Right before your eyes, but you don't recognize"
Warren G - Do You See
(From Regulate... G Funk Era album; 1994)
It's 1994, teenage Marty has just copped Warren G's debut album, and Regulate + Do You See are such a killer opening combination that I spend a couple of days constantly rewinding both songs and don't even listen to the rest of the album until the third day. Actual factz, shit really went down like that. Do You See went on to be the album's third single, and it's such a lush Slick Rick-ified slice of G-Funk with a streak of sad boi sentimentality at its core that it's now my favourite single from the album - no mean feat when the two preceeding singles were Regulate and This D.J.. Come to think of it, The Chronic's third single Let Me Ride is top billin' for me too. Maybe three was the magic number for Warren and his stepbrother Dr. Dre?
Three Warren G bonus thoughts:
* I've never heard Warren's third album. Stay tuned for the n-x-e-t episode when I check it out.
* Warren's remix of Slick Rick's Behind Bars has gotta be a top 3 remix which made the original version completely irrelevant.
* Warren & Nate Dogg's 2015 single My House remains a great example of L.A "you 43 and you still rappin'?"-core.
His third album was pretty good from what I can remember some nice features from his DPG cohorts & Crucial Conflict.
ReplyDeleteDid we ever get an explicit version of the Behind Bars remix? The solo Slick Rick version. I can’t find it.
ReplyDeleteAnonymous, do you mean the unreleased one Prince Paul did? That's the original-original version. Better than the one on the album but that beat is a bit too happy for the lyrics. That's why Warren G's remix was perfect and has become the definitive version.
ReplyDeleteBen, Drag-On is on the album twice! How 1999 is that? 😆 Gave it a listen before and my initial fave joints are Dope Beat and Game Don't Wait with Snoop & Nate Dogg.
Completely forgot Drag-on has features on there 😂definitely had to of been some kind favor cause I can’t make any kind of connection there.
DeleteI mean there was a version of Warren G’s beat but not him rapping on it. The only one I can find like that is a clean version.
DeleteOther than that time he performed Regulate on TV with Kenny G, I don’t think I’ve heard anything from Warren G since the Tina Turner cover song.
ReplyDeleteMaybe Warren legitimately thought Drag-On was N.Y's next contender? 😁
ReplyDeleteAt least he got Slick Rick on the album too.
Remember Kool Moe Dee named Drag-On a potential top 50 rapper of all time in his 2003 book?
ReplyDeleteI'd like to think that Warren G's performance with Kenny G was inspired by the time 808 State did Pacific 707 on TOTP 🎷
ReplyDeletehttps://youtu.be/jRQM832mErs?si=oI8eZxCNlmyPcb3v&t=26
Drag-On - truly The Rapper's Rapper™
ReplyDeleteOh damn, I don't think I've ever heard that,
ReplyDeletejust happens i've been testing headphones all week with Nate and Warren's Nobody Does it Better
ReplyDeletehttps://youtu.be/PHcGABQF7DE
his son covered it 3 days ago too
also, Dollars Make Sense off of I Want It All is a top 100 track for me, i like that corny moody shit
I wish there was a Warren G & Twista track from the late 90s/early 2000s.
ReplyDeleteMaybe you already solved this one in the past few years but I remember discussions about the "Mouse On The Track, that'll make you bounce and act" producer drop a few years ago on here.
ReplyDeleteListened to Handy's 2004 Rap Hustlin' album after revisiting Old School earlier this week, and it appears that the track Cut The Lights Out (an already pretty excellent track featuring Webbie) is the OG source for the drop.
There more you know.
Yeah I got a post about that in the archives. I've never been able to decide whether he says bus' or bounce.
ReplyDeletehttps://themartorialist.blogspot.com/2012/08/mouse-drop-track-thatll-make-you-say-eh.html
Damn, missed that one. Also found this snippet of an old Mouse interview which gives a little more insight in why he chose that drop: https://twitter.com/ChangeofplanZ1/status/1513992509482946560
ReplyDeleteTwitter won't let me see it. Stupid website.
ReplyDelete