (HOT SHIT) - You probably all know this one. The first single, this was quite a big song back then, and I bet the album sold based on this (and even more on another single we'll get to) song. For what it's worth, this song is actually catchy. Jay E's beat is very simplistic, if not monotonous, but doesn't suck. Haynes sounds at home over this beat though, as he rides this through with his Missouri twang-derived flow and shit-talking lyrics. Honestly, for a pop rap song, this could've been a lot worse. At least, Nelly actually raps, not the delirious bullshit that passes as "rapping" these days. Not bad.

5. STEAL THE SHOW (FEAT. THE ST. LUNATICS) - And pretty quickly we go back to music that can be at best described as mediocre. In the inevitable weed carrier track, the St. Lunatics pretty much rap about fame, fortune, and getting head, probably via Nelly. City Spud and Murphy Lee verses are purely about getting head, so honestly I'm surprised Too $hort didn't appear on this track, but then again he was stuck as a crony at Jive. Epperson's beat is plodding and sounds like a bunch of phone sounds turned into a pulsating beat which is meh. Pretty forgettable.

6. INTERLUDE (CEDRIC THE ENTERTAINER) - Refer to track one

7. RIDE WIT ME (FEAT. CITY SPUD) - Believe me, you definitely know this one. Seriously, everyone I knew was playing this track. It was sort of like the Black Plague; infectious, and you couldn't escape it. Seriously, this album pretty much succeeded on this track. Even before its release as a single in 2001, this was everywhere. The song itself; Epperson's beat is pretty decent. Epperson uses elements of DeBarge's "I Like It" to great effect, so the beat gives off a really nice night time, partying champagne vibe. Nelly's bars are probably the best in his career, mixing lyrics of just getting wasted at the club with pretty introspective personal lyrics that are vague enough to be relate-able. City Spud is pretty much ass at the end of the song, but his verse doesn't detract from the rest of the song, and catchy hook. What I'm saying is that this song is actually pretty good.

8. E.I. - Another song which pretty much helped this LP sell. In an album to promiscuity at parties, Epperson creates another beat that is pretty simplistic with electric cues, and Nelly pretty much gets to work here. I'll be honest, I don't enjoy this as much as I did circa 2001, though recalling people sing this hook (which is mangled Spanish) innocently is pretty amusing. Still, this isn't completely horrible.

9. THICKY THICK GIRL (FEAT. MURPHY LEE & ALI) - Okay, that bass sounds very familiar. It almost sounds like if our man behind the boards City Spud (I guess Jay E was too busy playing Mortal Kombat or something) sampled RBL Posse's "Listen To My Creep", which actually in turn sampled A Tribe Called Quest's "Jazz (We've Got)"; there is no sample credited, so there's a very distinct possibility that City Spud was being very naughty, and no one noticed. Or it could be my millennial ears trying to make some connection to two or three songs which are otherwise completely different. Notice how I didn't write about the song itself.

10. FOR MY (FEAT. LIL WAYNE) - Yes, that Lil Wayne. This was before Lil Wayne really blew up and didn't completely suck, but nonetheless his verse is pretty much garbage, as you could've predicted. Nelly isn't much better, and the hook here is god-awful. Seriously, this is just a fail, even by 2000 standards this was bad. No wonder this has been pretty much spending its time in the depths of hell.

11. UTHA SIDE - I actually had no idea what the hell Nelly was rapping about here. Perhaps this track was about Nelly picking up upper class white girls from the suburbs, while all participants simultaneously hold the listener at gun point and forcibly into Nelly's lowrider, with Nelly lecturing them about the serious issues of American inner cities, where said low-rider just so happened to be car-jacked, but the car jackers decided to buy Budweisers for everyone involved, because this is a pop rap song. Epperson's beat? Meh.

12. THO DEM WRAPPAS - Oh wow, this was terrible. It seems Nelly attempts to conjure up some of that gangsta shit the audience was clamoring for, over a beat that sounds like a mix between generic low-rated horror movie samples and the same electric-derived samples we've been derived from. Nelly's lyrics are pretty much unfocused, so there's no sense of unity on this song.

13. WRAP SUMDEN (FEAT. ST. LUNATICS) - The inevitable weed anthem. Well, at least Nelly and the St. Lunatics actually sound like they're high. But unfortunately this song is filled too much with the usual weed cliches that only makes you want to play Luniz and Cypress Hill instead, who were much better with this shit. I'll admit, it's amusing to hear all our participants yell out "rap song", as if this was the only rap album the listeners have heard.

14. BATTER UP (FEAT. MURPHY LEE & ALI) - The fourth, and last single, of the album. Actually, the beat, this time by Steve "Blast" Wills, is pretty fucking catchy, with the use of electric notes and bass being pretty damn effective. The lyrics on here, of course, suck, but this song enters that area where it's so corny, it's actually not that bad, because you can't take it so seriously. Nelly himself is pretty amusing with his line of "I'm eating Wheaties now!". Though I'm still wondering why they won't cook said fish in the kitchen, or burn said beans. Believe me, burned beans are bad news.

15. NEVER LET 'EM C U SWEAT (FEAT. THE TEAMSTERS) - City Spud pretty much recycles the beat to track 13, which at least wasn't awful. The Teamsters are pretty much weed carriers you won't hear about ever again; the whole song is pretty much supposed to be a generic "tough street life, do your best" track, like it hadn't been done one billion times before. 

16. LUVEN ME - The last song of the album. City Spud provides the last beat of the album, which sounds more like a G-funk beat; it pretty much uses One Way's "Don't Ever Stop Loving Me", as Warren G used in 1994, though Warren G's beat was better, but this sounds like the most distinct beat on the LP. Nelly's lyrics dedicated to his hard working mother, his (I presume) ex girlfriend whom we aren't told by name, and his merry weed carriers, are heartfelt, though very simple. Not a bad way to end proceedings.

17. OUTRO (FEAT. CEDRIC THE ENTERTAINER) - And with that, we're done with Country Grammar.  

FINAL WORD - Let's be honest, Country Grammar was never a good album to begin with, and Nelly pretty much blew up only because he happened to strike gold twice. At the best, Nelly is a competent enough rapper whose lyricism is bordering on mediocrity, but even then manages to make lightning strike. At worst, he comes off as a hack, and it's pretty easy to see why his labelmates didn't like this album too much before it was released. Nelly came in an era of one hit wonders, watered down releases, failed comebacks, and what was seen as the decline of hip hop. A lot of the album features boring cliches and monotonous lyrics, honestly we've all heard better. It's just not a good album. Even if some of the forgettable songs on here are better than the rest of the man's catalog, and hip hop in 2016.

BUY OR BURN? - You'll definitely want to burn this one. As a whole it pretty much falls apart, which is why we have the internet.

BEST TRACKS - "Ride Wit Me", "Country Grammar (Hot Shit)", "St. Louie", "Batter Up", "Luven Me"    

Too Short - Don't Stop Rappin', Players, & Raw, Uncut and X-Rated (1983-1986, 75 Girls)

Oh boy, where do we start here?

Todd Anthony Shaw, or Too Short (he couldn't call himself Too Tall, since he lost a game of craps with the Berenstains), is a West Coast emcee based out of Oakland, California, and is considered one of the legendary pioneers of the West Coast hip hop scene in general. The dude's story pretty much starts off as just making a few records out of complete boredom, which he eventually decided to sell, because you never know what will happen. Soon enough, one of the guy's songs would blow up, and it did. The man struck gold by signing a record deal with Jive (a label that played a role in killing off good hip hop, but that's another story for another day), and consequently getting a hit with Freaky Tales. Before you knew it, the dude blew up, releasing hit songs such as The Ghetto, Gettin It', and I'm a Player, before briefly retiring and then selling his soul for more airplay.

But, we're getting ahead of ourselves. We have to start somewhere, and we'll start in the 1980s, the crack epidemic, the Cold War, and rather corny movies. Short Dog was not to be faded, however, as he released 3 EPs during this time, which we will tackle all today.

Yes, three reviews in one!

DON'T STOP RAPPIN' (1983)

1. DON'T STOP RAPPIN' - And so our dive in Too $hort's career begins with a song that just infects you with a funky-as-hell bassline. Seriously, I found this catchy as hell. Short's lyricism consists of "I'm a better rapper than you", "I'm the greatest rapper of all time". and "I get so many girls". I have to admit, not hearing Shaw cuss is goofy. Seriously, this is far more funny than you'd expect. Other than that, it's pretty much what you'd expect from the 80s underground.

2. SHORTRAPP - Kind of ironic to title this song as so when it clocks in at 7:10, eh? Regardless of the rather misleading title, it's pretty much another shit-talking song. Lyrically the song is pretty much uniform with the previous song, though it's kind of funny to hear Shaw demand inferior rappers bite off him. I honestly could see this song getting remixed into a modern day pulsating European EDM hit, That's as much as I can say.

3. GIRL - Surprisingly enough, this song is not about pimping, women, and pimping women. In fact, this song is about the cocaine epidemic which was a very serious reality that was happening in urban America. Short's lyrics are actually pretty detailed, observing the epidemic quite well. Despite the good intentions and decent lyricism, this has been done before, done better, and even Too $hort himself has re-done this concept with better results.

4. FEMALE FUNK - Now we're into Playboy Short territory. With another funky beat, Too $hort describes all the sexual experiences he's had with all sorts of women, using the term "funk" as some sort of politically correct term for having sex. That's pretty much the whole song.

5. PLAYBOY SHORT - Playboy Short goes on another ego trip track. No seriously, the dude brags about things that he hadn't accomplished yet, such as limousines, packed concerts, fine women, and pet ligers. The beat here is actually quite slow and smooth; actually, if you listen carefully, this instrumental is essentially the prototype to E-40's "Player's Ball", a song that featured Too $hort himself.

And with that, we're done with with Don't Stop Rappin'. But wait, there's more!

 

By 1985, I assume Short had made a name for himself enough that the 75 Girls record label thought it was time for the world to get more of Too $hort. Of course, as we know 80s albums, we're likely to be in store for some more shit-talking, player music from Shaw, just in 1985. This time around we have Players, whether pimps or simply athletes.

1. PLAYERS - Interesting enough. The song actually starts with that famous talkbox that was pretty much epidemic in 1980s funk music, perhaps an attempt at airplay. Lyrically, it's more of the same shit-talking that we had earlier on Don't Stop Rappin'. Even the player talk here is pretty tame, and just mixed with the shit-talking. Listened to Don't Stop Rappin? While you've listened to Players too.

2. FROM HERE TO NEW YORK - We start off with another creepy-ass deep vocal, but just some deep pitch rather than the talkbox. Again, just more emcee shit talking we were exposed to earlier, although to be honest the beat is pretty funky again, so this wasn't a complete waste of time.

3. DON'T EVEN STOP - A song where Short Dog mentions dwarfism, a Beranstein Bears character, and serious relationships are all discussed. That's all I could say.

4. WILD WILD WEST - This track was interesting enough, where Short Dog compares his hometown of Oakland to the Wild West itself (never mind the fact that the real Wild West was much more safer than 80s urban America). Actually, the track is a story about emcee battles in the Wild West (I suppose). Hell, Too $hort might've even dressed up as a cowboy to get into role for this one.

5. EVERYTIME - I'll admit, the beat for this one is a little more different; the beat moves in a creepy, smooth, almost perverted way, which fits the theme of the music. Short sounds more like his 1990s-self, and raps about his signature theme - pimping. Admittedly, it still sounds weird that he doesn't cuss, so he mostly comes off as a faceless LL Cool J imitator writing his lyrics in the middle of English class. Still, this didn't completely suck.

6. DANCE (DON'T GEEK) - Pretty much just an instrumental. Not the worst music in the world, perhaps useful as elevator ambiance.

7. COKE DEALERS - In similar vain to Everytime, we get a beat that gives a creepy feel. Our hero Too $hort raps again about the crack epidemic, so for the most part this is pretty much a remake of Girl, though this feels this was made for some corny early 90s cartoon trying to project what they think is 1990s urban culture. And so ends our presentation of Players. But wait...

Oh my, we're going to get nasty here.

1. INVASION OF THE FLAT BOOTY BITCHES - For the first time, Too $hort actually cusses on a record. Too $hort mostly sounds like a 6th grader in high puberty in some strange, and I mean strange wet dream. Oh well, we have to start somewhere...

2. SHE'S A BITCH - Too $hort raps about a woman who, via government experiments, turns into a dog, and tells of the serious story of animal rights and equality. Of course not. Too $hort pretty much goes on another puberty-high sexist mumble rap. Seriously, I don't know what the hell he was going on about.

3. OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA - Short mixes rhymes about crack and pimping women at the same time. An accomplishment indeed!

4. THAT BITCH SUCKS DICK - From the Arthur episode of the same name.

5. SHORT SIDE/BLOWJOB BETTY - A song about oral sex. I think I've said enough here. And with that, we're done with Too $hort's first three EPs.

FINAL WORD: Let's be honest, none of these songs here have aged particularly well. If this was the 1980s, perhaps this stuff was changing lives, and shit. But in 2016, this is mostly just banal emcee shit talking, some serious social commentary, and inevitably, sexist pimp talking. However, every person has their humble beginnings, and Too $hort was no exception. But honestly, there really wasn't a whole lot to say here. Most of these songs had been done before (pretty much literally the last track), and were the same content.

BUY OR BURN - Neither, not as an insult. These tracks are incredibly difficult to find in physical copy, and web available versions suffer from lower quality. But if you're looking to complete some kind of Too $hort compilation of all years, the below tracks are worth it.

BEST TRACKS: "Don't Stop Rappin'", "Players", "From Here to New York" 

Warren G - Regulate... G Funk Era (1994 - Def Jam Records)

Warren Griffin III, better known as Warren G, is a rapper, producer, actor, and half-brother of Dr. Dre from Long Beach, California, best known for coining the term G funk (but not the music itself; a number of West Coast emcees had been creating the art for a while).

Warren himself was never especially gifted at rapping, generally looking rather unimpressive compared to his peers at the time, such as Snoop Dogg & Kurupt. However, his potential was enough to get him signed to Def Jam records, where he promptly struck gold with the Above the Rim soundtrack, unleashing his Regulate track to the American public, which also gave more widespread exposure to Nate Dogg. Soon enough, the man's album was announced, which you had to wonder if the dude could keep up with an entire album especially given that he wasn't the most popular out of the Death Row camp, either.

Let's get this on, shall we?

1. REGULATE (FEAT. NATE DOGG) - You all know this track; it's so pervasive that it's probably required listening in California's education curriculum. Warren G, trying to come off as the badass gangsta we know he really isn't, describes a night in the L-B-C; he gets into trouble, only for Nate Dogg to come in, kick ass and the save the day. The lyrics are so damn goofy, but the humor here manages to shine; easily a classic track.

2. DO YOU SEE - The third single released from the album. The beat here can be best described as hazy; it's almost as if Warren Jeezy himself smoked a blunt while recording this track. As such, Warren raps about his past life before he became involved in this rapping business, and such, it's a pretty good track. Also, the music video is pretty damn amusing, just for that said hazy feeling.

3. GANGSTA SERMON - ...

4. RECOGNIZE (FEAT. THE TWINZ) - I have to be honest, The Twinz lyrics are like ADHD; not much focus or chorus, and just rapping whatever the hell is on their mind. It's the obligatory weed carrier track, one while not the best look for them, ended up pretty much getting them a record deal. Warren's beat here is smooth, peaceful, and actually pretty catchy, so this track was actually all right.

5. SUPER SOUL SIS (FEAT. JAH SKILLS) - Yet another weed carrier track here; mostly a braggadocio with a similar concept to our previous track; pure randomness. I have to admit, I have a soft spot for this track, mainly because when I played this album around the early 2000s this beat would always play; same sample of "Don't Stop (Ever Loving Me)" by One Way, used by Nelly in 2000. The beat is pretty much the epitome of California, blue as the summer skies and green as a Cali park. Jah Skills is probably the worst rapper on the entire album, but has more talent than rappers today. Also, her lyrics were seemingly designed to offend, mentioning AIDS, the JFK assassination, and the Israel-Palestine conflict in one song, and with that, I've said enough about this track.

6. 94 HO DRAFT - ...

7. SO MANY SKILLS (FEAT. WAYNIAC & LADY LEVI) - I thought this song was all right - Warren Jeezy's lyrics are pretty solid and the beat was catchy enough, although I found the hook to be annoying as all hell. Also released as a single, the music video for this track is incredibly lavish as well, especially for a track meant to be in sunny Cali.

8. THIS DJ (FEAT. O.G.L.B) - I love this song. From the peaceful, synthesizer-heavy blunted beat to the introspective childhood lyrics which are meant to provoke the good days, this track just kicks ass. It's perfect for cruising around, or having a barbecue. No wonder this was a single.

9. THIS IS THE SHACK (FEAT. THE DOVE SHACK) - I never cared much for this track. That's all I can say. Also, it seems Warren G calls himself the President, after that other Warren G. Huh.

10. WHAT'S NEXT (FEAT. MR. MALIK) - The same concept as Recognize, but much more well executed. Jeezy's beat just kicks ass here, with an incredibly booming bass line that wrecks your ear drum. Both of our performers here are on par for the course, and Warren mentions those hilarious School House Rock videos which we secretly enjoyed as a kid, making you wondering what the hell you were doing back then.

11. AND YA DON'T STOP - I also love this song. Sure, Warren's bragging of being a badass gangster aren't the most credible threats, especially since the man sounds so high and friendly as hell, but once again, the man's humor shines through; the beat, using Don Julian's "Janitzio" is so damn masterful, creating the feeling of being on a Cali beach in sunset. Overall, an amazing track.

12. RUNNIN' WIT NO BREAKS - Never paid much attention to this track either, although it's quite interesting anyway; the beat here was originally made for Doggystyle, a track called The Next Episode which got canned at the very last minute, but got rehashed on here. Of course, that track would finally be delivered as promised, on 2001.

B-SIDES TO TRACK DOWN
INDO SMOKE (MISTA GRIMM FEAT. NATE DOGG & NATE DOGG) - Released a year earlier on the Poetic Justice soundtrack was one of Griffin's first recordings in the music industry, and his first crack at mainstream audience. The beat, utilizing Blowfly, is funky and catchy as all hell, and Nate Dogg's chorus kills it here. It's a mostly forgotten track though, and it doesn't help that Mista Grimm promptly fell off a cliff after this was recorded, but you'' find a great weed anthem here.

FINAL WORD: Regulate... G Funk Era is a pretty kick ass album for what it's worth. For a 90s album it's actually aged quite well over the years, and some of these tracks are just timeless. Of course, this album isn't perfect, but it's definitely a solid listen you can ride to.

BUY OR BURN? - Definitely buy this one. It's been re-released as a special 2 disc set, so this one shouldn't be too hard to find.

BEST TRACKS - "This DJ", "Regulate", "And Ya Don't Stop", "Super Soul Sis", "Do You See"