Search - Warren G :: I Want It All

Further West Coast brilliance from the G-Child & Co.

ctrx | 'bout to show you how the EAST COAST rocks... | 10/08/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"By 1999, West Coast hip hop was advancing past g-funk on the heels of influential albums like 2001 and Tha Streetz Iz a Mutha, ushering in a hard, fast, electronic sound in favor of the familiar slow, woozy, soulful g-funk sound that had dominated the coast for the past five years. As one of the forefathers of g-funk, this left Warren G in a strange predicament, but on his third album, 1999's "I Want It All," Warren just continues to do what he does best, and that is produce beautiful, laidback hip hop. The more I listen to all of his albums, the more I'm convinced that he's one of the best producers the west coast has ever had to offer; maybe even better than his half-brother Dr. Dre (Warren's sound is a little more focused, smooth, and musical; I like his ear for music better). Again, Warren adjusts his sound from his previous effort, 1997's ambitious Take a Look Over Your Shoulder, which was largely influenced by smooth R&B and pop music. "I Want It All" is often every bit as smooth as his first two albums, and maintains the same appeal with hook-heavy structures, a laidback approach, and rich instrumentals. But most of all, his creative genius stands out once again. He abandons his woozy synths for some more live-sounding instrumentation, with lots of horns and guitars, but the sound is still smooth and dense. Again, the rapping is mostly handled by guests, including Nate Dogg, Snoop Dogg, Daz Dillinger, Kurupt, RBX, Mack 10, Crucial Conflict, Jermaine Dupri, Phats Bossalini, Reel Tight, El DeBarge, Val Young, Eve, Drag-On, Shadow, Neb Love, K-Bar, Slick Rick, Memphis Bleek, and Tikki Diamonds. With all these guests, lyrically it sometimes feels like a compilation, but Warren never leaves the spotlight, and it keeps a really smooth, friendly vibe. When Warren raps, he has a really likable persona, a very conversational flow, and he sounds like someone you'd want to hang out with. He's not menacing or gangster, he enjoys life and music. While I don't like it quite as much as his first two albums, Warren G's "I Want It All" is another fine effort by the production genius, and one I highly recommend.



After the intro, the album kicks off with "Gangsta Love," an excellent opening collabo with Nate Dogg, Kurupt, and RBX. The gorgeous beat has beautiful bass and smooth sax instrumentation, it's one of Warren's best beats on the album and the MCs lace it with light, laidback lyricism. Nate also offers a great performance on this track. Warren, Daz, and Kurupt rap about their struggles hustling over an upbeat track on "Why Oh Why." Another great collabo is the Crucial Conflict and Kurupt number "Dollars Make Sense," which is anchored by another fine West Coast beat and nice verses. The title track has a great feel to it, a real classy-sounding track with rich horns and keyboards, Mack 10 guests. Warren's verses take a step back, and he looks at his career as a humble man. Jermaine Dupri and Nate Dogg provide good performances on the well-produced "Havin' Things," and it's followed by possibly my favorite song here, "You Never Know." A sunny, funky beat allows Snoop, Phats Bossalini, and Warren to drop some conscious lyrics, and the hook by Reel Tight is nice. Warren dedicates "My Momma (Ola Mae)" to his mother, on a solo track with catchy, low-key production. "G-Spot" is an enjoyable soulful, emotional number featuring El DeBarge & Val Young on the hook. The production here is another highlight. Warren adjusts his sound to suit his Ruff Ryder guests on "We Got That," it sounds like an average Ruff Ryders track, and although it's good it doesn't stand out. "Dope Beat" is aptly titled, a simple song with smooth vibes, and "World Wide Ryders" is another excellent track, it sounds a lot like something from Take a Look Over Your Shoulder. The cool "Game Don't Wait," a 213 reunion, and twangy "We Give You a Chance" with Slick Rick are solid late-album cuts. The album closes with a nice remix to the title track and an outro by Flavor Flav.



Warren G makes feel good music, and any time I pop one of his LPs into the player, it helps me relax and feel good. His constantly laidback vibes make for perfect listening on any occasion, and his musical genius can be appreciated on so many levels. It's definitely got a lot of mainstream appeal, but if you can't get into these beats then you should get your ears checked. "I Want It All" is another one for the collection for fans of Warren, g-funk, and West Coast hip hop."

Warren Staying Consistant On His Third LP (Rating: 8 out of

Chandler | Atlanta (College Park), Georgia | 02/16/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Warren G. is one of the most consistant and underrated producers of the West Coast. On his third album, his production comes into form on many songs, and shows why he is such a talented producer. All of his beats have that West Coast vibe that you can just sit back and chill to. I first got into Warren with the video "I Want It All" with Mack 10, back in late '99/early '00, which made me a fan of his music.



On this album, Warren accomplishes two obsticales:



A. Leaving Def Jam was probably the smartest thing that has happened in his carrer, because their lack of promotion for artists on the west side, there would have been an album that he made would not have seen the light of day.



B. Warren colabing with artists on the East Coast. At one point, Warren didn't want to go to New York due to the recent events between the East and West Coasts. Him colabing with aritsts like Eve, Memphis Bleek, Drag-On, and Slick Rick, would show the unity between the two coasts at the time.



As I said before, majorty of the album vibes damn near perfectly. When hearing "Gangsta Love" with Nate Dogg, RBX, and Kurupt, I gurantee that you will believe that is one of the best tracks on the album. In fact Kurupt leaves an impact on the first two tracks, "Why Oh Why" with him, Warren, and Daz which is a great track as well. Chicago's Crucial Conflict keeps up with Warren's West Coast sound on the "Dollars Make Sense". "You Never Know" has some more of that signature production. Warren takes time to dedicate a song to his mother on the very deep "My Momma (Ola Mae)". The sex type song "G-Spot" with Val Young and El Debarge is great. Slick Rick and Phats Bossalini comes in for the groovy sounding "If We Give You A Chance".



Only thing that weighs this album down is some of the guests. "We Got That" suffers from weak verses from Eve, Drag-On, and Shadow. And the remix of "I Want It All" everyone's verses with the exception of Warren's is cliched and weak.



Other than that this is one great album. It was albums like this that brought the West Coast back in 1999 (no Dr. Dre didn't do it all by himself). This is a step of from Take a Look Over Your Shoulder, but at the same time it doesn't touch his debut Regulate...G Funk Era. All of Warren's albums are worth owning, because he can drop some good rhymes over some classic West Coast production. This is one I would recommend to everyone. Peace.



Lyrics: A-

Production: A+

Guest Appearances: B-

Musical Vibes: A+



Top 5 Tracks:

1. Gangsta Love (featuring Kurupt, Nate Dogg, and RBX)

2. G-Spot (featuring Val Young and El Debarge)

3. If We Give You A Chance (featuring Slick Rick and Phats Bossalini)

4. My Momma (Ola Mae)

5. Dollars Make Sense (featuring Crucial Conflict)



Honorable Mention:

1. Why Oh Why (featuring Tha Dogg Pound)

2. World Wide Ryders (featuring Neb Luv and K-Bar)"