b. Warren Griffin III, 10 November 1970, Long Beach, California, USA. Half-brother to Dr. Dre, Griffin's parents relocated to Long Beach from Tennessee and Oklahoma before he was born. He was raised in a staunchly Christian tradition, and despite affiliations with gangsta rap, he maintained his allegiance to "Jesus' at the top of his list of dedications on his debut album. It was Dre's World Class Wreckin" Cru which inspired him to follow a musical path. He first began rapping and producing while working at the local VIP record store. Later he helped form Dre's Dogg Pound collective, with Nate Dogg and his best friend, Snoop Doggy Dogg. The trio also worked together as part of 213.
Warren G.'s role in the development of west coast rap was crucial - he is credited with having introduced Snoop Doggy Dogg to Dre (a meeting recalled in his debut album's "Do You See"). Having subsequently produced a track for M.C. Breed ("Gotta Get Mine"), and appeared on both The Chronic and Doggy Style, he then wrote, produced and guested on Mista Grimm's "Indo Smoke" and 2Pac's "Definition Of A Thug". "Indo Smoke" appeared in the movie Poetic Justice, while "Definition Of A Thug" was included on the soundtrack album, Above The Rim, which hit the number 1 spot on the US R&B album charts. Griffin's own debut as Warren G., "Regulate", a duet with Nate Dogg, was the keynote to that album's success. Built around a sample of Michael McDonald's "I Keep Forgettin' (Every Time You're Near)", which his father had played constantly when he was a child, it also became his first US Top 5 single. The attendant Regulate immediately achieved triple-platinum status, and confirmed the accessibility of his approach. He also departed from rap norms with his employment of live musicians.
Following a US tour with R. Kelly and Heavy D, Warren G. concentrated on producing the debut of his prot‚g‚s, Da Twinz, who were part of the collective involved with Regulate. In 1996, he scored further international success with "What's Love Got To Do With It", a hit single from the soundtrack to Super Cop which topped the German charts and reached UK number 2. His disappointing second album, Take A Look Over Your Shoulder (Reality), was released as part of a new contract with Def Jam Records in 1997. The album incorporated cover versions of Bob Marley's "I Shot The Sheriff" (a UK number 2 hit) and the Isley Brothers' "Smokin' Me Out' (with a chorus sung by Ronald Isley). 1999's I Want It All featured a stellar cast list of guest MCs, including Snoop Dogg, Mack 10 and Kurupt, but both this release and the follow-up The Return Of The Regulator ultimately disappointed. Warren G. subsequently lost his major label recording contract with Universal Records. His first independent release, 2005"s In The Mid-Nite Hour, indicated a welcome return to form.
DISCOGRAPHY: Regulate ... G Funk Era (Violator/Def Jam 1994)****, Take A Look Over Your Shoulder (Reality) (G Funk/Def Jam 1997)***, I Want It All (G Funk 1999)***, The Return Of The Regulator (Universal 2001)**, In The Mid-Nite Hour (Hawino/Lightyear 2005)***.
FILMOGRAPHY: The Show (1995), The Wizard Of Oz (1998), Speedway Junky (1999).

Encyclopedia of Popular Music
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