Regulate (song)

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"Regulate"
File:Warren G - Regulate.jpg
Single by Warren G featuring Nate Dogg
from the album Regulate...G Funk Era & Above the Rim soundtrack
Released April 28, 1994
Format
Recorded 1993
Genre
Length 4:11
Label
Writer(s)
  • Nate Dogg
  • Warren G
Producer(s) Warren G
Certification Platinum (RIAA)
Warren G chronology
"Regulate"
(1994)		 "This D.J."
(1994)
Nate Dogg chronology
"Indo Smoke" by Mista Grimm
(1993)		 "Regulate"
(1994)		 "One More Day"
(1994)

"Regulate" is a song performed by Warren G and Nate Dogg. Released in the summer of 1994, the track appears on the soundtrack to the film Above the Rim and later Warren G.'s album Regulate...G Funk Era. The song reached #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart[1] and #8 on the R&B/Hip-Hop chart.[2] It is considered the breakout single for both artists.[citation needed]

The track makes heavy use of a four-bar sample of the rhythm of Michael McDonald's song "I Keep Forgettin' (Every Time You're Near)".[3] It also samples "Sign of the Times" by Bob James and "Let Me Ride" by Dr. Dre. One mix of the song is referred to as "I Keep Forgettin' to Regulate".

The music video featured scenes from Above the Rim, including an appearance by Tupac Shakur.

It was number 98 on VH1's 100 Greatest Songs of Hip Hop[4] and number 108 on Pitchfork Media's Top 200 Tracks of the 90s.[5]

Synopsis

Warren G is driving alone through Eastside, Long Beach, California at night, looking for women. He finds a group of men playing dice and tries to join them, but they pull out their guns and rob him instead. Thinking he's about to die, Warren G sings out, "if I had wings I would fly"; one critic describes this moment as "the hook" of the song.[6][7]

Meanwhile, Nate Dogg is looking for Warren G. He passes a car full of women, who are so fixated on him that they crash their car. He finds Warren G and shoots at the robbers, dispersing them. The two friends then return to the women and ride away with them.[7]

In the third verse, Warren and Nate explain their G-funk musical style; the song "constructs itself as inaugurating a new era".[8]

Track listing

Regulate was released as a maxi single by Interscope, catalog number 6544-95917-0 (12-inch vinyl)[9] and 6544-95917-2 (CD),[10] along with three other tracks.

  1. "Regulate" - Warren G (feat. Nate Dogg)
  2. "Pain" - 2Pac (feat. Stretch)
  3. "Mi Monie Rite" - Lord G
  4. "Loyal to the Game" - 2Pac (feat. Treach, Riddler)

Impact and analysis

"Regulate" became Def Jam's biggest single.[11]

During much of the summer of 1994, the video stayed number one on the MTV charts.[12] In the video as played on MTV, the lyrics are censored with the word "cold" being blanked from the line "Nate Dogg is about to make some bodies turn cold"; an action that Spin equated with racism because more explicit songs by white artists like Johnny Cash were not being censored.[13] The video contained "everyday footage" from the film Above the Rim, as well as new footage,[12] although guest vocalist Nate Dogg did not appear due to conflict between Suge Knight and Def Jam.[14]

The lyrics have been described as "a surreal pastiche of half-sung lyrics about fighting and fucking".[15] Craig Marks recommended "Regulate" for its "lite rock synth lines and rippling bass" but thought that Warren G's rapping abilities were "average".[13]

Awards and nominations

1995 MTV Movie Awards

  • Best Movie Song — "Regulate" by Warren G. and Nate Dogg (nominated)

1995 Grammy Awards

  • Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group - "Regulate" by Warren G. and Nate Dogg (nominated)

Charts and certifications

Remixes and covers

References

  1. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  2. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  3. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  4. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  5. ↑ Pitchfork Top 200 Tracks of the 90s
  6. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  8. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  9. ↑ http://www.discogs.com/Warren-G-Nate-Dogg-Regulate/release/1099058
  10. ↑ http://www.discogs.com/Warren-G-Nate-Dogg-Regulate/release/1637727
  11. ↑ Life and Def: sex, drugs, money, and God by Russell Simmons, Nelson George
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 Experiencing music video: aesthetics and cultural context by Carol Vernallis
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 "Platter du jour" SPIN Sep 1994
  14. ↑ The Big Payback: The History of the Business of Hip-Hop by Dan Charnas
  15. ↑ [1] SPIN Dec 1994
  16. ↑ "Australian-charts.com – Warren G & Nate Dogg – Regulate". ARIA Top 50 Singles.
  17. ↑ "Austriancharts.at – Warren G & Nate Dogg – Regulate" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40.
  18. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Warren G & Nate Dogg – Regulate" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50.
  19. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  20. ↑ "Lescharts.com – Warren G & Nate Dogg – Regulate" (in French). Les classement single.
  21. ↑ "Musicline.de – Warren G & Nate Dogg Single-Chartverfolgung" (in German). Media Control Charts. PhonoNet GmbH.
  22. ↑ "Nederlandse Top 40 – Warren G & Nate Dogg search results" (in Dutch) Dutch Top 40.
  23. ↑ "Charts.org.nz – Warren G & Nate Dogg – Regulate". Top 40 Singles.
  24. ↑ "Norwegiancharts.com – Warren G & Nate Dogg – Regulate". VG-lista.
  25. ↑ "Swedishcharts.com – Warren G & Nate Dogg – Regulate". Singles Top 60.
  26. ↑ "Swisscharts.com – Warren G & Nate Dogg – Regulate". Swiss Singles Chart.
  27. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  28. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  29. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  30. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. Enter Regulate in the field Keywords. Select Title in the field Search by. Select single in the field By Format. Select Gold in the field By Award. Click Search
  31. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Single, then click SEARCH
  32. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  33. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.

External links

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