| "Nuthin' but a 'G' Thang" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Single byDr. Dre featuringSnoop Doggy Dogg | ||||
| from the albumThe Chronic | ||||
| Released | January 19, 1993[1] | |||
| Recorded | 1992 | |||
| Studio | Death Row (Los Angeles, California) | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 3:58 | |||
| Label | ||||
| Songwriter | Snoop Doggy Dogg | |||
| Producer | Dr. Dre | |||
| Dr. Dre singles chronology | ||||
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| Snoop Doggy Dogg singles chronology | ||||
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| Music video | ||||
| "Nuthin' but a 'G' Thang" onYouTube | ||||
"Nuthin' but a 'G' Thang" is a song by AmericanrapperDr. Dre, featuring fellow American rapperSnoop Doggy Dogg, on Dre's debut solo album,The Chronic (1992). Released in January 1993 byDeath Row,Interscope andPriority as the album's first single, it reached number two on the USBillboard Hot 100 on March 20, 1993, behind "Informer" bySnow.[9] It outperformedThe Chronic's other singles, "Fuck wit Dre Day (And Everybody's Celebratin')", which peaked at number eight, and "Let Me Ride", which peaked at number 34. The single also reached number-one onBillboard'sHot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks chart, and was a number 31 hit in the UK. Its music video was directed by Dr. Dre himself.
The song was selected by theRock and Roll Hall of Fame as one of the500 songs that shaped rock and roll.[10]XXL magazine named it the top hip-hop song of the decade. The song samples "I Want'a Do Something Freaky to You" byLeon Haywood. In June 1994, it was reissued in certain European countries.
Dr. Dre has stated thatWarren G initially brought in a cassette tape with demo tracks recorded by Snoop Dogg for Dre to listen to. Upon putting the tape in, Dre was impressed enough to the point where he felt the two of them had to meet.[11]
After meeting Snoop Dogg, Dr. Dre asked him to come up with lyrics for a beat he'd been working on, which he planned to use as a featured track forThe Chronic. Around this time, Snoop was serving jail time for a charge of attempted murder and recorded the original version of the song's vocals while making a pre-paid call from a prison phone. Dr Dre stated that “The original version of Nuthin but a 'G' Thang, he called in and I take the receiver of the phone to the mic. You can hear jail sounds in the back and everything, he's“1, 2, 3 and to the 4…””.
Peter Paphides fromMelody Maker commented, "The thing that makes Dr Dre's music so ace (in the case of "Nuthin' but a G Thang") is the fluidity of the rhymes and a salubrious touch ofswingbeat arrangements that sweeten the blow of the lithe, luminous rhythm section. The subject matter — a slimy soliloquy on how Dre and guest rapperSnoop Doggy Dogg like their woman — is best taken with a pinch of salt."[12] Pan-European magazineMusic & Media wrote, "Diagnosing this case—assisted by his protege Snoop Doggy Dogg—the doctor has made a very radio friendly slow rap song. Our prescription; to be taken daily 10 times."[13] Mark Sutherland from UK magazineSmash Hits gave it two out of five, saying, "Dr Dre, on the other hand, reallyis hard. You can tell by the way he swears, refers to girlies as "bitches" and gets real-life toughguy Snoop Doggy Dogg to rap over his slow 'n' sleazyhip-hop. All of which helped it sell two million copies in the States, but still doesn't make it a good record. In fact, it ain't nuthin' but a load of old rubbish, but don't tell the Doc I said so."[14]
The accompanying music video for "Nuthin' but a 'G' Thang", directed byDr. Dre,[15] depicts Dre coming intoLong Beach, California to pick up Snoop and go to a block party. Mingling at the party, they perform the first verses with abarbecue cookout and a game ofvolleyball nearby. A female player's (Mercedes Ashley)[16] bikini top is pulled down by "T-Dubb", an original member of the Long Beach rap groupFoesum, exposing herbreasts. For the next verses they go inside the house. A small sequence of events shows a snobbish female party-goer humiliated by being sprayed with shaken-up malt liquor. The video ends with Dre dropping Snoop off back at his house, with Snoop staggering up the driveway. TheMTV edit censors nudity, drug paraphernalia,Warren G with ablunt, copyrighted logos, aChicago White Sox ball cap, and screen text. Many artists appeared in video, includingThe D.O.C.,Warren G,Daz Dillinger,Kurupt,RBX andSuga Free.
"Nuthin' but a 'G' Thang" is listed inThe Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll. In 2003, it was ranked at number 419 on theRolling Stone's list of the "500 Greatest Songs of All Time", moving up to number 29 in a 2021 update.Q magazine listed it as the 24th greatest hip hop song of all time.[18] In September 2010Pitchfork Media included it at number three on their "Top 200 Tracks of the 90s".[19] In 2024,Forbes magazine ranked "Nuthin' but a 'G' Thang" number 50 in their list of "The 50 Best Songs of the 1990s".[20]
Musically, the funk orientation in hip-hop is often linked to "Nuthin' but a 'G' Thang" but its roots were laid by another rap group, Above the Law. "Nuthin' But a G Thang echoes Above the Law's Never Missin' a Beat" [sic], according to a 2016 article inThe Guardian.[21] Both groups interpolated the signature funk grooves ofParliament-Funkadelic.
Dre and Snoop performed the song live at the1993 MTV Movie Awards on July 13, 1993. They also performed the song live at the1994 Soul Train Music Awards on March 15, 1994.
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Weekly charts[edit]
| Year-end charts[edit]
Decade-end charts[edit]
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| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| New Zealand (RMNZ)[44] | 2× Platinum | 60,000‡ |
| United Kingdom (BPI)[45] | Gold | 400,000‡ |
| United States (RIAA)[47] | Platinum | 1,300,000[46] |
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. | ||
