Ain’t No Fun (If the Homies Can’t Have None)
Snoop Doggy Dogg w/Nate Dogg, Kurupt, Warren G
Released in 1993
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Oh No
Pharoahe Monch w/Nate Dogg, Mos Def
Released in 2000
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The Set Up (Remix)
Obie Trice w/Nate Dogg, Redman, Lloyd Banks, Jadakiss
Released in 2004
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Sad to hear of Nate Dogg’s recent passing. Nate wasn’t the first singer to provide R&B-style hooks on rap records (TJ Swan, perhaps?), but I can’t remember any R&B/hip hop hybrid prior to Nate’s 1992 appearances on Dr. Dre’s The Chronic that didn’t inflict collateral damage to anyone’s street cred.

Nate Dogg’s lyrics could be offensive to some, and his music isn’t for everybody. But even feminists like to get down to Snoop Dogg’s raunchy yet irresistible “Ain’t No Fun (If the Homies Can’t Have None).” Dr. Dre’s thumping, feel-good production provides a sneaky contrast to a bunch of really dirty verses from Kurupt, Snoop, and Warren G. But it’s Nate’s lengthy, sing-along vocal intro that lifts “Ain’t No Fun” to 5-star classic status.

Nate was clearly a product of Los Angeles’s G-funk scene, but he garnered respect from coast to coast. His chorus in the Rockwilder-produced “Oh No” (featuring fiery verses from Mos Def and Pharoahe Monch) says it all:

Look at who they let in the back door
From Long Beach to Brooklyn they know

Until I started working on this post, I didn’t realize Dr. Dre (along with Mike Elizondo) produced Obie Trice’s “The Set Up.” Not a surprise, though, considering how much this beat kills. Lyrically, there’s plenty of misogyny to go around from Obie Trice, Redman, Lloyd Banks, and Jadakiss, and though Nate is by no means soft, the fact that he’s singing takes some of the edge off.

Though his output dropped as he battled through multiple strokes, Nate contributed to dozens of hits through the 90s and into the aughts. Hope he’s ready for the next episode…

Playa Playa
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Devil’s Pie
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One Mo’Gin
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Untitled (How Does It Feel)
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Album: Voodoo (2000)

Where did you go, D’Angelo? The gossip says you had/have a drug problem, your MySpace blog chalks it up to you being “a deliberate guy,” and the pictures are disheartening, check the before and after:

With Beck, about a decade ago

2005 mugshot

After the monumental achievement that was 2000′s Voodoo, we’ve heard next to nothing from you. I hazily remember you getting arrested a few years ago with some weed and powder, but musically it’s been pretty sparse: choruses on unmemorable hip hop throwaways, one stellar track ("Water Get No Enemy" from a 2002 Fela tribute album), and a handful of other crap that was a waste of your blessings.

I’ll stop ranting atcha, D, but I gotta admit — it feels good to vent.

Despite my bitterness, I still haven’t soured on Voodoo. Others may have dropped more hits, but there are only a handful who put out a long-player that was coherent and listenable from start to finish.

Voodoo was the apex of the short-lived Soulquarians movement, a loose collection of producers, singers, musicians, and rappers that presented hip hop and R&B in a more organic light. Some of its members included Erykah Badu, The Roots, Mos Def, Common, J Dilla, Raphael Saadiq (who co-wrote “Untitled (How Does It Feel)”), and D’Angelo.

Voodoo was recorded over four years of sessions at New York’s Electric Lady Studios. Most of the tracks evolved from sprawling jams, prioritizing emotional grooves over catchy hooks (though there were some of those, too):

From four until seven in the evening, the crew would watch the treat of the day and eat. Then they’d turn on the recorder and begin playing an album or an entire catalog by one of the Yodas—the dominant influence of ’96 was Prince, in ’97 Jimi and Rev. Al [Green], ’98 Gaye and George Clinton, ’99 James and Nigerian star Fela Kuti. They’d jam and wait to see what the groove inspired.

Rolling Stone, May 2000, article by Touré

Incredible to think how tight that band became after playing track after track from Prince, Hendrix, Marvin Gaye, and Fela. I bet there’s some great, unreleased bonus material.

Throughout the record, D’Angelo lays down track after track of vocals, providing harmonies, counter-melodies, emphasis, and background noise. The effect — especially on the opener, “Playa Playa” — evokes gospel, in spite of the odd basketball metaphor (“Steal you with my two shot”?).

“Devil’s Pie” feels more urgent than the other tracks on Voodoo, with D’Angelo railing against the materialism that’s killing hop hop. Setting the tone is DJ Premier’s airtight production, epitomized by his intricate all-scratched chorus. Premier lays down a surgical array of samples, with choice bits from various rappers and the occasional horn blast. It also features what may be my favorite lyric from the record: “Fuck the slice, we want the pie.” (Basketball metaphor: bad; pizza metaphor: good.)

“One Mo’Gin” is a great selection for 3am, when the DJ needs to chill out the party. It’s sticky, melodic, and sounds great with the atmospheric hiss that only vinyl can deliver. In case one doubts the depths of D’Angelo’s talents, he provides all vocals and instrumentation (except for Pino Palladin’s bass) on this track.

“Untitled (How Does It Feel)” was the record’s (relatively) big hit, propelled by its infamous video. A 5-star classic rooted in a laid-back beat from Questlove and a Prince-ly falsetto, the track gains in power (and D’Angelo vocal overdubs) until the final, triumphant chorus. I still find the abrupt ending unnecessarily jarring, but I’ve learned to accept it.

Speaking of Prince, it’s fair to say that Voodoo feels like the Prince record he should have released instead of the dreck he’s been giving us since 1991′s Diamonds And Pearls. Prince was able to distill the history of modern black music — Jimi, James, Reverend Al, Sly, et. al. — into music that felt reverent and futuristic at the same time; Voodoo picks up on this same vibe.

Maybe it’s for the best that D’Angelo virtually disappeared after Voodoo. It set such a high bar and it’s been so many years that unless he comes through with something entirely different, original, and bangin’, whatever he releases will be greeted with disappointment or apathy. But I’ll keep an open mind — D’Angelo’s earned at least that.

Wu-Tang Clan
Hollow Bones
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Album: The W (2000)

Syl Johnson
Is It Because I’m Black
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Album: Is It Because I’m Black (1969)

Introducing Musical Cousins, where I take two or more tracks that relate to each other in some way. The most obvious application — including this one — will be to pair a modern-ish song with the original beat it samples. But I may latch on to other, more esoteric pairings as well.

For the inaugural edition, I’ve chosen a joint from the uneven Wu-Tang Clan record, The W. Verses from Raekwon, Inspectah Deck and Ghostface flow beautifully in a track that is made for headphones (but not for the dancefloor).

Contrast it to Syl Johnson’s original and witness RZA’s minimal, yet effective, sampling methodologies. He doesn’t utilize any sounds that aren’t part of the original song. He just increased the tempo, looped a few bits, and sprinkled on a few effects.

Though lyrically, the two tracks are markedly different — Johnson is wailing on the dehumanizing effects of racism while the Wu deliver intricate, crime-themed wordplay — they share an underlying despair and a driving force to persevere regardless of the bleak circumstances.