a critical analysis of the warren g / nate dogg relationship
“warren g you useless, useless bastard” / sean keane:
The song “Regulate,” by Warren G and Nate Dogg, tells the story of a dramatic night in the LBC. There is sex, there is violence, there is bass, there is treble. Nate Dogg cruises for skirts, guns down rival homies, and beds down triumphantly at the East Side Motel. Nate emerges the ideal G-Funk man. By contrast, Warren G tries to join a craps game, gets mugged, and is nearly killed. He comes off as completely ineffectual, dependent on Nate for protection, and trick acquisition.
In the first verse, Warren G rides in a car alone, scanning for women. When he attempts to shoot dice with some homies, he is instantly robbed of his rings, watch, and presumably, his dignity. It’s not just the egregiousness of this assault which stands out, but also the quickness. Warren G is jacked impossibly fast, and does absolutely nothing to help himself. His most notable action is rhyming “contemplate” with “homie Nate.”
In the third line, Nate Dogg locates a car entirely full of skirts. By the end of the next verse, Nate Dogg will have so charmed these horny tricks that their vehicle crashes. Nate has laid the foundation for an evening of pleasure at the East Side Motel by the time he arrives on the scene and shoots many attempted takers of Warren’s wealth (I originally heard this lyric as “I can’t believe they’re taking Lawrence Welk.” I guess I thought it was some arcane ghetto drug/polka slang I didn’t understand). And he’s not done. Before his nine has even cooled, Nate is back in freak mode.
