Gangsta funk, or g-funk, is the topic, so in keeping with the theme, let me hear a “yo, wassap?” This style of music came from gangsta rap that started over on the West Coast, and is – as is most of these radical musical movements – a product of the early 1990s. G-funk is so called because it takes regular funk music and slows that the the tempo, adding multi layers of other sounds – sythesizers, slow hypnotic grows, deep bass and female vocals amongst others.
Usually, in true gangsta style of course, the topic of g-funk song lyrics tends to be about violence, sex and drugs. Lyrical complexity has been sacrified for the sake of good ol’ fashioned rhythm and clarity. G-funk was a big subgenre from hip-hop for over four years, the landmark being Dr. Dre’s debut of ‘The Chronic’ in 1992.
The first single to be labelled g-funk was ‘Call It What U Want’ by Above the Law, which featured on the ‘Black Mafia Life’ LP and feature Tupac Shakur. Above the Law have several other g-funk songs, including ‘Black Superman’, ‘Kalifornia’, ‘V.S.O.P’ and ‘Gansta Madness’.
The g-funk style has had a long lasting impact on hip hop music. Dr Dre’s more recent music, and his 1999 comeback ‘2001’, had a very different musical style to ‘The Chronic’ but its roots from the g-funk music era were still present. Other artists such as Suga Free, Dogg Pound and Warren G all continue to produce music that follows the g-funk trend.