What should the West do right now?

[R-Tistic]

In your opinion, whether u love hate like or don't care for the west coast, what direction do u think they should go in order to get more attention nationwide, without riding off Dre's coattails?
Should they focus on merging underground and lyrical rap-styles with gangsta beats?
Should they re-vitalize gangsta rap?
Should they take a East Coast formula but speak about west coast ideals, as The Game does?
Should they come back with the gangsta attitude, but instead of speakin about gangbangin and killin, speak about real and controversial issues such as war, government, etc?

I just want to get what everyone's perspective is, because I am with a new record company that is startin in L.A., and I am one of their three producers, and I feel what they are doin, but I think it's gonna take somethin new in order to actually have an impact and get nationwide respect.

[budsmokeronly]

I personally hope they keep it gangsta.  But first and foremost what I think they need to do is unite.  Westcoast rappers sound best over westcoast beats, and with other westcoast guests.  It really doesn't matter about your lyrics nowadays to be popular.  You can rap about whatever u want, the subject is not what sells music nowadays, unless of course the subject is sex.  The west just needs to unite totally together and not fuck with others very much at all.  Everyone on here knows the west has hella talent, it just needs to be heard.  All the big stars on the west (snoop, dre, cube, suge knight, Xzibit) need to help out EVERYBODY on the west.  Imagine the power that they could bring the west back with.  But wtf do they do for the west these days?  Pretty much Snoop is the only one doing anything, but its not really a whole lot at all.  Cube, at least he is doin another wsc album now, but other than that he has been hella quiet in the rap game.  Dre don't do a damn thang for the west anymore.  All suge does is hate.  Xzibit, he is with dre and got big headed and seemed like he forgot where he came from.  Snoop does help the west, but he could be doing way more.  Such as using west producers and guest (he has plenty at hand), keeping 213 strictly westcoast, etc.  Too bad there is this thing called money and this is never gonna happen all due to money.

[Hatesrats™]

One word Like the homie said above we need some.....
Word to Queen Latifah....
U.N.I.T.Y.

ImO
We have the best producer's.
The best young talent.
The legend's who still have the edge and mainstream appeal.
The power to make ends meet.
Just to much mad cow disease going on in the WESTCOAST ...The Beef must stop.

Imagine a unified WEST & fugitabowditt we got it loCkEd!
Hatesrats 2oooTre

[PLANT]

Yo I think we should be very extremely happy for the west right now.  The left coast is in a very good position right now.  50 Cent, Eminem, and JayZ are all getting played out (well kind of) , The Ja Rule and Nelly era seems to be over, and most importantly, the westcoast is coming back hard.  213, Tha Eastsidaz, Dr. Dre, Nate Dogg, Warren G, Westside Connection and on and on, those are all the big hitters on the west, and they are all getting set to drop albums so I think we shouldnt pannick and just see how this plays out.  Soon the west will be back in the spotlight IMO.

[Lil Suge Knight]

HATESRATS keepin it real again,  one dogg here i respect!!!!

[Cold Bishop]

Yo I think we should be very extremely happy for the west right now.  The left coast is in a very good position right now.  50 Cent, Eminem, and JayZ are all getting played out (well kind of) , The Ja Rule and Nelly era seems to be over, and most importantly, the westcoast is coming back hard.  213, Tha Eastsidaz, Dr. Dre, Nate Dogg, Warren G, Westside Connection and on and on, those are all the big hitters on the west, and they are all getting set to drop albums so I think we shouldnt pannick and just see how this plays out.  Soon the west will be back in the spotlight IMO.

I find it funny people say the West is coming back yet i have yet to see an artist other than Snoop, Dre, & Cube get any real exposure recently. I see what you say about 50 Cent, Nelly, & Jay-Z getting played out, but just wait till Em, Jay, or 50 drop another album, it's gonna be the same as last time. The whole Nelly & Ja Rule era is dying but thats just gonna make way for the Fabolous, Cam'Ron, Clipse etc. era. The only way west is gonna come b ack is this. Dre, Cube, Snoop, etc. drop albums of there own and bring bakc the spotlight on the west. Then we need to show off our new artists, BUT the only problem i see is lots of our new artists aren't bringing anything new to the table. Nobody but the west coast rap fan wants to hear Tha Eastsidaz or 213 spit the same-old-tired gangsta rhymes. To quote the Source's review of Ren's A Villian In Black review "Gangsta rap has gone far astray from its 1989 stance. Nowadays, its MCs are too apathetic and emotionless. Indeed, it's damned difficult to find any album that effectively fuses liquor store politics, revolutionary anthems and originality like N.W.A.'s Straight Outta Compton, Above the Law's Livin Like Hustlers, Geto Boys' Grip It On That Other Level, CMW's It's a Compton Thang or Spice 1's East Bay Gangster. The anger, energy and focus of the music and MC no longer exist." That really what has happened with the west and gangsta rap, which was the reason the west got big, our trademark sound. Unless the west can revitalize gangsta rap, The best chance we have our with cats like Sly Boogie, Ras Kass, Crooked I (and on Death Row there is no chance of him blowing up), The Game (since Dre is behind this project it no doubt will sell), and i don't see these cats blowing up the superstar status, and blowing the west up to coastal superiority. The west i feel will get the spotlight back on them soon, but the problem is i don't see us keepin that spotlight, i just see it ending up like '99 with us falling off back to oblivion afterwards. The west still has a lopng way to go till there ready to take over.

[Bigg AG]

idk what they need shyt... i wish tha old DR days were bacc and 2pac wasent dead. and Roach Dogg u got tha best movie ever made in ur avatar . im out!!!

[_That_Cracka_J]

Gangsta Rap!!!!   We need more gangsta rap!  Ain't many puttin' it down like that anymore....

[Cold Bishop]

Gangsta Rap!!!!   We need more gangsta rap!  Ain't many puttin' it down like that anymore....

I explained the problem with G-Rap in my earlier post. The only it could make an impact if they try doing something interesting with it instead of the same tired stuff thats been coming out of the west since the mid 90's.

[··: O.G Kody™ :··]

It depends what people class as "Westcoast" I mean, you can hardly say that people like Dr. Dre are true representatives of West Coast music. There are cats in the bay etc that STILL put out material like it was 94. People like Snoop, Cube, Dre etc have all fallen off and IMO they are too old to get back on. Anything that leaves the mouths of those mentioned cannot be beleive anymore.

I think the West is already stepping in the right direction and has been for a few years, some of ya'll just want commercial club hits. If that is the case, then keep banging on about Dre & Xzibit or whoever.