Here are the best songs from some of the best rap West Coast artist. From classic N.W.A cuts to hits but the late great Tupac. It is all here.
1. California Love – Tupac ft. Dr. Dre and Roger Troutman
“Out on bail fresh out of jail I’m hearing hoochies screaming/ fiendin for money and alcohol/ the life of a West side playa where cowards die and its all ball/ Only in Cali where we riot not rally to live and die/ In L.A. we wearin Chucks not Ballies (that’s right)/ Dressed in Locs and khaki suits and ride is what we do/ Flossin but have caution we collide with other crews”
Proving that “California knows how to party,” this 1996 classic was released after Tupac was released from prison in 1995. The Mad Max inspired video accented the almost primal nature of the song’s lyrics while the Dr. Dre beat had listeners bobbing their heads, ready to celebrate the return of Tupac Shakur.
2. Gin & Juice – Snoop Dogg
“With so much drama in the LBC/ It’s kinda hard being Snoop D-O-Double G/ But I, some how some way keep coming up with funky ass shit like every single day/ May I kick a little something for the Gs (yeah)/ And, make a few ends as (yeah!) I breeze through/ Two in the morning and the party still jumping cuz my momma aint home/ I got some bitches in the living room getting it on/ And they aint leaving til six in the morning”
The lyrics of the song by a younger (and unbelievably thinner) Snoop Dogg are classic because of their ability to relate to generations of party obsessed youth. There aren’t many young adults that don’t daydream about parties jumping until the wee hours of the morning and “rolling down the street smoking indo, sipping on gin and juice.”
3. Today Was A Good Day – Ice Cube
“Just waking up in the morning gotta thank God/ I don’t know but today seems kind of odd/ No barking from the dog, no smog/ And momma’s cookin breakfast with no hog/ Got my grub on but didn’t pig out/ finally got a call from this girl I wanna dig out/ Hooked it up for later now I hit the door thinking will I live another 24/ I gotta go cuz I got me a drop top and if I hit the switch I can make the ass drop”
The 90s were turbulent times in Los Angeles. With racial tensions at an all time high and gang activity overwhelming the region, most people were praying for just one good day. This is where Ice Cube came in. This is one of those songs that everyone knows the words to—regardless of where they’re from.
4. Regulate – Warren G ft. Nate Dogg
Warren G: “They got guns to my head, think I’m going down/ I can’t believe this happening in my own town/ If I had wings I could fly, Let me contemplate/ I glanced in the cut and I see my homey Nate” Nate Dogg: “Sixteen in the clip and one in the hole/ Nate Dogg is about to make some bodies turn cold/ Now they dropping and yellin, its’ a tad bit late/ Nate Dogg and Warren G had to regulate”
Before Nate Dogg became known as the West Coast hook man and Warren G worked it out in VH1’s Celebrity Fit Club, the duo penned this classic cut speaking on the realities of life in the “LBC.” The “couple’s” unique story telling abilities and clever used of the “call and response” format make this song an instant classis among hip hop fans across the globe.
5. **** That Police – N.W.A.
Ice Cube: "**** tha police comin straight from the underground/ A young nigga got it bad 'cause I'm brown/ I'm not the other color so police think/ They have the authority to kill a minority" MC Ren: "Lights start flashin' behind me/ But they're scared of a nigga so they mace me to blind me/ But that shit don't work, I just laugh” Eazy E: Without a gun and a badge, what do you got/ A sucker in a uniform waiting to get shot/ By me, or another nigga/ And with a gat it don't matter if he's smaller or bigger."
A list of the best West Coast songs would not be complete without this N.W.A. staple. As the originators of gangster rap, N.W.A. (Ice Cube, Eazy E, and MC Ren) said what was on their minds, especially when it came to their extreme distaste of the LAPD. “…we said **** the police cuz cops are ****in pigs who think everything's a god damn crime," Dr. Dre said of the song’s inspiration.
There is only so much room for the abunance of talent illustrated in these songs. The question now becomes: If these songs are the best of the West Coast, what has happened to their artists since then?
