The 4-1-1 on 213
Zach Beal
Issue date: 9/10/04 Section: Arts and Entertainment
- Page 1 of 2 next >
The other day I was sitting in my Journeys class and thinking about how bad rap is these days. All I ever hear on channel 36 are songs that make up lame onomatopoeias and are too aggressive. What am I, a more laid back type of G, to do? What happened to the rap like Ice Cube's "Today Was A Good Day," and Westside Connection? The kind of rap that you could just sit back and nod your head to. Is nobody else tired of rappers with the prefix "Lil?"
I quickly realized the question I was asking is what in the hell has happened to West Coast rap. And I quickly answered my question; it's been invisible; non-existent. It was time for some of that laid back gangsta' rap that I hadn't heard since sixth grade. If only some of the key players could get back together and drop a new album that would not only be nostalgic, but also good for when I hit up da' club or those late nights in the Burrow. Well, I had to change my bed sheets after I heard that 213, the rap trio featuring Nate Dogg, Warren G, and Snoop Dogg had released a new CD called "The Hard Way." I was wild with anticipation and excitement.
Although the CD isn't quite what you'd expect from these three, it's still a pretty solid album with songs on various subject matter that range from Snoop's hardships with an ex-girlfriend called'"My Dirty Ho," to how much girls love playing video games because of their intense love for joysticks in "Joysticc," (at least I think that's what the song is about).
Snoop is obviously the superstar of the group. He's probably the only reason this CD even got made, which is sometimes a let down. I have so much love for Snoop, but I've really missed and wanted to hear more of The Regulator Warren G.
A lot of the songs are only a little over mediocre. The "laid-back" vibe is mastered, but tracks "Keep It Gangsta,"""Groupie Luv," "213 Tha Gangsta Clicc,"(213's spell check must have a really bad virus) "Ups & Downs," "MLK," and "Appreciation" all seem pretty lazy. Snoop Dogg and his team are tremendous talents, but Snoop just throws some of his table scraps out (like everything he did with No Limit), and even though his table scraps are often better than some artist's best, it's still not great Snoop.
I quickly realized the question I was asking is what in the hell has happened to West Coast rap. And I quickly answered my question; it's been invisible; non-existent. It was time for some of that laid back gangsta' rap that I hadn't heard since sixth grade. If only some of the key players could get back together and drop a new album that would not only be nostalgic, but also good for when I hit up da' club or those late nights in the Burrow. Well, I had to change my bed sheets after I heard that 213, the rap trio featuring Nate Dogg, Warren G, and Snoop Dogg had released a new CD called "The Hard Way." I was wild with anticipation and excitement.
Although the CD isn't quite what you'd expect from these three, it's still a pretty solid album with songs on various subject matter that range from Snoop's hardships with an ex-girlfriend called'"My Dirty Ho," to how much girls love playing video games because of their intense love for joysticks in "Joysticc," (at least I think that's what the song is about).
Snoop is obviously the superstar of the group. He's probably the only reason this CD even got made, which is sometimes a let down. I have so much love for Snoop, but I've really missed and wanted to hear more of The Regulator Warren G.
A lot of the songs are only a little over mediocre. The "laid-back" vibe is mastered, but tracks "Keep It Gangsta,"""Groupie Luv," "213 Tha Gangsta Clicc,"(213's spell check must have a really bad virus) "Ups & Downs," "MLK," and "Appreciation" all seem pretty lazy. Snoop Dogg and his team are tremendous talents, but Snoop just throws some of his table scraps out (like everything he did with No Limit), and even though his table scraps are often better than some artist's best, it's still not great Snoop.