Warren G

Warren Griffin III (born November 10, 1970) is an American rapper, record producer and DJ. He is known for his role in popularizing West Coast hip hop during the 1990s, and is credited as a pioneer of its subgenre G-funk. Griffin attained mainstream success with his 1994 single "Regulate" (featuring Nate Dogg), which peaked at number 2 on the Billboard Hot 100. His debut album, Regulate... G Funk Era (1994), debuted at number 2 on the U.S. Billboard 200, selling 176,000 in its first week. It has since received triple Platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), signifying sales of three million copies. "Regulate" spent 18 weeks within the Top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100, with three weeks at number 2, while its follow-up, "This D.J.", peaked at number 9. At the 37th Annual Grammy Awards, both songs received nominations for Best Rap Performance and Best Rap Solo Performance. Three songs from his second album, Take a Look Over Your Shoulder (1997), peaked within the Top 40, as did his 1998 duet with Nate Dogg, "Nobody Does It Better". Both the album and its follow-up, I Want It All (1999), received Gold certifications by the RIAA. His fourth album, The Return of the Regulator (2001), was less of a success. Along with longtime collaborators Snoop Dogg and Nate Dogg, he formed the hip-hop trio 213, named for Long Beach, California's area code; they released the album The Hard Way (2004) to mild success. His next two albums, 2005's In the Mid-Nite Hour and then 2009's The G Files, were released independently and self-produced. He is credited with discovering Snoop Dogg, having introduced the rapper to record producer Dr. Dre. In 2015, he released Regulate... G Funk Era, Part II, an extended play featuring archived recordings of Nate Dogg, who died in 2011.