G-funk
The genre is heavily influenced by the synthesizer-heavy 1970s funk sound of Parliament-Funkadelic (aka P-Funk), often incorporated through samples or re-recordings.
[4] It is represented by commercially successful albums such as Dr. Dre's The Chronic (1992), Snoop Dogg's Doggystyle (1993), and 2Pac's All Eyez on Me (1996).
G-funk, which uses funk with an artificially altered tempo, incorporates multi-layered and melodic synthesizers, slow hypnotic grooves, a deep bass, heavy use of the snare drum, background female vocals, the extensive sampling of P-Funk tunes, and a high-pitched portamento saw wave synthesizer lead.
There was also a slurred "lazy" or "smooth" way of rapping in order to clarify words and stay in rhythmic cadence.
In essence, the smooth, slow-tempo sound of G-funk accompanied the perceived "laid-back" stereotype of Californian culture whereas East Coast hip-hop typically featured more aggressive attitudes alongside a fast-paced tempo (e.g. hardcore hip hop).
[9] Music theorist Adam Krims has described G-funk as "a style of generally West Coast rap whose musical tracks tend to deploy live instrumentation, heavy on bass and keyboards, with minimal (sometimes no) sampling and often highly conventional harmonic progressions and harmonies".
[10] Dr. Dre, a pioneer of the G-funk genre, normally uses live musicians to replay the original music of sampled records.
[11] Although it is a predominantly West Coast sound, one of the earliest examples of hip-hop making strong use of synths over funky samples is "The R", released in mid-1988 by New York duo Eric B.
such as "Dope Man" (1987) and "Gangsta Gangsta" (1988), both of which sampled the squealing synth solo from Ohio Players' "Funky Worm" that would later go on to be sampled many times by other artists, including Michigan duo MC Breed & DFC on their mid-1991 hit "Ain't No Future in Yo' Frontin'".
The album was a massive success, having three top 40 singles: "Nuthin' but a 'G' Thang", the Eazy-E diss "Dre Day", and "Let Me Ride.
[23] The album was eventually certified Triple Platinum by the RIAA in 1993 for selling three-million copies;[24] it has also been selected by the Library of Congress for preservation in the National Recording Registry for being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".
[28] "It Was a Good Day" is commonly placed high on best of lists for the genre, being considered "one of the best G-Funk tracks ever made".
[36] The genre's popularity grew even bigger in 1994, especially because of Warren G's song "Regulate", which was featured on the Above The Rim soundtrack.
[38] Popular rapper MC Hammer went for a more gangsta image and G-funk sound on his album The Funky Headhunter,[39][40] which contained the No.
[37] Although the majority of G-funk music has come out of California, the overall sound has been utilized by additional US rappers and hip-hop groups that were based in other states across the U.S. during the time of the style's popularity in the 1990s.
[56] Some of the most notable of these artists include Outkast (Georgia),[57] G-Slimm (Louisiana),[58][59] Bone Thugs-n-Harmony (Ohio),[60][61][62] Tela (Tennessee),[63] Top Authority (Michigan),[64][65] E.S.G.
[71][72] Dr. Dre's 1999 album 2001, produced by Mel-Man, was noted as "reinvent[ing] his sound, moving away from G-funk to something more gothic and string-heavy.
Midwestern rapper Tech N9ne made use of the G-funk style on his early releases, most notably his second studio album, The Worst (2000).
[76] Most recently, starting in the 2010s, many contemporary West Coast rappers have released albums which contain strong G-funk influences, including Kendrick Lamar with Good Kid, M.A.A.D City as well as To Pimp a Butterfly, YG with Still Brazy, Schoolboy Q with Blank Face LP, Nipsey Hussle with Victory Lap, Buddy with Harlan & Alondra and Tech N9ne with The Gates Mixed Plate.
