G-funk, short for gangsta funk, (or funk rap[5]) is a sub-genre of gangsta rap that emerged from the West Coast scene in the early 1990s. 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) and Snoop Dogg's Doggystyle (1993).
Characteristics
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. G funk is typically set at between 90 and 100 BPM.[6] The lyrical content depended on the artist and could consist of sex, drug use (especially marijuana), love for a city, love for friends. There was also a slurred "lazy" or "smooth" way of rapping in order to clarify words and stay in rhythmic cadence. Many R&B and pop singles of the 1990s incorporated the G-funk sound to their music.
The trademark West Coast G-funk style of hip-hop was a very defining element of the region's music and helped distinguish it from the rivaling rap scene on the East Coast. 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).[7][8]
Unlike other earlier rap acts that also utilized funk samples (such as EPMD and the Bomb Squad), G-funk often utilized fewer, unaltered samples per song.[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. This enabled him to produce music that had his own sounds, rather than a direct copy of the sample.[11]
History and origins
1989–1992: Beginnings
Although it’s typically viewed as a West Coast sound the very first example of what defines G-Funk was on an Eric B & Rakim song called The R. Other examples of the genre began to show up in 1989 with The D.O.C.'s "It's Funky Enough" and "The Formula",[12][13] the former was an early minor hit for the genre, reaching No. 12 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.[14] Two years later, in 1991, N.W.A. released another early example of the genre with their album Niggaz4Life,[15] which reached No. 1 on the Billboard 200,[16] and No. 2 on Billboard's Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums.[17] The same year, Ice Cube's diss track towards N.W.A., "No Vaseline", was made in the style.[18] Dr. Dre, who produced No One Can Do It Better and Niggaz4Life, is often seen as the originator/creator of the G-funk sound.[19][1] Though these claims have been disputed with Cold 187um, a member of Above the Law, claiming that he came up with the name and sound.[20]
1992–1997: Mainstream peak
1992 was the breakout year for the genre, with Dr. Dre dropping his album The Chronic. 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."[21] It also reached No. 3 on the Billboard 200,[22] and No. 1 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart.[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".[25] Though G-funk had previously existed, Dr. Dre's The Chronic is often seen as the beginning of the genre.[26][1]
The following year had numerous successful songs and albums, Ice Cube's songs "It Was a Good Day" and "Check Yo Self" both made it to the top 20, peaking at No. 15 and No. 20 respectively,[27] and were both certified at least gold.[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".[29][18] Snoop Dogg released his first album Doggystyle, which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200,[30] and contained the hits "Gin and Juice" and "What's My Name?", both songs reached No. 8 on the Hot 100.[31] The album was certified Quadruple Platinum, and both singles were certified gold.[32] Eazy-E released the G-funk-influenced album It's On (Dr. Dre) 187um Killa,[33] which reached No. 5 on the Billboard 200,[34] and contained the No. 42 hit "Real Muthaphuckkin G's",[35] which was made as a response to Dre's song "Dre Day" from the previous year.[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. The single reached the top 10 peaking at No. 2.[37] His album Regulate... G Funk Era which also contained the song, and another top 10 hit "This D.J.", reached No. 2 on the Billboard 200.[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. 26 single "Pumps and a Bump".[41] The G-funk group Thug Life, featuring 2Pac released their first and only album, Thug Life: Volume 1, it peaked at No. 42 on the Billboard 200,[42] it had one minor hit single with "Cradle to the Grave", it charted on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and on the Hot Rap Songs charts, at No. 91 on the former and No. 25 on the latter.[43][44] Westcoast rapper Coolio released his debut album It Takes a Thief in 1994. The album peaked at No. 8,[45] it contains the Top-10 hit "Fantastic Voyage".[46]
In 1995, 2Pac released the album Me Against the World which although not entirely G-funk, has been described as having "half the record [resound] to the boom and bap of New York" while having "the rest [shimmer] in a G-funk haze". The album reached No. 1 on the Billboard 200,[47] and was certified Double Platinum.[48] Later in the year,[49] he released the G-funk classic[18] "California Love" which as a double A-side with "How Do U Want It", hit No. 1 on the Hot 100.[50] In October 1995, Tha Dogg Pound released their debut album Dogg Food and it debuted at number 1# on the billboard, continuing G-funk's dominance in the mainstream with the top 50 singles "New York, New York" and "Let's Play House".
In the late 1990s and 2000s, G-funk music significantly declined in mainstream popularity.[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."[73]
Midwestern rapperTech N9ne made use of the G-funk style on his early releases, most notably his second studio album, The Worst (2000).[74][75] His 2001 follow-up album, Anghellic, incorporated the subgenre's characteristics to a much lesser extent.[76]
^Sacha Jenkins, Elliott Wilson, Gabe Alvarez, Jeff Mao & Brent Rollins, eds., Ego Trip's Book of Rap Lists (New York: St. Martin's Press, 2014), p 237.
