Tag Archives: 90s

[Throwback Thursday] Warren G feat. Nate Dogg | “Regulate”

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It’s been just over a year since Nate Dogg passed away, and I thought it appropriate to honor him with what is probably his best, and most well-known, track. Warren G’s “Regulate” introduced the world to Nate Dogg’s laid-back, soulful voice, which masked the fact that Nate has no problems with gunning a mofo down.

After “Regulate,” Nate went on to be featured in a slew of other hits, such as Mark Ronson’s “Ooh Wee” and, of course, Dr. Dre and Snoop’s “The Next Episode,” where Nate drops words to live by: “Smoke weed everyday.”

TGIF w/ 2Pac & Dr. Dre | “California Love”

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Happy Friday, everyone! If your week was as hectic as mine, you’re ready for the weekend, and what better way to kick it off than the 2Pac/Dre classic, “California Love”?

A constant club and party jam since its original release in 1995, this funktastic bumper is the unofficial anthem for Cali, and has one of the most epic music videos in recent memory. It’s got a Mad Max theme, Dr. Dre with an eye-patch, 90s Chris Tucker (back when we liked Chris Tucker), and the elf from Bad Santa. Oh, and did I mention it has lots of fire and the Thunderdome? Yeah, awesome.

[Throwback Thursday] Naughty By Nature | “O.P.P.”

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Sorry for the lack of Throwbacks lately, but, to make up for it, I’m giving you what might be the ultimate throwback jam: Naughty By Nature’s “O.P.P.”

A song about adultery hits number 1 on the Billboard Hip Hop Charts, who would have thought? I want to say a big part of its success was their use of the Jackson 5′s “ABC” as a sample. That, doubled with Treach’s hilarious verses, and the party-banging chorus.

Half the fun was trying to figure out what “O.P.P.” stood for. Granted, Treach wasn’t subtle, especially with rhymes like “It’s sorta like another way to call a cat a kitten, it’s five little letters that are missin’ here,” or (for the ladies) “It’s the longest, loveliest, lean– I call it the leanest. It’s another five letter word rhymin’ with cleanest and meanest.“

Regardless of whether you like hip hop, if you hear “You down with O.P.P.,” you’re gonna find yourself shouting “Yeah, you know me!”

[Throwback Thursday] Coolio feat. L.V. | “Gangsta’s Paradise”

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Maybe one of the most epic hip hop songs of all time, Coolio’s “Gangsta’s Paradise” was as inescapable in the 90s as Coolio’s ridiculous-ass hair. It even got its own Weird Al parody, “Amish Paradise,” that also became a huge hit (much to Coolio’s dismay). The video for “Gangsta’s Paradise” was just as iconic as the song. Originally recorded for the Dangerous Minds soundtrack, it features Michelle Pfiefer having a stare-down with a dark and ominous Coolio, and L.V. having steam blown in his face (for effect?).

Everything about this song screams “This is one of the greatest f*cking hip hop songs of ALL time,” and you’d be hard-pressed to argue.

[Throwback Thursday] Ol’ Dirty Bastard feat. Kelis | “Got Your Money”

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Regardless of a completely insane person (like taking a limousine to collect his welfare check while he still had an album in the Top-10), the ODB was unstoppable in the 90s. Even after numerous arrests that concluded in jail time, getting shot on multiple occasions, and (not really) taking care of his 13 children, Ol’ Dirty Bastard is still regarded as a legend of hip hop. “Got Your Money” was his highest-charting (solo) single, and featured Kelis (who would later do that stupid “Milkshake” song) and production by The Neptunes (who, as both producers and two-thirds of N.E.R.D., would continue to kick-ass for eternity).

The video for “Got Your Money” is basically 4-plus minutes of the 70s blaxploitation film, Dolemite, with a wigged ODB and Kelis mixed in. Dirt McGirt, you will be missed.

[THROWBACK THURSDAY] Aaliyah feat. Timbaland | “Are You That Somebody”

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I’m taking it back to 1998 with this Aaliyah hit, which was actually recorded for the Dr. Doolittle soundtrack (you might remember that as the point of no return into Eddy Murphy’s now crap-tastic movie career). Aaliyah was the “Princess of R&B” and Timbaland was really making a name for himself both as a performer and a producer.

Timbaland’s beats (and rhymes) and Aaliyah’s soft, soulful vocals still make this a club jam, not to mention how unforgettable that baby sound in the back ground is.

I remember having such a crush on Aaliyah then, and the clothes she wears in the “Are You That Somebody” video only cemented the fact that I have hella good taste in ladies.