February 23, 2007 @ 2:44 pm

VIBE 150: West Coast

Ice Cube - The Predator - (Priority, 1992)
Ice Cube's third album isn't his best or his most important. But it's the definitive document of post-riots Los Angeles: pissed off, propulsive, and punching. Released in November 1992, Cube scaled back the broad thematic reach of - AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted and Death Certificate, - instead attacking police corruption on Predator tracks like "When Will They Shoot?" And he moved deeper into what became the prevailing sound in the West: G-Funk. Thanks to smoothed-out productions from DJ Pooh (notably, "It Was a Good Day") and DJ Muggs, this was a commercial crossroads for Cube and, unsurprisingly, his biggest chart success to date. (Listen to an Ice Cube Playlist). Dr. Dre - The Chronic - (Death Row, 1992)
With lithesome new partner Snoop Doggy Dogg in tow, the good Dr. unguardedly aims for ex-pal Eazy-E. Cherry-picking from P-Funk's best, Dre leads the West into an uncharted era of G-funk viciousness. (Listen to a Dr. Dre Playlist). The Pharcyde - Bizarre Ride II the Pharcyde - (Delicious Vinyl, 1992)
Like a funhouse mirror image of the Native Tongues, the Pharcyde were brash and bubbly on their ramshackle debut. J-Swift's blooming production and the go-for-broke exuberance of Fatlip and SlimKid3 remain infectious. 2Pac - Strictly 4 My N.I.G.G.A.Z. - (Jive, 1993)
Contemplative and pointed, this is Pac before the storm. Not that the flames weren't raging within, but even at its bawdiest or most brute, it's still jovial, a reminder of simpler, saner times. Snoop Doggy Dogg - Doggystyle - (Death Row, 1993)
Snoop is no ordinary gangsta; that's impossible for an artist this playful. On his debut, with Dr. Dre riding shotgun (as Snoop once did for him), anthems abound as often as gin-soaked debauchery. (Listen to a Snoop Dogg Playlist). Souls of Mischief - 93 'Til Infinity - (Jive, 1993)
Weaving complex internal rhyme schemes with aplomb and bouncing off jazz loops like they had pogos for legs, this lighthearted quartet did everything right and served up an alternative vision of the (upper) West Coast. E-40 - The Mail Man - (Sick Wid It, 1994)
As technically innovative as it is geographically unlikely, this is the emergence of E-40 as premier stylist. Equal parts street and quirk, this EP is a welcome remedy for the Bay Area's usual pimp and 'hood monotone. Tha Dogg Pound - Dogg Food - (Death Row, 1995)
Dat Nigga Daz and Kurupt are the sons of - The Chronic, - worker bees faithfully hewing to the boss man's tricks. Their version, though, has an extra layer of snap, the soundtrack to the party after a hard day of cruising. Makaveli - The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory - (Death Row, 1996)
Released after Tupac Shakur's death, this messianic alter-ego project was summarily deemed classic. Braying and philosophical, Shakur rips and floats over some of the most rugged, grand beats of his career. The Game - The Documentary - (Interscope, 2005)
Though the name-dropping is a drag, the one-time Dre protege's debut features some of the most astounding production of the decade, with some 50 Cent–assisted hook writing to boot. A collaborative dream.

Article tags: 2Pac, Dr. Dre, Ice Cube, Snoop Dogg 

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