The hip-hop world lost one of its greatest contributors when Nate Dogg passed away on March 15, 2011. Originally partnered with Snoop Dogg and Warren G, he went on to collaborate with a number of artists and helped shape the music landscape with his deep vocal stylings. So it is only fitting that I break down one of his greatest hits performed along with Warren G, the seminal song, Regulate.
Let me start off by saying that this is one of my all-time favorite songs. I owned both the "Above the Rim" soundtrack and "Regulate ... G Funk Era" because of that song. That being said, why would Warren G and Nate Dogg want to rap about what happens in Regulate?
First of all the song opens with a sound bite taken from "The Untouchables" television show explaining what a regulator is: someone who takes care of his property and is handy with a gun. And the song does in fact reinforce this idea, but meanders around this point rather than focusing in on it.
Warren G is just chilling by himself, looking for some girls. But Mr. Nate Dogg is determined to find Warren G. The priorities here seem muddled, but get even more so when Warren G is quickly distracted and decides to join in on a corner craps game which already sounds like a bad idea. Surprise, surprise, instead of letting him in on the game, the brothas decided to rob him at gun point, to which Warren G points out the obvious: "I'm stuck." They start shaking him down and taking all his bling, including his Rolex. (Now why would you pull up to a street game with a Rolex unless you wanted to get jacked?)
Meanwhile, Nate Dogg, so dogged in his quest to locate his fellow rapper Warren G, has to fight the urge to pick up on some girls that pass him by. He does so successfully, turning his attention back to Warren G just in time to see him getting held up. With his sidearm, Nate Dogg subdues, or "regulates," Warren G's robbers. Then, quite generously he mentions that both he and Warren G "had to regulate."
Obviously Nate Dogg is devoted to his friend, for how else could you explain his focus in not chasing after the girls, not getting sucked into other local betting games, locating and rescuing his friend, and giving him credit for helping to regulate the busters? If anybody did any regulating that night, it was clearly Nate Dogg and Nate Dogg alone. Warren G spends most of his time rapping about how pathetic his situation is and how quickly everything devolves. Furthermore even after the fact, he continues to dwell on it, bringing it up later in the song ("Before I got jacked I was on the same track"). He doesn't know when to leave well enough alone.
The second act so to speak sees Warren G and Nate Dogg turning there attentions back towards the honeys. From this point on, the song really has nothing to do about regulating. And if you pay close attention, it's really Nate Dogg who picks up the chicks and not Warren G. Warren G acknowledges that "Nate got the freaks," and it's Nate Dogg who says "I got a car full of girls and it's going real swell," not "we got a car." It sounds like Warren G is just along for the ride at this point.
The third and final act of the song has Warren G and Nate Dogg waxing philosophical. Warren G breaks down the meaning of G Funk and from whence it derives. The "rhythm is the base and the base is the treble" is some deep, impenetrable stuff. Not to be outdone, Nate Dogg starts going off on some esoteric shit about G Funk (If you know like I know/You don't want to step to this/It's the G Funk era/Funked out with a gangsta twist"), then quickly shifts back towards reality ("If you smoke like I smoke/Then you high like everyday"). The song concludes that "if your ass is a buster/213 will regulate." However if this song is any indication, only one of two people will regulate a buster, and sadly that man has departed. Rest in peace, Nate Dogg, it seems the streets of the LBC will be a little more crowded with busters from now on.
And so I ask why, Regulate? Whhhy!
Showing posts with label whhhy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label whhhy. Show all posts
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Whhhy? - Far East Movement
Now I know this article is going to make me seem really old, but that's one of the risks I take as a blogger.
Far East Movement currently has a Top Ten Hit with their new single Rocketeer, which follows on the heels of their previous hit, Like a G6. And while the song is catchy, it makes my brain want to climb out through my ass. Far East Movement does a good job of producing music, but they're shit when it comes to lyrics. Now the lyrics make sense ... sort of. But first we should maybe take a quick look at Like a G6.
Now I like that song. It's got a very catchy tune that reminds me of Debbie Deb's Lookout Weekend (First instance of dating myself). And here's hook:
Poppin' bottles in the ice, like a blizzard
When we drink we do it right gettin' slizzard
Sippin' sizzurp in my ride, in my ride like three six
Now I'm feelin' so fly like a G6
I have to admit I had to use Urban Dictionary to decipher some of those lines (Second instance of dating myself). Apparently a couple of the terms are from the dirty South which is only slowly making it's way westward (or at least that's what my age would have me believe). However the gist of it should be clear to anyone who's been young once. Essentially she is saying that when they drink they get so plastered they're feeling good. But there's a lot of negative notions being condoned here. Drinking isn't necessarily bad, and getting drunk isn't necessarily bad. However sizzurp is a drink that blends cough syrup, specifically the type with codeine, with a Jolly Rancher, and any fruit-flavored soda, so it's not exactly Kosher. Furthermore, drinking it while driving (because presumably she is driving her ride, or car for even older folks out there) is highly illegal. Although it's a well packaged song, I wish the lyrics were a little more socially responsible.
So what about Rocketeer? Well here the lyrics are just lame:
Where we at, only few have known
Go on the next level, Super Mario
I hope this works out, Cardio
'Til then let's fly, Geronimo
Say what? I guess you shouldn't expect a whole lot from a love song that references "Back to the Future" (which is a great movie by the way, just not in a romantic song) in the first verse. So word association here, I get it. "Go on the next level" like in the videogame "Super Mario Bros." Again, perhaps not the most romantic thing to say when you're trying to pick up a girl. But at least it's not the origin of Pac-Man as Puck-Man. "Cardio," because you're working out. Oh, that's right, you "hope" it "works out," so not exactly the same connotation because of the context. Then "Geronimo," because you're going to fly. If I remember correctly, you only invoke "Geronimo" when you're jumping out of a plane, so not exactly flying, more like falling.
In any case, how could I—or any slightly intelligent girl—take this song plea seriously? Well, I guess there are a lot of stupid people out there. So I ask why, Far East Movement? Whhhy?!
Far East Movement currently has a Top Ten Hit with their new single Rocketeer, which follows on the heels of their previous hit, Like a G6. And while the song is catchy, it makes my brain want to climb out through my ass. Far East Movement does a good job of producing music, but they're shit when it comes to lyrics. Now the lyrics make sense ... sort of. But first we should maybe take a quick look at Like a G6.
Now I like that song. It's got a very catchy tune that reminds me of Debbie Deb's Lookout Weekend (First instance of dating myself). And here's hook:
Poppin' bottles in the ice, like a blizzard
When we drink we do it right gettin' slizzard
Sippin' sizzurp in my ride, in my ride like three six
Now I'm feelin' so fly like a G6
I have to admit I had to use Urban Dictionary to decipher some of those lines (Second instance of dating myself). Apparently a couple of the terms are from the dirty South which is only slowly making it's way westward (or at least that's what my age would have me believe). However the gist of it should be clear to anyone who's been young once. Essentially she is saying that when they drink they get so plastered they're feeling good. But there's a lot of negative notions being condoned here. Drinking isn't necessarily bad, and getting drunk isn't necessarily bad. However sizzurp is a drink that blends cough syrup, specifically the type with codeine, with a Jolly Rancher, and any fruit-flavored soda, so it's not exactly Kosher. Furthermore, drinking it while driving (because presumably she is driving her ride, or car for even older folks out there) is highly illegal. Although it's a well packaged song, I wish the lyrics were a little more socially responsible.
So what about Rocketeer? Well here the lyrics are just lame:
Where we at, only few have known
Go on the next level, Super Mario
I hope this works out, Cardio
'Til then let's fly, Geronimo
Say what? I guess you shouldn't expect a whole lot from a love song that references "Back to the Future" (which is a great movie by the way, just not in a romantic song) in the first verse. So word association here, I get it. "Go on the next level" like in the videogame "Super Mario Bros." Again, perhaps not the most romantic thing to say when you're trying to pick up a girl. But at least it's not the origin of Pac-Man as Puck-Man. "Cardio," because you're working out. Oh, that's right, you "hope" it "works out," so not exactly the same connotation because of the context. Then "Geronimo," because you're going to fly. If I remember correctly, you only invoke "Geronimo" when you're jumping out of a plane, so not exactly flying, more like falling.
In any case, how could I—or any slightly intelligent girl—take this song plea seriously? Well, I guess there are a lot of stupid people out there. So I ask why, Far East Movement? Whhhy?!
Friday, April 16, 2010
Whhhy? - James Bond Jr.
Cartoons don't have to make sense. That's one the advantages to the medium. But it bothers me when the creators simply insult the intelligence of their audience. Thinking about James Bond Jr. hurts my brain. I know it's been discussed to no end, but I thought I'd give it a try. I'm not even going to bother with the content of the show, and will stick solely to the opening theme. Here are the lyrics:
Bond! James Bond Junior
No one can stop him, but SCUM always trys
Young Bond cuts through each web of spies!
He learned the game from his uncle James
Now he's heir to the name... James Bond!
James Bond Jr.!
Look out he's coming through
He's got a job to do
While he rescues the girl
James Bond Junior chases SCUM...
...Around the world!
Of course the elephant in the room is why James Bond Jr. is named James Bond Jr. when he's James Bond's nephew. (From hereafter I'll refer to Uncle Bond as "007" and Jr. as "Junior" to make things clearer.) This pissed off anyone who's seen the show, including children and babies. Yes, babies. The most commonly held theory on why he's "heir to the name" is that his father, 007's brother, is also named James Bond. This would be stupid of course, unless their father was an ass much like how George Foreman named all his children "George" or variations thereof. But I'd like to propose a few alternate theories. Maybe it's not 007's brother, but sister who married another James Bond. The name can't be that uncommon, especially when out of all spies, James Bond is probably the most famous. My other theory is that when the song says that 007 is Junior's Uncle that means that Junior is not necessarily 007's nephew, but his "nephew." 007 hooks up with a lot of chicks. It's not entirely unfathomable that he could have hooked up with his brother's wife.
The second thing that bothers me about the song is that Junior "learned the game from his Uncle James." If the song is referring to the spy game, then what the hell is 007 doing? He's compromising Britain and the world's security by revealing secrets and practices to a snot-nose kid. But if it's the game of love, then what is "Uncle" 007 doing and what makes Junior qualified to save the world?
Then there's S.C.U.M. (Saboteurs and Criminals United in Mayhem). Good job coming up with an acronym that both describes what you do and why nobody should trust your organization. I know toy execs are in love with acronyms, but don't treat kids like idiots. It's not like actual bad companies like Enron have stupid acronym names like E.V.I.L. (Evil Vicious Incontinent Lawyers). Even kids start to wonder why the bad guys picked such a poor name.
If all this could be gleaned from the opening theme alone, then just consider the number of issues there were in the TV show. I'm not even going to bother covering how everyone in the show is a descendant from someone in the movies, excepting the baddies, most of whom are the actually baddies from the movies even though most of them are dead. I won't even cover how super spy 007 has trouble dispatching each of these guys, yet Junior is able to outwit the lot of them. So I ask why, James Bond Jr.? Whhhy?!
Friday, April 2, 2010
Whhhy? - Kim Kardashian
Pre-2007, nobody knew who Kim Kardashian was. She might have shown up in the pages of People or US Weekly attending the occasional party in much the same way Paris Hilton did, but she was hardly a household name. Then all of a sudden she blew up, getting guest appearances and cameos in movies and TV shows, even doing nation-wide ad campaigns. The spark of all this was a sex taped leaked in 2007. But ask anybody who she was with and most people will turn a blank stare. And it's baffling since, at the time, her boyfriend had every right to be more famous than her. After all, her biggest claim to fame at that point was that she was the daughter of O.J. Simpson's defense lawyer, Robert Kardashian. But her boyfriend was brother to a TV star and multi-platinum recording artist as well as an actor/singer in his own right with several US Top 50 hits. That's right, Kim Kardashian was dating Brandy's little brother, Ray J.
Yet after the release of their home sex tape, Kim Kardashian's celebrity status shot up almost overnight, while Ray J's career has steadily declined. Sure, Kim Kardashian is an attractive women with ass for days. But Ray J is no slouch—he's a good looking dude, and multi-talented to boot. Here's a picture of him on one of his recent albums:
Furthermore, it's Ray J doing all the work in the sex video; by comparison Kim Kardashian makes Paris Hilton look like a workhorse in her sex tape.
And today, Kim Kardashian continues to reap the benefits of her sex tape infamy, despite the fact that she hasn't clearly demonstrated any sort of talent outside of constant twittering and looking dolled up whenever the paparazzi need a break from taking photos of Lindsey falling down. Right now she's in an ad for Carl's Jr. But where's Ray J's ad? What has he gotten out of this? Except for a couple of mediocre VH1 television shows, not much.
So, perhaps instead of simply asking why, Kim Kardashian, perhaps we should ask why not Ray J? Whhhy nooot?!
Yet after the release of their home sex tape, Kim Kardashian's celebrity status shot up almost overnight, while Ray J's career has steadily declined. Sure, Kim Kardashian is an attractive women with ass for days. But Ray J is no slouch—he's a good looking dude, and multi-talented to boot. Here's a picture of him on one of his recent albums:
Furthermore, it's Ray J doing all the work in the sex video; by comparison Kim Kardashian makes Paris Hilton look like a workhorse in her sex tape.
And today, Kim Kardashian continues to reap the benefits of her sex tape infamy, despite the fact that she hasn't clearly demonstrated any sort of talent outside of constant twittering and looking dolled up whenever the paparazzi need a break from taking photos of Lindsey falling down. Right now she's in an ad for Carl's Jr. But where's Ray J's ad? What has he gotten out of this? Except for a couple of mediocre VH1 television shows, not much.
So, perhaps instead of simply asking why, Kim Kardashian, perhaps we should ask why not Ray J? Whhhy nooot?!
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Whhhy? - Meet Virginia
In 1999, Meet Virginia provided American rock band Train with a bonafide hit, peaking at #15 on the Billboard Hot 100. By all accounts, it's a good song. It has a catchy tune, a memorable hook. But... As inspired as some of the lyrics are ("You see her confidence is tragic/But her intuition magic"), the rest is lazily and haphazardly written.
At one point in the first verse, lead singer Patrick Monahan wistfully intones the line, "[She] smokes a pack a day/Wait, that's me, but anyway." If it were an off the cuff remark, then it could be considered a funny aside. But they wrote that line, crafted it into their song. That would imply they put some thought into it. But it's a line about thoughtlessness, and it's a throw away line. It's the type of line you write when you want to be cute and need something to match the rhyme and meter.
In the second verse, unable to find a suitable rhyme for "president" (resident?), they simply use "president" again. And it only gets worse from there.
The first chorus roughly follows an A-A-A-A rhyme scheme. However two of these words are "queen." To make matters worse, the first and last lines of the first chorus are more or less the same, simply restructured. Furthermore the actual content of each line contradicts the other: "Well she wants to be the Queen," and "'I don't really want to be the Queen.'" It just seems like lazy songwriting. But that's not all. It gets even more worse.
Again, the second chorus follows the rhyme scheme of A-A-A-A, but this time three of the rhyming words are the same. And again, the lines are more or less the same in terms of structure, while simultaneously contradictory: "Well she wants to live her life," "Then she thinks about her life," "I don't really want to live this life." Incredibly enough the last chorus combines both choruses into a work of astonishing laziness. If that's all it takes to write a hit song, then here's a version of the chorus I came up with while washing dishes: Well she wants to eat her peas/Then she mashes up her peas/Throws her head back as she pees/But she really doesn't like her peas.
Although it's a catchy song, with some occasionally inspired lyrics, Meet Virginia is also one of the laziest songs I've ever heard. So I ask, why, Train? Whhhy?!
At one point in the first verse, lead singer Patrick Monahan wistfully intones the line, "[She] smokes a pack a day/Wait, that's me, but anyway." If it were an off the cuff remark, then it could be considered a funny aside. But they wrote that line, crafted it into their song. That would imply they put some thought into it. But it's a line about thoughtlessness, and it's a throw away line. It's the type of line you write when you want to be cute and need something to match the rhyme and meter.
In the second verse, unable to find a suitable rhyme for "president" (resident?), they simply use "president" again. And it only gets worse from there.
The first chorus roughly follows an A-A-A-A rhyme scheme. However two of these words are "queen." To make matters worse, the first and last lines of the first chorus are more or less the same, simply restructured. Furthermore the actual content of each line contradicts the other: "Well she wants to be the Queen," and "'I don't really want to be the Queen.'" It just seems like lazy songwriting. But that's not all. It gets even more worse.
Again, the second chorus follows the rhyme scheme of A-A-A-A, but this time three of the rhyming words are the same. And again, the lines are more or less the same in terms of structure, while simultaneously contradictory: "Well she wants to live her life," "Then she thinks about her life," "I don't really want to live this life." Incredibly enough the last chorus combines both choruses into a work of astonishing laziness. If that's all it takes to write a hit song, then here's a version of the chorus I came up with while washing dishes: Well she wants to eat her peas/Then she mashes up her peas/Throws her head back as she pees/But she really doesn't like her peas.
Although it's a catchy song, with some occasionally inspired lyrics, Meet Virginia is also one of the laziest songs I've ever heard. So I ask, why, Train? Whhhy?!
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Whhhy? - Transformers Action Masters
The Transformers toyline was one of the best things to come out of the '80s. Transformers were like action figures and Hot Wheels rolled into one. The ability to convert from one form to another gave them far deeper playability, and made them fairly unique in the toy world. So how did Hasbro carry the franchise into the next decade? They made it so they couldn't transform.
Wha---?
That's right, the Action Masters line of Transformers introduced in 1990 saw many of the familiar Autobots and Decepticons molded into 3 3/4" figures incapable of transforming. Hell, they could barely move. Imagine an even chunkier G.I. Joe with robot features minus 7 out of the 14 moving joints. But how does that still make them Transformers you say? Because even though they had lost the ability to transform (according to the commercial, "exchanged" for increased ability), they could still make little shit that transformed.
For example, Grimlock came with a tank tread Segway that transformed into ... a gun. And Jazz came with a skateboard that transformed into ... a gun. And Devastator (who was also only 3 3/4" tall) came with a scorpion that transformed into ... a gun. Wait a minute, this reminds me of another Transformers toyline: Targetmasters, where robot sidekicks transformed into guns. But wait, even in the Targetmasters line the main figure could transform from a robot to a vehicle and back. I could keep on going down the line: Snarl and his little dinosaur buddy (so even though he can't transform into a dinosaur anymore, they can make an even smaller dinosaur that can still transform ... into a gun?), Blaster and his glider pack, Shockwave and his pet thing, Soundwave and his bird thing (not Buzzsaw or Laserbeak), Sideswipe and his tank tread thing, Tracks and his tank tread thing, Bombshell and his backpack thing, Bumblebee and his backpack thing ... the list goes on. And I'll bet you can't guess what their shit turns into. Okay, I lied, I know that you know exactly what they'll transform into.
On top of that, they somehow made vehicles that transformed into more powerful vehicles that they could ride in. Because, you know, you just can't roll in your super tank 24/7 cuz that shit's just too strong for the rest of the world yo, so you just drop the level and roll in the normal tank like you need to tone that shit down, know what I'm sayin'? Because why would Starscream want to be able to transform into an F-15 Eagle when he could be stuck as a robot piloting his own jet? Transform into a jet ... fit into a jet. Tough decision.
So in what couldn't have been a smarter idea in a toyline whose very name indicates their unique functionality, I ask, why Transformers Action Masters? Whhhy?!
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Whhhy? - Tamagoras
Continuing the trend of questionable transforming toys my parents got me and my brother were these strange toys which I recently learned were called Tamagoras, made by Bandai. Mattel eventually brought them over to the US as Meteorbs, and included them as He-Man and She-Ra's buddies along with the rest of the Masters of the Universe characters.
I had Wani (Crocobite in the US), and my brother had Gorira (Gore-illa in the US). Wani was a red crocodile that turned into ... a red egg. He shouldn't be confused with my brother's Gorira which turned into ... a grey egg. Yes, Tamagoras were animals that transformed into eggs. At least that's better than a rock, right? In the American Meteorbs line, they appeared as characters in the Masters of the Universe comic books, more or less as pets.
Here is a picture of Gorira as a gorilla:
And now as an egg:
What's worse was that Gorira was a pain in the ass to fit into his egg. At least Wani folded up pretty neatly. And even more amazingly, Tamagoras is making somewhat of a comeback in Japan, as new Tamagoras were released in November of 2008.
So I ask, why, Tamagoras? Whhhy?!
I had Wani (Crocobite in the US), and my brother had Gorira (Gore-illa in the US). Wani was a red crocodile that turned into ... a red egg. He shouldn't be confused with my brother's Gorira which turned into ... a grey egg. Yes, Tamagoras were animals that transformed into eggs. At least that's better than a rock, right? In the American Meteorbs line, they appeared as characters in the Masters of the Universe comic books, more or less as pets.
Here is a picture of Gorira as a gorilla:
And now as an egg:
What's worse was that Gorira was a pain in the ass to fit into his egg. At least Wani folded up pretty neatly. And even more amazingly, Tamagoras is making somewhat of a comeback in Japan, as new Tamagoras were released in November of 2008.
So I ask, why, Tamagoras? Whhhy?!
Saturday, January 30, 2010
Whhhy? - Rock Lords
My dad used to go to Japan a lot so he brought back a lot of transforming robots. Most of these were Transformers, but occasionally I'd get GoBots, and on two occasions, Rock Lords. Try to imagine a robot...
that transforms into...
a rock--that's Rock Lords.
Rock Lords were a spin-off from Tonka's GoBots toyline. They were not successful but were still produced for three seasons in the mid 1980s before finally bowing out. I should also mention that the catchiest tagline Tonka could come up with was "Powerful living rocks!"
Gee, I wonder why they weren't popular? Could it be because they transformed into friggin' rocks?! Rock Lords also came with weapons, like guns and axes (which were only usable in their robot forms). For years I found loose Transformers guns that looked like crap. Now I realize they looked like crap because they were actually from Rock Lords.
The two Rock Lords pictured were from my own collection. Boulder (grey one) was the leader of the good Rock Lords and was made of Tungsten. Sunstone (amber one) was from the Jewel Lords line, and he was made of amber. But none of this matters because these toys were dumb. Even Transformers Action Masters, the Transformers line where the Transformers didn't transform but their weapons and vehicles did was better than this. Even "Big"'s transforming building was better than Rock Lords. And it's head wouldn't even stay up!
So I ask, why, Rock Lords? Whhhy?!
that transforms into...
a rock--that's Rock Lords.
Rock Lords were a spin-off from Tonka's GoBots toyline. They were not successful but were still produced for three seasons in the mid 1980s before finally bowing out. I should also mention that the catchiest tagline Tonka could come up with was "Powerful living rocks!"
Gee, I wonder why they weren't popular? Could it be because they transformed into friggin' rocks?! Rock Lords also came with weapons, like guns and axes (which were only usable in their robot forms). For years I found loose Transformers guns that looked like crap. Now I realize they looked like crap because they were actually from Rock Lords.
The two Rock Lords pictured were from my own collection. Boulder (grey one) was the leader of the good Rock Lords and was made of Tungsten. Sunstone (amber one) was from the Jewel Lords line, and he was made of amber. But none of this matters because these toys were dumb. Even Transformers Action Masters, the Transformers line where the Transformers didn't transform but their weapons and vehicles did was better than this. Even "Big"'s transforming building was better than Rock Lords. And it's head wouldn't even stay up!
So I ask, why, Rock Lords? Whhhy?!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
