G Funk Classics, Vols. 1 & 2 Nate Dogg Artist

Two years is an eternity in {|hip-hop|}, especially for rappers arriving at the tail end of a trend. Such is the case with {|Nate Dogg|}, a talented rapper who first made waves on {|Warren G|}'s seminal {|Regulate|} in 1993 and then signed a solo con... Read more

Two years is an eternity in {|hip-hop|}, especially for rappers arriving at the tail end of a trend. Such is the case with {|Nate Dogg|}, a talented rapper who first made waves on {|Warren G|}'s seminal {|Regulate|} in 1993 and then signed a solo contract shortly afterward. If he had been able to deliver his debut album, {|G-Funk Classics, Vol. 1|}, in 1995/early 1996 like he intended, he may have been a major star. Instead, the album was shelved due to legal problems at {|Death Row Records|}, and he wasn't able to release the album until the summer of 1998. By that time, the record had become a double-disc set named {|G-Funk Classics, Vols. 1 & 2|}, and perhaps more importantly, {|gangsta rap|}, particularly West Coast {|G-funk|}, had diminished in popularity. It was a case of bad timing, pure and simple -- {|G-Funk Classics|} sounded dated, and its bloated running length made it seem even more of a dinosaur than it actually was. And that's all too bad, because {|Nate Dogg|} has a wonderful, jazzy vocal style that's terrific to hear. If he had fresh productions, his raps would have sounded kinetic and alive; instead, they sound like canned {|gangsta rap|}. The album would have been helped immeasurably by a little editing -- there are a handful of great cuts scattered across these two discs, but it takes too much effort to track them down. That, combined with the delay, prevented {|G-Funk Classics|} from being the explosive debut it could have been. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine Less