It was a clear black night, a clear white moon..well, you know the rest. For well over a decade, Warren G's chilled-out flow has delivered tales of his rise from the streets of Long Beach all the way to his prominent spot in the immensely influential G-Funk Era, where he worked alongside rap-heavyweights like Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg and Nate Dogg. On the cusp of releasing his seventh album, the West Coast veteran talked to Stash about The G-Files.
Tell us about your upcoming album The G-Files. It's just great music. I didn't want too many features so I really just worked with some guys whom I've respected and wanted to work with for a long time, like Travis Barker, Raekwon, and of course Snoop Dogg. I also worked with some young guys who I'm definitely trying to put on. I feel like The G-Files is really perfect for right now; The album has party records as well as music that's a reflection of what's going on in the world today. On some of these beats I'm even using electro so I really feel like I'm pushing boundaries with this one.
You mentioned that your album has some younger artists on it and you've been working with other young guys like Wale. However, you've also worked with veterans like Snoop, Nate Dogg and Raekwon. What's it like working with newer artists versus artists who've been around for over a decade? When you're working with artists that are young, you'll rarely find one who "gets it." But when you do find that one kid who does, you know they're going to be a superstar. With the young kids, it comes down to whether or not they understand what's relevant right now. That's the same for older artists too. A lot of them have problems understanding what's relevant and accepting it when they just aren't hot anymore.
Any new guys that you think "get it"? I like Drake a lot. He's what I call 100% because he raps, sings and acts. He's a triple threat. I like that dude a lot- I wish he was my artist [laughs].
"Regulate" is one of the most iconic songs from the G-Funk era. Do you ever get tired of performing or hearing it? No way, every time I perform "Regulate" it feels as fresh as the first time I played it. I love it. The only thing different is that Nate hasn't been with me because he's recovering but I just feel so blessed to still be in this business and to be able to perform songs that people like.
I have this theory that your verse on "Aint No Fun" was a big reason that Doggystyle sold so well because your verse was so vulgar that radio stations had to censor so much of it and people wanted to hear what you were actually saying, so they bought the album. [laughs] Hey well that's just how it was back then. I think I was only sixteen or seventeen on that record and I just got into the studio and spit it. That's what it was like with the ladies. I wasn't trying to downplay them or anything but you know how it is, you have real women and then you have the bitches and the hoes.
Are you still on Twitter often. Has it been efficient for you? I'm kind of on and off with it but I think it's a great way to interact with fans and it's fun to just get on there and tweet away. I also like it because I can use it to get people's opinions on music and to see if I'm tripping when I hear something in the studio and think it's really cool [laughs]. Overall I do think it's a great communication tool but sometimes I feel like a lot of people that use Twitter just go on to bash on things and that''s not cool.
I know you're a very proud Long Beach native. If I go to Long Beach, where should I go? Man, you should really go to one of Long Beach's fish markets that's what we're really famous for. Also, pretty soon there's going to be Sniffin Griffin BBQ, which is going to be my barbecue spot.
You've always seemed to have interest in other genres like soul and now you're doing songs with Travis Barker, a punk drummer. You even redid a classic reggae song when you covered Bob Marley's "I Shot the Sheriff." Yeah man I'm always trying to do something different than what's out there. I think that's a big reason I've had the success that I've had. Funny you mentioned that because in the video there's a part where the cop is chasing me out of the bar and he falls. But the actor playing the cop really did fall, kind of hard too. He was alright though and it worked well for the video [laughs].
Wow any other good video stories that you can tell us about? I have a story for you. It was the day we shot the video for "Regulate." I actually went to jail and got out of jail the very day we shot the video. I hadn't done anything really bad but there was a warrant out. On the way to the set, I stopped at the gas station to fill up but when I left, I forgot to take the pump out of the my car and when I drove off, I snapped the whole thing off and I didn't even know it. A cop saw the pump dangling from my car and pulled me over. I had a warrant and they took me in. I had just signed my record deal so I didn't really have any money yet. I was calling everybody and asking them to get me out. Finally, after about eight hours my people pulled up in a car and got me out and we went straight to the shoot.
What else should the world know about Warren G? I just want to be a great person, a great dad, a great artist and just a really good dude. I have a lot of love the ones who put me on and I'm very grateful to still be doing music and I'm trying to show that love.
