As I stated in an earlier post, “Regulate” is my all time favorite record from the left coast.  In 1994 I was just getting started with my hip hop obsession, and the sound my ears were accustomed to at that point was Rza beats and Wu lyrics.  When I heard “Regulate” for the first time (Above The Rim soundtrack) I was captured by how melodic the vocals were and also the different style of production.  Not to mention, it was one of the first times I heard Nate Dogg, whose voice and delivery was unlike any artist I had heard before, especially on a hip hop record.  Even Warren G’s rap parts had tone to them, making the whole song feel like a long catchy hook.  The critics agree; the Grammy nominated record is a certified classic that raised the musical bar for West Coast hip hop.

First of all… that’s Warren G on the beat, so let’s all stop sleeping on him as a producer, especially when he pulled off one of the greatest feats of combining samples in the history of the art form itself. When initially hearing the song, I would have never guessed that the two main melodies in the beat were actually sampled from different records.  When “Regulate” begins we hear the high pitched lead from the 0:02 mark of Bob James’ “Sign Of The Times” combined with some keyboard overdubs.  Then when the beat drops at 0:20, Warren G brings in the 4 bar electric piano loop from “I Keep Forgettin” by Michael McDonald.  It’s not until 1:40 that we get to hear the two elements together, which work seamlessly in tempo and pitch.  This masterful manipulation of these two samples is just one of the special things going on in this all-time classic.  What have we learned?…”Rhythm is Life, and Life is Rhythm.”

Sample Saturday is sponsored by Et Musique Pour Tous

Michael McDonald – I Keep Forgettin’

Bob James – Sign of The Times

Warren G ft. Nate Dogg – Regulate

Bob James is a world renowned jazz keyboardist and producer who had a direct impact on the growth of jazz music in the 1970′s.  Unintentionally, he also had a profound impact on the growth of hip hop, having produced some of the most sampled songs in hip hop history.  The opening bars of “Take Me To The Mardi Gras” are instantly recognizable, being that it is one of hip hop’s fundamental breakbeats.  It is most well known for its use in Run DMC’s “Peter Piper”, LL Cool J’s “Rock the Bells”, and Missy Elliot’s “Work It” (to name only a few).  This dude is basically a complete bad-ass, not to mention the fact that his first three albums of the 70′s were called One, Two, and Three.

Bob James – Take Me To The Mardi Gras