Warren G
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| Warren G | ||
|---|---|---|
| Background information | ||
| Birth name | Warren Griffin III | |
| Also known as | G-Child, G-Dub | |
| Born | November 10, 1970 (age 36) | |
| Origin | Long Beach, California | |
| Genre(s) | West Coast hip hop | |
| Occupation(s) | DJ, Producer | |
| Instrument(s) | Rapping, Scratching | |
| Years active | 1991- present | |
| Label(s) | Violator Management Def Jam Recordings Restless Records Universal Records G-Funk Entertainment Hawino Records |
|
| Associated acts |
213 Dr. Dre Snoop Dogg Nate Dogg |
|
| Website | hawino.com/artists/warren_g Warren G at MySpace |
|
Warren Griffin III (born November 10, 1970 in Long Beach, California) more commonly known as Warren G, is an American West Coast rapper and hip hop producer. His biggest hit was the single "Regulate" with Nate Dogg released in 1994. The single was a g-funk track like most of Warren G's productions. He is the step-brother of successful record producer Dr. Dre. According to Hitmusic he sold 1,080,000 copies in the UK between January 1990 - January 1999 so he was ranked 92nd amongst the top selling artists of the decade.[citation needed]
Contents |
[edit] Music career
In 1991, Warren G formed the group 213 with Nate Dogg and Snoop Dogg. Warren G introduced the group to his step-brother Dr. Dre. Dr. Dre was impressed and tied Snoop Dogg and Nate Dogg to his and Suge Knight's record company, Death Row Records. Thus, 213 broke up before releasing any records, and the three artists pursued separate careers. Even though Death Row Records did not sign Warren G, his career began with some contributions to Dr. Dre's album The Chronic, released 1992. Warren G was a regular contributor to many Death Row albums.
In 1993, Warren G produced the track Indo Smoke featuring himself and Nate Dogg and Mista Grimm.
Warren G's debut album Regulate... G Funk Era was released in 1994 on Def Jam, featured the hit "Regulate" which samples Michael McDonald's classic hit, "I Keep Forgettin'". Also on that disc was "This D.J.," a popular track and hit video on MTV.
He followed up with "Take a Look Over Your Shoulder (Reality)" in 1997, which took his mellow approach and brought it even further into the mainstream. Scoring a hit with a rap remake of "I Shot the Sheriff," the album was a mid-level commercial success selling gold.
I Want It All, released in 1999, represented a substantive if not commercial comeback for Warren G. Widely regarded as his most consistent record, this offered a jazz-rock fusion style and a host of guests including Mack 10, Snoop Dogg, Kurupt, and Eve. The first single, "I Want It All," sampled the song "I Like It" performed by DeBarge, which had a hit video that entered into heavy rotation on MTV and VH1. Warren G fully embraced his less-gangsta image at this time.
The greatest disappointment of Warren G's career was The Return of the Regulator, the full-out comeback album he released in 2001 after signing with Universal Records. Using similar cover art to his original successful album, "Regulate... G Funk Era," Warren G tried to recreate his 1994 magic to no avail. The album was a major sales disappointment and produced no hit singles.
In 2003 Warren G, Snoop Dogg, and Nate Dogg reunited 213 and recorded the album The Hard Way with the single "Groupie Luv". The album was released in 2004 and entered at #4 on the Billboard charts.
Warren G released a new album on October 11, 2005, called In the Mid-Nite Hour on an independent label. In December 2005, he signed with UniqueInc LTD (UK) for the UK & Éire, Craze Productions of London is doing the digital distribution and sales on Mobile and online and Hawino Records for the North America release.
As of 2006, Warren G has joined the cast of the fifth season of VH1's "Celebrity Fit Club" and also produced the theme song for Ice Cube's TV show, Black. White..
[edit] Discography
[edit] Albums
[edit] Solo
- Regulate... G Funk Era (1994), #2 US, #25 UK; 3x Platinum[1] (2,777,667 copies)[2]
- Take a Look Over Your Shoulder (1997), 11 US, 20 UK; Gold (437,000 copies)[3]
- I Want It All (1999), #21 US; (es. 250,000 copies)[3]
- Return of the Regulator (2001), #83 US (231,000 copies)[3]
- In the Mid-Nite Hour (2005), #80 US (43,393) [4]
[edit] Group
- The Hard Way [With 213] (2003), #4 US; Gold
[edit] Singles
| Year | Title | Chart Positions | Album | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Hot 100 | UK Singles | |||
| 1992 | "Indo Smoke" | #56 | - | - |
| 1994 | "Do You See" | #42 | - | Regulate...G Funk Era |
| 1994 | "Regulate" (Featuring Nate Dogg) [1x platinum] | #2 | #5 | Regulate...G Funk Era |
| 1994 | "This D.J." [1x gold] |
#9 | #12 | Regulate...G Funk Era |
| 1996 | "What's Love Got to Do with It" (Featuring Adina Howard) |
#32 | #2 | Supercop OST |
| 1997 | "I Shot the Sheriff" [1x platinum] | #20 | #2 | Take a Look Over Your Shoulder |
| 1997 | "Smokin' Me Out" (Featuring Ron Isley) | #35 | #14 | Take a Look Over Your Shoulder |
| 1998 | "Prince Igor" (Featuring Sissel Kyrkjebø) | - | #15 | The Rapsody Overture |
| 1998 | "All Night All Right" (Featuring Peter Andre) | - | #16 | - |
| 1999 | "I Want It All" (Featuring Mack 10) [1x gold] | #23 | - | I Want It All |
| 1999 | "Game Don't Wait" [Remix] (Featuring Nate Dogg, Snoop Dogg & Xzibit) |
- | - | I Want It All |
| 2002 | "Lookin' at You (Featuring Latoiya Williams)" | - | #60 | Return of the Regulator |
| 2002 | "Ghetto Village" | - | - | Return of the Regulator |
| 2004 | "Groupie Luv" (With 213) | - | - | The Hard Way |
| 2005 | "Get U Down" (Featuring B-Real, Ice Cube & Snoop Dogg) | - | - | In the Mid-Nite Hour |
| 2005 | "I Need a Light" (Featuring Nate Dogg) | - | - | In the Mid-Nite Hour |
[edit] Awards
[edit] Grammy Award nominations
Warren G has been nominated for one Grammy Award but has not yet won an award as of 2007.
| Category | Genre | Song | Year | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance By A Duo Or Group | Rap | "Regulate" | 1995 | Nominated |
[edit] References
- ^ http://www.riaa.com/gp/database/default.asp
- ^ http://slumz.boxden.com/showthread.php?t=412206
- ^ a b c http://www.ukmix.org/forums/viewtopic.php?p=544953
- ^ http://www.nextpimp.com/forum/archive/index.php/t-21116.html
[edit] Filmography
- All of Us (2005)
- The Strip Game (2003)
- Old School (2003)
- Little Richard (2000)
- Speedway Junky (1999)
[edit] Trivia
- He is an expert C-Walker, as he was featured performing the ritual in the documentary C-Walk - It's a Way of Livin along with fellow Crip rappers Snoop Dogg, WC, Ice-T, Kurupt to name a few.[citation needed]
- Warren G was a member of the Rollin' 20's Crips, a gang active in the Long Beach area of California. They are also known as the Eastside Rollin' 20's.[citation needed]
- Warren G misspells the word "Next" in his song "What's Next" on his first album by saying, "What's next, what's next, what's N-X-E-T, it's me Warren to the motherfuckin G." Warren decided to leave the mistake in the final cut, due to freestyling the whole verse and decided the error was different and crazy.[1]
- Warren G has provided his character and voice for the video game Def Jam: Fight for NY.[citation needed]
- The week between Aug. 1-6 2005 was dedicated as the "Warren G Week" by the Mayor of Long Beach. [3]
- Is managed by his uncle Wron G[citation needed]
- Current DJ is DJ Rectangle[citation needed]
- Height is 6'3" [4]
- Collaborated with Malaysian Hip-Hop duo Too Phat in the song "Just a Lil' Bit" from Too Phat's album 360 degrees.[citation needed]
- Was featured in WC's music video "The Streets" as a contestant doing the C-Walk. He was wearing the white tee.[citation needed]
- Currently lives in Dove Canyon, California.[citation needed]
[edit] External links
Categories: Articles with unsourced statements since March 2007 | All articles with unsourced statements | 1971 births | Living people | Rhythmic contemporary musicians | African American musicians | American rappers | California musicians | Crips | Hip hop record producers | Death Row Records artists
