Anchored by the laid-back
G-funk
anthem
"Regulate,"
Warren G
's appropriately titled
Regulate...G Funk Era
embodies the mid-'90s era of Cali sunshine, endless blunts, and switch-hittin' lowriders with a welcome and somewhat surprising sense of kind-heartedness. Unlike most of his West Coast
peers,
Warren
doesn't celebrate drive-by gang-bangin', dirty-money stackin', nor G's-up, hoes-down pimpin'. Sure, he says the F word once in a while and puffs on the cheeba-cheeba when it's passed his way, but he's essentially a good-natured, all-ages rapper, interested in nothing more than good ol'-fashioned
hip-hop
. He professes his demeanor succinctly on the catchy hook to
"This DJ,"
the other era-defining highlight here: "It's kinda easy when you're listening to the G-ed-up sound/Pioneer speakers bumpin' as I smoke on a pound/I got the sound fo yo' ass and it's easy to see/That this DJ be
." Like his stepbrother
Dr. Dre
,
is a more talented producer than rapper, and it's his by-the-book
beat-making that truly shines here. For instance, another album highlight,
"Do You See,"
boasts an elastic bassline and whistling synth hook, capturing the essence of
as only
Dre
himself could.
further compensates for his middling rapping with a couple of guests, a few skits, and a brief running time. Even if
"Regulate"
and
"This DJ"
tower far above everything else here,
is nonetheless a minor gem among the myriad
albums of the mid-'90s, and
embodies the style itself here with a precision perhaps second only to his older brother and does so with a refreshing air of harmlessness. ~ Jason Birchmeier