Warren G
Warren G | |
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Background information | |
Birth name | Warren Griffin III |
Also known as | G-Child |
Born | November 10, 1970 |
Origin | Long Beach, California, U.S. |
Genres | |
Occupation(s) |
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Years active | 1992–present |
Labels | |
Formerly of | 213 |
Website | warreng |
Warren Griffin III (born November 10, 1970) is an American rapper, record producer, and DJ known for his role in West Coast rap's 1990s ascent.[1] A pioneer of G-funk, he attained mainstream success with the 1994 single "Regulate", a duet with Nate Dogg. He significantly helped Snoop Dogg's career during the latter's beginnings, also introducing him to Dr. Dre, who later signed Snoop Dogg.
His debut album,
Three songs from his second album, Take a Look Over Your Shoulder, reached the Top 40,[2] as did his 1998 duet with Nate Dogg, "Nobody Does It Better". Both Take a Look Over Your Shoulder and his next album, I Want It All, were certified gold, the last of his albums to attain certification. His 2001 comeback attempt, The Return of the Regulator, failed to reach his earlier commercial heights. Along with longtime collaborators Snoop Dogg and Nate Dogg, he formed the hip-hop trio 213, named for Long Beach's area code, releasing in 2004 an album titled The Hard Way.
His next two albums, 2005's In the Mid-Nite Hour and then 2009's The G Files, released independently, were self-produced. In the 2010s, he experienced a resurgence in popularity amid the digital age. In 2015, he released Regulate... G Funk Era, Part II, an EP featuring archived recordings of Nate Dogg, who died in 2011. In 2017, "Regulate", certified platinum in 1994, went multi-platinum, propelled by digital downloads.
Early life
Warren Griffin III was born on November 10, 1970, and grew up in
In 1982, Warren went to live with his father in North Long Beach.[3] His new wife, Verna, had three children from a prior marriage,[3] one of whom was Andre Young, the soon-to-become Dr. Dre who in 1984 joined a leading DJ crew, the World Class Wreckin' Cru, which by 1985 doubled as an electro rap group, which in 1987 put out the Los Angeles area's first rap recording under a major label.[4][5] By then, a Jordan High School student, Warren was playing football and running with friends.[3]
In 1988, age 17, Warren was jailed for gun possession.[3] While incarcerated, he took the nickname Warren G.[3] By this time, Dr. Dre was already beginning to experience success as the writer and record producer for Ruthless Records, as well as being a member of N.W.A with Ruthless Records founder Eazy-E and Ice Cube. N.W.A’s landmark album, Straight Outta Compton, was driving the Los Angeles area's rap scene to swiftly drop electro for gangsta.[5] Once out of jail, Warren worked at the Long Beach shipyards[3]and began focusing on music after Dr. Dre taught him how to use a drum machine.[3]
By 1990, Warren G had formed the trio 213[6] with two longtime running mates, Nathaniel "Nate Dogg" Hale and Calvin "Snoop Dogg" Broadus. 213 was a contributor to the G-funk sound soon to emerge in rap.[7] The trio dissolved after Warren G connected them to Dr. Dre.[6] At that point, two solo careers were launched: Dr. Dre's and Snoop Dogg's, upon G-funk.[8][9] Nate, too, signed to Dr. Dre's Death Row Records.[8] Warren G initially helped there,[6] but not desiring a career in his mentor and stepbrother's shadow, signed to Def Jam Recordings in New York City.[3][10]
Career
Start with 213 (circa 1990)
By 1990, in his hometown
Before long, homemade copies of 213's songs spread in
In April 1992, Dr. Dre's debut solo single "Deep Cover" introduced America to Snoop Doggy Dogg, the track's guest but instantly star rapper.[8][14] Warren helped Dre find sounds for Dre's debut solo album The Chronic,[7][6] further debuting Snoop, whereby superstardom chased Snoop into 1993 and, via Snoop's own debut solo album, Doggystyle, captured him by 1994.[8][15] By then, also solo, Nate, too, had joined Dre's label, Death Row Records.[8][16] Warren, returning to Long Beach, aimed to find his own way.[3][17] In 2004, a 213 album finally arrived: The Hard Way.[14][18]
Solo stardom (1993–1996)
During 1993, at Dr. Dre's studio, Warren met John Singleton, director of Boyz n the Hood, the seminal film named for Eazy-E's debut single, produced by Dre.[19][20] Singleton asked Warren to produce a song for the soundtrack of his forthcoming film Poetic Justice. Warren thus produced Mista Grimm's song "Indo Smoke", featuring Warren G and Nate Dogg.[3] The single's success led to Warren's invitation to Russell Simmons's label Def Jam Recordings, where Warren G signed a record deal.[3] Also that year, Warren and Nate, along with Kurupt—whom the 213 trio had brought to Dre to help on his album The Chronic[8]—feature on "Ain't No Fun (If the Homies Can't Have None)", a huge underground hit, too risque to be a single, on Snoop's Doggystyle album, released in November.[21]
On the
Yet further, unlike other G-funk (short for gangsta funk) artists, Warren G, even called "a romantic" at heart,
Follow-up albums (1997–2001)
Warren G's second album,
In July 1998, Warren G's sixth appearance in the Billboard Hot 100's upper tier Top 40 became Nate Dogg's single "Nobody Does it Better"[22]—on Nate's repeatedly delayed debut album—featuring Warren G, in another duet, which peaked at No. 18 on the Billboard Hot 100.[30] Here, incidentally, Warren raps a bar indicating his transition to family life.[33] Warren's third album, I Want It All, released in October 1999, has Warren mainly producing—where, perhaps, his greater comparative strength among musical peers abides—while vocals go largely to guest artists, including Nate Dogg, Snoop Dogg, RBX, Kurupt, Eve, Slick Rick, and Jermaine Dupri.[32] Certified gold in November 1999,[23] it bears the single "I Want It All", featuring Mack 10, which, becoming Warren's most recent Top 40 appearance, peaked on the Hot 100 at No. 23.[22]
Over 20 years later, his 1997 and 1999 albums remain at gold certification, which none of his subsequent albums have achieved.
Indie career (2005–present)
In the Mid-Nite Hour, released in October 2005, Warren G's fifth album, his first without a major label involved,[36] was on Hawino Records.[37] Heavily featuring his native, 213 groupmates Nate and Snoop, it is devotedly Warren's own project, homemade on a low budget.[36] Music critics assess it to better carry Warren G's own virtues as G-funk's everyman.[36][37] Yet by that very virtue, as expected, it saw scarce exposure beyond Warren G's fans.[36][37]
His sixth album, in September 2009, The G Files, "still the same basic G-funk sound", adds to "that classic soul vibe", Warren explains, "a taste of that modern electro sound".[38] Disliking what he put as the rap standard of "some drums and one synth sound", he titled "The West is Back" for return to "that great soulful sound".[38] "100 Miles and Running" features Nate Dogg—recorded before Nate's strokes in 2007 and 2008—and the Wu-Tang Clan's Raekwon.[38]
From June to September 2013, Warren toured in the West Coast Fest, "an OG affair" with
Nostalgic fans would ask Warren for more of classic G-funk, and even ask for more from Nate Dogg, who had died in 2011.[41][42] The single "My House", leading Warren G's first EP, arrived on July 13, 2015. With four songs, the EP, premised as a sequel to the 1994 original, is titled Regulate... G Funk Era, Part II. Released on August 6, it features E-40, Too Short, Jeezy, Bun B, and, in all four songs, Nate Dogg. With his unique knack for intuiting Warren's production cues, Nate leaves behind some of his 213 partner's favorite recordings.[41]
Personal life
Warren has four children with his wife, Tenille Griffin. Getting older, increasingly identifying with his father, fond of cooking and storytelling, Warren G embraces "his morals and good family fun".[43]
His oldest son, Olaijah, played college football for the USC Trojans at the cornerback position from 2018 to 2020 and was recognized with all-conference honors in 2019 and 2020.[44][45] In April 2021, Olaijah was signed by the NFL's Buffalo Bills as an undrafted free agent.
In 2019, Warren G launched a line of barbecue sauces and rubs, Sniffin Griffin's BBQ, for retail and restaurant supply. This was inspired by his father, a cook in the US Navy and avid barbecue chef.[43][46]
Discography
Studio albums
- Regulate... G Funk Era (1994)
- Take a Look Over Your Shoulder (1997)
- I Want It All (1999)
- The Return of the Regulator (2001)
- In the Mid-Nite Hour (2005)
- The G Files (2009)
Collaboration albums
- The Hard Way with 213 (2004)
Extended plays
Filmography
- The Show (1995)
- Speedway Junky (1999)
- Little Richard (2000)
- The Parkers (2000)
- Old School (2003)
- All of Us (2005)
- BTS American Hustle Life (2014)
- The Eric Andre Show (2016), 1 episode
Awards and nominations
Grammy Awards
Year | Song | Category | Result |
---|---|---|---|
1995 | "Regulate" | Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group[48] | Nominated |
"This D.J." | Best Rap Solo Performance | Nominated |
American Music Awards
Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
---|---|---|---|
1995 | Warren G | Favorite Rap/Hip-Hop Artist
|
Nominated |
Brit Awards
Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
---|---|---|---|
1995 | Warren G | International Male Solo Artist | Nominated |
International Breakthrough Act | Nominated |
MTV Movie & TV Awards
Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
---|---|---|---|
1995 | Regulate | Best Song from a Movie | Nominated |
Soul Train Music Awards
Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
---|---|---|---|
1995 | Regulate...G Funk Era
|
Best Rap Album | Nominated |
NME Awards
Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
---|---|---|---|
1995 | Warren G | Best Rap Artist | Won |
Video games
- Rap Jam: Volume One (1995)
- Def Jam: Fight for NY (2004)
- Def Jam Fight for NY: The Takeover (2006)
References
- ^ Steve Huey, "Warren G: Biography", AllMusic.com, Netaktion LLC, visited May 8, 2020.
- What's Love Got to Do With It", featuring singer Adina Howard, but had been released first on the 1996 soundtrack of the American release of Jackie Chan's 1992 Chinese film Supercop.
- ^ Cengage, updated April 12, 2020.
- Greenwood Press, 2010).
- ^ a b David Diallo, "Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg", in Mickey Hess, ed., Icons of Hip Hop: An Encyclopedia of the Movement, Music, and Culture (Santa Barbara, CA: Greenwood Press, 2007), pp 319–322.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Mosi Reeves, "Warren G and Nate Dogg's 'Regulate': The oral history of a hip-hop classic", Rolling Stone website, Penske Media LLC, December 19, 2014.
- ^ Hot 97 @ YouTube, August 10, 2015, 22:30mark.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Ben Westhoff, "The making of The Chronic", LA Weekly, November 19, 2012.
- ^ "Dr. Dre speaks at Snoop Dogg's Hollywood Walk of Fame ceremony 11.19.18", The Hollywood Fix @ YouTube, November 19, 2018.
- ^ a b Gill, Karam, director, "G Funk | official documentary", SnoopDoggTV @ YouTube Premium, July 11, 2018, which webpage offers a written synopsis, whereas the Russell Simmons quote about "Regulate" may appear at about the 57:35 mark. For instead some news on the 2017 documentary, see Matt Warren, "LA Film Festival update: 'G-Funk' doc and Warren G live performance at Ace Hotel, June 16", Film Independent website, May 24, 2017.
- ^ a b In his 1994 single "Do You See", Warren G reminisces on his background, while incidentally noting, twice, that 213 had originally been Warren G, Nate Dogg, and Snoop Rock, amid visuals that briefly show the V.I.P record shop [Warren G, "Do You See", Warren G @ YouTube, October 6, 2009].
- ^ Hot 97 @ YouTube, August 10, 2015. On the V.I.P. record store, see Andrea Domanick, "World famous V.I.P. Records to close", LA Weekly, January 5, 2012.
- Atria Books, 2017), pp 123 & 132.
- ^ a b David Diallo, "Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg", in Mickey Hess, ed., Icons of Hip Hop: An Encyclopedia of the Movement, Music, and Culture, Volume 1 (Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 2007), pp 326–327.
- Daily Beast, November 18, 2018.
- ^ By the July 1998 release of Nate Dogg's repeatedly delayed solo album, the curtain was already closing on G-funk's popular run [Thomas Erlewine, "Nate Dogg: G Funk Classics, Vols. 1 & 2", AllMusic.com, Netaktion LLC, visited April 24, 2020].
- ^ Gill, Karam, director, "G Funk | Official Documentary", SnoopDoggTV @ YouTube Premium, 11 Jull 2018, which webpage offers a written synopsis. For instead some news on the 2017 documentary, see Matt Warren, "LA Film Festival update: 'G-Funk' doc and Warren G live performance at Ace Hotel, June 16", Film Independent website, May 24, 2017.
- ^ Jon Dolan, Joe Gross, Chuck Klosterman & Chris Ryan, "Oct: Breakdown", Spin, 2004 Oct;20(10):120; Rondell Conway, "213: The Hard Way", Vibe, 2004 Sep;12(9):236.
- Simon Spotlight Entertainment, 2007), p 181.
- ^ Keith Murphy, "John Singleton: Hollywood's ultimate hip-hop head broke ground for the culture", BET.com, May 3, 2019.
- ^ About tracks on Dr. Dre's album 2001, Soren Baker writes, "If fact, even songs that did not receive accompanying videos became huge underground hits, as had been the case with The Chronic's 'Bitches Ain't Shit' and Doggystyle's 'Ain't No Fun (If the Homies Can't Have None)" [S Baker, The History of Gangster Rap (New York: Abrams Image, 2018)].
- ^ I Shot the Sheriff" (#20 in March 1997); "Smokin' Me Out", featuring Ronald Isley (#35 in June 1997); Nate Dogg's single "Nobody Does It Better", featuring Warren G (#18 in July 1998); "I Want It All", featuring Mack 10(#23 in October 1999).
- ^ a b c d e f g h Database search, "Gold & Platinum: Warren G", Recording Industry Association of America website, visited May 8, 2020.
- ISBN 978-0-231-11799-9.
- ^ Russell Simmons with Nelson George, Life and Def: Sex, Drugs, Money, and God (New York: Crown Publishers, 2001).
- ^ Eric Weisbard, "Platter du Jour: Warren G", in Craig Marks, ed., Spins column, Spin, 1994 Sep;10(6):135.
- Abrams Image, 2018).
- ^ a b P.R., "Warren G", in Nathan Brackett with Christian Hoard, eds., The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (New York: Simon & Schuster, 2004), p 859.
- Best Rap Solo Performance.
- ^ a b "Chart history: Warren G", Billboard.com, visited May 10, 2020.
- OfficialCharts.com, The Official UK Charts Company, visited May 12, 2020.
- ^ a b John Bush, "Warren G: I Want It All", AllMusic.com, Netaktion LLC, visited May 8, 2020.
- MetroLyrics.com, CBS Interactive Inc., 2020].
- ^ Jason Birchmeier, "Warren G: The Return of the Regulator", AllMusic.com, Netaktion LLC,
- ^ a b Shawn Edwards, "Warren G: The Return of the Regulator", Vibe, 2002 Jan;10(1):124.
- ^ a b c d e Jason Birchmeier, "Warren G: In the Mid-Nite Hour", AllMusic.com, Netaktion LLC, visited May 8, 2020.
- ^ a b c Steve "Flash" Juon, "Warren G: In the Mid-Nite Hour: Hawino Records/Lightyear Ent.", RapReviews.com, October 18, 2005.
- ^ a b c Jeff Weiss, "The G-funk continuum: Warren G talks 'The G-Files,' 'The X-Files' and West Coast hip hop", Pop & Hiss, the L.A. Times Music Blog, December 18, 2009.
- ^ Rose Lilah, "West Coast Fest tour line-up features E-40, Dogg Pound, Warren G & more", HotNewHipHop website, June 6, 2013.
- ^ For some examples, see Warren G's profile on IMDb.
- ^ Hot 97@ YouTube, August 10, 2015
- ^ Erika Ramirez, "Warren G to release 'Regulate…G Funk Era Part II' EP this summer", Billboard.com, July 8, 2015.
- ^ a b The company website of his Sniffin Griffins BBQ line shares "The Sniffin Griffins story", © 2020: "It all started with my father Warren Griffin, Jr., who was many great things, chief among them a boxer, black belt and chef in the United States Navy. As a kid, all my pops used to do was cook, create recipes and play good music. He would tell my sisters, brothers and I all about the stories of his many journeys. Even though it was fun to hear him talk about those things, it was also very interesting to me. One of the things that stood out the most to me was when he would talk BBQ. The flavor of the smoke on the meat and just the good feeling of having family around caught me up and rang a bell in my head. As I got older, all I wanted to do was be like my dad on the smoker and grill because it reminded me of his morals and good family fun; and so, a pit master was born into a lifestyle of fun, family and celebration. Warren G!"
- ^ Ben Kercheval, "USC football recruiting: Warren G's son, five-star CB Olaijah Griffin, commits", CBS Sports website, February 7, 2018.
- ^ Within USC's conference, the Pac-12, Griffin drew honorable mention for the official all-conference team, and made the Phil Steele All-Pac-12 third team ["Football: Olaijah Griffin", USCTrojans.com, USC Athletics, visited August 11, 2020].
- ^ "Behind the scenes of Warren G the owner of Sniffin Griffins BBQ first sauce run", Warren G @ YouTube, December 7, 2019.
- ^ "Warren G Announces Regulate…G Funk Era: Pt.2". Rap Radar. July 14, 2010. Retrieved August 28, 2019.
- ^ Stout, Gene (March 1, 1995). "Grammys Promise a Dumbfounding Medley of Talent". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. p. C1.
External links
- Official website
- Warren G at IMDb