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If
the endurance of funk has taught us anything it is
this: funk will never die. Producer and rapper WARREN
G has taken this to heart. Having helped nurture the
rise of the West Coast funk in hip-hop music with
his hit single, "Regulate" and his subsequent
4x-platinum debut album, Regulate…G-Funk Era,
Warren G understands that the funk groundwork from
which he has built his career will continue to reap
rewards. And so the Long Beach native is back with
his fourth album, The Return of the Regulator
- which is certain to be Warren's most ubiquitously,
appealing album yet.
The
Return of the Regulator re-establishes WARREN G's
prominence in hip-hop as an all around artist. As
a rapper and producer, WARREN knows more than anybody
how hip-hop has evolved in the many years since he's
been in the game. Yet, his approach to making good
music and being successful hasn't changed, and it
shows on The Return of the Regulator. "I
just listen to the radio and hear what the new thing
is," he says. "I still keep it WARREN G,
but it's gonna be updated with the times. This time
my production has a bigger sound. It's beefier, and
my lyrics have really stepped up, too. Together, it's
hip-hop with a touch of soul, that rides and makes
everything turn out great.".
On
The Return of the Regulator, WARREN plays on
his universal funk sound, while still working with
some of his people from back in the day. Produced
by Dr. Dre, the album's lead single is the smooth
head-nodder "Lookin' At You." The song features
up-and-coming R&B singer Toi who complements WARREN's
effortless, conversational flow. The majority of the
album's other tracks were produced by WARREN G himself.
On the party jam, "Speed Dreaming," he got
to work with one of his personal heroes, George Clinton.
"It was amazing," he beams. "He's one
of the reasons I'm doing what I'm doing so it was
great to work with him on that song. He coached me
a lot on arranging songs - and on that track you'll
actually hear the arrangement skills he taught me."
With
The Return of the Regulator, it is apparent
that both WARREN G and his particular brand "G-funk"
are here to stay.
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