Is Daz Dillinger a real producer ?

[Soopafly DPGC]

its crazy to me how even on the biggest west coast forum Warren G is still slept on

he may not have produced the hit records that Daz has but he is probably an all around better producer imo

Warren didn't have the longevity.  From about 93-99 he was a beast, including producing probably the best GFunk album of all time Conversation.  I always give Warren his props.   But to be fair, objectively speaking, he hasn't done much in the past 20 years, whereas Daz is still going strong.  I think Warren had a good team behind him, Greedy Greg, Ricky Rouse, and a few others that he doesn't have at his disposal anymore. 

[ThaRealSMK]

is it a joke ? Daz play the keyboards . its Hip Hop music not jazz or classical .
from what i know , among the famous producers , only DJ Quik can play jazz chords , complex scales
in an old interview, Quik said he used diminished and altered chords . most of the hip hop producers dont know what s an altered chord
and it dont mean shit ,dope hip hop producers are completly ignorant in musical technique , arpeggio etc

Like you, I always thought and believed that Daz Dillinger played the keyboard. And I still do. But the focus of this topic was the comments made by Barney Rumble on Instagram; he insisted repeatedly that Daz doesn't know how to play the keyboard. So, it wasn't just anyone making this claim—it was Rumble, someone who knew and worked with Daz. I think there's a feud between them: on one hand, Rumble claims Daz can't play the keyboard, while on the other, Daz has repeatedly stated that he produced *Dogg Food* using a Juno-106 keyboard.

So, like you, I'm surprised by such conflicting accounts from different people! What also made me doubt it was the fact that we've never seen a video of Daz playing the keyboard—unlike Dr. Dre, Battlecat, or DJ Quik.

However, all your comments—despite the harsh criticism directed at me and my intentions—have convinced me. I still believe that Daz plays the keyboard and isn't limited to just the MPC, contrary to what Rumble and Soopafly want us to believe !

[ThaRealSMK]

created California Love is  a sample "woman to woman " by Joe Cooker  !!!!
same bassline, chords  the only difference is probably the drum 

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/o9GotFY3c-Y

I know it's a sample, man !

I didn't express myself clearly !

Rumble posted two videos where he replays those melodies, indicating that he played the bass, chords, and synths on both versions of "California Love," and he maintains that Dr. Dre didn't produce the two versions but mixed them !

[ThaRealSMK]

It really is pretty wild when you listen to those 2 tracks on 2002 and then listen to Mike Dean's versions on Dillinger & Young Gotti...like night and day

Exactly—it's a shame Daz and Mike Dean didn't keep working together. It was pure art.

[ThaRealSMK]

I never accused you of doing it intentionally, this is for all walks of life, but this is a perfect life lesson how people can exaggerate or manipulate things being said to fit a narrative.  That is most likely how you interpreted that.  I encourage you to reread what each of these gentlemen wrote, and i think you will see you were overgeneralizing what they were saying. 

I do sense a bit of 'poking the bear' mentality and not a good faith attempt at finding an answer.  You titled the thread "is Daz a real producer"....does not being able to play keys not make you a great producer?  Again, not sure how the idea that Daz doesn't play keys translates to he's not a real producer.  Seems like a big leap.  And again, he can play keys.  Admittedly, not as well as THE MAN SOOPAFLY or Rubble, but they don't play keys as well as concert pianists, so does that make them any less of producers in your eyes because of that? 

The post should've been "I thought Daz played keys on all his records, turns out he didn't, learned something new today"  But no it's "He's not a real producer?"  That's where you got sideways with some people here.

I never set out to be provocative, and it really upsets me that my thread is being interpreted that way.

I don't understand the overblown reactions from some posters.

Let me recap the context:

- I'm a fan of West Coast music, and Daz in particular.
- I learned from Rumble and Soopafly that there were some questions surrounding his keyboard skills.
- Not knowing the difference between a beatmaker and a producer, I decided to ask whether Daz is a "real" producer (since, to me, creating the instrumental meant being a producer).
- I explained everything in detail (to show I was acting in good faith).
- And yet, I'm facing attacks here that are completely uncalled for.

Some people take me for a troll; others think I'm trying to stir up trouble.

Look, guys, I have better things to do; I just came here to share my passion and ask for other people's opinions. There was no need to attribute imaginary motives to me (like trying to provoke or troll).

[ThaRealSMK]

this is definitely his sound

notice how it's drum and bass driven

the instruments are conceived and played by others



for the record, daz is a very dope producer .. hes basically a poor man's dre (which is a compliment) 


like i said earlier, i put him in that second tier


tier 1
dre
quik
warren
battlecat
timbo
premo
pete rock
dilla
rza 
havoc

tier 2
daz
meech
jellyroll
storch
fredwreck
soopafly
pooh
alchemist
hit-boy
uneek





just a random 10 names to showcase the difference in tiers


there are others who can fit into both (and some in between)

Great list.

For my part, based on personal preference, here are my top West Coast music producers:

- Daz Dillinger / DJ Quik
- Dr. Dre
- Johnny J
- Soopafly
- Warren G
- Battlecat
- Dj Pooh
- Cold 187
- Jelly Roll
- Hit Boy
- Fredwreck
- Meech Wells
- Ant Banks

And here is my top list of other producers outside the West Coast:

- Timbaland
- Beats By The Pound
- Pharrell Williams
- Scott Storch
- Hi-Tek
- Alchemist

[HighEyeCue]

Warren didn't have the longevity.  From about 93-99 he was a beast, including producing probably the best GFunk album of all time Conversation.  I always give Warren his props.   But to be fair, objectively speaking, he hasn't done much in the past 20 years, whereas Daz is still going strong.  I think Warren had a good team behind him, Greedy Greg, Ricky Rouse, and a few others that he doesn't have at his disposal anymore.

yeah its been since '09 since he released an album so you are right about his short career

it just seems to me he always getting looked over even by his own crew especially Dre and even Snoop

[Sccit]

Great list.

For my part, based on personal preference, here are my top West Coast music producers:

- Daz Dillinger / DJ Quik
- Dr. Dre
- Johnny J
- Soopafly
- Warren G
- Battlecat
- Dj Pooh
- Cold 187
- Jelly Roll
- Hit Boy
- Fredwreck
- Meech Wells
- Ant Banks

And here is my top list of other producers outside the West Coast:

- Timbaland
- Beats By The Pound
- Pharrell Williams
- Scott Storch
- Hi-Tek
- Alchemist

nice

i will say narrowing it down to just pharell instead of neptunes is off to me

they were much better as a duo imo and most of pharrell classix comes from the neptunes era


also gota throw the glove in the mix... mike mosely, khayree, tone capone and many others from the bay get overlooked as well

[Soopafly DPGC]

I never set out to be provocative, and it really upsets me that my thread is being interpreted that way.

I don't understand the overblown reactions from some posters.

Let me recap the context:

- I'm a fan of West Coast music, and Daz in particular.
- I learned from Rumble and Soopafly that there were some questions surrounding his keyboard skills.
- Not knowing the difference between a beatmaker and a producer, I decided to ask whether Daz is a "real" producer (since, to me, creating the instrumental meant being a producer).
- I explained everything in detail (to show I was acting in good faith).
- And yet, I'm facing attacks here that are completely uncalled for.

Some people take me for a troll; others think I'm trying to stir up trouble.

Look, guys, I have better things to do; I just came here to share my passion and ask for other people's opinions. There was no need to attribute imaginary motives to me (like trying to provoke or troll).

Perhaps a more productive avenue for you to travel is to reassess your definition of a 'real' producer.  By your current definition, I think very few producers would even fall into your narrow definition, let alone any that you would consider good producers. 

[ThaRealSMK]

Perhaps a more productive avenue for you to travel is to reassess your definition of a 'real' producer.  By your current definition, I think very few producers would even fall into your narrow definition, let alone any that you would consider good producers.

No, thanks, there's no need; I think I have a very good definition now.

[Soopafly DPGC]

yeah its been since '09 since he released an album so you are right about his short career

it just seems to me he always getting looked over even by his own crew especially Dre and even Snoop

It is a shame that Snoop and DPG don't utilize Warren more today.  I honestly don't know if Warren just doesn't produce anymore or what the issue is.  To my knowledge, he isn't really signed exclusively anywhere, so he could probably sell them beats directly and make good money doing so. 

After "I Want It All", him and Dre patched things up and unfortunately Warren turned into a bit of a Dr Dre clone and started making music resembling Dr Dre production and Warren lost his unique sound.  The Game Don't Wait RMX and Looking at You, etc. sound alot more like Dre than Warren.  And i know he was jumping on what was selling at the time and he felt GFunk wasn't really selling anymore and he changed his sound.  No harm in trying that.  Problem is now, he could easily go back to his early GFunk sound and it would be great for his legacy and career, but he's still chasing the sound of whatever is popular now hoping to land a radio hit.  Warren needs to be the best Warren G he can be, and not trying to be the best Wiz Khalifa or whatever current popular producers are doing these days. 

[ThaRealSMK]

nice

i will say narrowing it down to just pharell instead of neptunes is off to me

they were much better as a duo imo and most of pharrell classix comes from the neptunes era


also gota throw the glove in the mix... mike mosely, khayree, tone capone and many others from the bay get overlooked as well

You're absolutely right; actually, I left quite a few out, and Chad Hugo really deserves his props. I also forgot Kanye West—before he went off the rails—and i forgot DJ Mustard, too.

[Soopafly DPGC]

No, thanks, there's no need; I think I have a very good definition now.

And that's where your issues lie. 

[ThaRealSMK]

And that's where your issues lie.

Ok Einstein

[Soopafly DPGC]

Ok Einstein

With technology and innovation the way it is, if you think producers should be playing all their own live instruments and such and any that don't aren't 'real' producers, you're living in the past man. 

That's like saying someone isn't a real man because they didn't go out and build their own house or went out and hunted their own food.  There's no need to do that anymore.  Doesn't make you any less of a man, times change.