On this week’s episode of People’s Party with Talib Kweli, Kweli and Jasmin Leigh talk with West Coast G-Funk legend Warren G. The Regulator drops by to discuss his storied career — including how giving friendly legal advice to Snoop Dogg got him booted from Death Row Records, just before the iconic label took off.
According to Warren G, he and Snoop were both given contracts by Death Row Records. He was reluctant to sign his. Trying to be an intelligent friend and business advisor to a young Snoop Dogg, he suggested Snoop not sign the contract without having an attorney review it first.
“I was like, don’t sign that,” Warren tells Kweli. “Because you don’t know what you are signing.”
This warning to Snoop got back to the infamous CEO of Death Row Records, Suge Knight. In classic Suge fashion, it turned into an altercation. And a pretty dramatic one, at that when Knight ran up on Warren and shoved him against the wall just as he was leaving. There, Suge shouted, “Blood, you told him not to sign that contract?!”
“I said n**** if you don’t let go of me I’m calling my brother [Dr. Dre], I’m callin’ call my homeboys!” Warren G tells Kweli. “He let me go.”
After the incident Warren G found himself pushed out of touring opportunities with Dr. Dre, Snoop, and others as Death Row Records overtook the rap game at an unprecedented pace. He was left to fend for himself. Even Dr. Dre was reluctant to help.
“I had to go back to the hood- sleeping on the floor,” he recalls.” All I had was my crate of records that I was helping out with for The Chronic, I had my MPC 60 drum machine and I had my Numark mixer. That’s all I had. But that led to me doing Regulate and doing records for Tupac.”
Later he and Talib Kweli discussed statements Snoop Dogg made about writing Warren G’s album (which Snoop later corrected himself on). Overall, the conversation is both insightful and inspiring. Despite the periodic setbacks at times, the West Coast icon remains incredibly stoic about everything that transpired “I’m never gonna let this music shit get between me and my homeboy. This is my dog [referring to Snoop]. It got ironed out.”
Watch the clip above to hear more about Warren G’s journey or watch the entire episode of People’s Party with Talib Kweli below.