West Coast Connection Forum
DUBCC - Tha Connection => West Coast Classics => Topic started by: Mr. RuthlessG on April 01, 2006, 05:00:50 PM
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One of the biggest problems that I have noticed about the west is that the few people that's in a position to really help the coast isn't doing anything.
Dr. Dre
I'm not saying he has to sign every rapper on the west to Aftermath or produce for every rapper out there but he can do a lot more then what he does to support the shit. True he helped out the Game recently but he had to associate himself with 50 Cen and G-Unit and more less do east coast style to sell albums.
Ice Cube
The man said it himself in an interview with Murder Dog in 2004 that he is not even going to bother helping anyone on the west anymore or help to bring up new artists. Which is a shame because I feel he could do a lot more for the coast.
Snoop Dogg
It seems to me he only looks out for himself he doesn't even help the rappers like Daz, Kurupt, Soopafly, Warren G and Nate Dogg that kiss his ass. Snoop could do much more but for some reason he doesn't and he's one of the main people complaining about the west not getting much airplay or video play.
Suge Knight
The sad thing is a few years ago when he got out of prison he actually had the talent to rebuild his label and actually help the west coast out, but instead he focused all of his time and energy dissing Dre and Snoop when he should have been using that time to promote Crooked I and Eastwood. Shameful.
Mack 10
He is one of the few west coast rap artists with a lable and a deal with Capitol but like Ice Cube he said himself that he wasn't going to help out anyone else on the west coast but he signed a east coast rapper Red Cafe, he could resigned Techneic and help him and try to work with some other up coming people on the west but he won't.
Tomica Wright
Ruthless Records used to be great label and it could at least become a contender again. It still has distribution by a major label and I feel that Tomica could sign some new talent to that label it's too much talent on the west for her not to have any artists on that label. If she doesn't want to run the label anymore then she should hire someone to handle the business side of things and get some management there.
I may have left out someone but that's all I can think of right now.
What are your thoughts on this?
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Yeh i agree with most things you said there. I think someone made the point in another topic that Lil Jon has done more for the westcoast than Dr Dre has.....Not something i entirely agree with but a good point.
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why do you any of those people care about "helping" west? rap and music is their job, so their main concert is to make MONEY, they dont care bout helping others....it's not that hard to understand
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Homie, these cats in the West that haven't fallen off have no responsibility to help these other cats. Many of them (especially Daz, Kurupt, Warren G, etc.) fell off because unlike Dre, Snoop, etc., they haven't been able to adapt to the times and update their sound. Unless they do that, it doesn't matter who helps them...the mainstream still won't give a fuck. And they really shouldn't...why do muh'fuckas wanna listen to a rapper who's still making the same music he was making 10 years ago?
And don't say Snoop's done nothing...Snoop brought up Tha Eastsidaz and has regularly done guest appearances for Daz and Kurupt and Warren G in spite of his going rate, plus he got Nate Dogg and Warren G their deal with TVT for the 213 reunion album, and that failed. Face it, these other niggas from the West have ZERO commercial potential...they act like it's still 1995 and they can get by putting out the same shit over and over. And THAT is the whole problem with the West - it's still livin in the past and refuses to move forward.
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thats interesting one of the biggest problems i find with the west is its immigrant population getting snobby and refusing to learn english, creating a larger divide between them and the rest of the state.
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these "problems" are never gonna be solved
and I don't think anyone is making similar music to 10 years ago
I think they've switched the style up (whichever way, who fuckin knows).... and it's not working! that's the problem
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Hopefully The Bay will change the problems in Cali ;)
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dude are you kidding me about snoop? he's basically the reason that daz,kurupt, warren g, soopafly and them even still have a presence around. if it wasnt for snoop no one would be checking for them. and he's already done enough for the west. he helped out some many people in the past before, way more than almost any other guy in the west.
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dude are you kidding me about snoop? he's basically the reason that daz,kurupt, warren g, soopafly and them even still have a presence around. if it wasnt for snoop no one would be checking for them. and he's already done enough for the west. he helped out some many people in the past before, way more than almost any other guy in the west.
In a way I agree with you but not when it comes to Kurupt, the reason I check for Gotti on a consistent basis is because of classic shit like Streetz, Space Boogie and Kuruption not because snoop. People give snoop way to much credit when it comes to kurupt
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and also suge knight aint in any position to help out the west. the death row era is long gone man. no matter what suge do, he aint going to get it back on top.
tomica wright, youre reaching so far with that too she inherited Ruthless Records, doesnt automatically make her able to run a business and label. this is along the same lines as death row, their time is over.
Mack 10 aint going to do shit either, he needs to boost his sales up before he can bring anyone else up.
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I think there is only so much Snoop can do. I think the situation with Tha eastsidaz and the DOggystyle All-Stars showed that perfect. Loc and Tray both got pissed at Snoop, more or less, because they ended up being nowhere near as famous as Snoop is...
Kokane got pissed at Snoop because Snoop promised all the group members (Kokane, Soopafly, E-White & LaToiya) that they would have albums out in 2003 (says "Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Kane - Comining early 2003" and "E-White - coming fall 2003" in the booklet...and now White is in prison and Koka can barely push a record out). My point is that Snoop dont own any big pressing plants or anything like that, giving a limit to what he can actually do to help people. Bad Azz is the perfect example, Snoop tried like hell to make him shine but people just didnt buy the record.
...And for Dr. Dre. Well I used to think the same thing, but I am sure that Dre is doing tons of stuff that we just dont see or hear about. Its just frustrating that we can hardly name anything west he has put out over the last 5 years (except Game) :-\
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The pb is the SOUND IMO. Currently, to be successful , you have to go South or make an album with a lineup of famous beatmakers to have a chance to sell a lot. We're talking about the West but what about the East ?? , mcs who are successful haven't a East sound at all, your sound has to be universal.... Don't tell me 50 albums or Jay(outside the 1st 2) ones are NY sound..... About veterans, Snoop has done a lot for us.. but he ain't a leader, he can't even make a consistent album on his own .... As for Dre, he's the only who can help right now, but it's very weird it's still on him for us to be on the spotlight, plus his label and himself have been a mystery for a while. Plus we have some dope upcomings mcs but they ain't on the right labels to have exposure, it's a HUGE PB , how the hell do you expect to succeed in when you have no connection in the music industry which implies the medias. Be honest the only one who has a shot to go platinum is Bishop BUT not before probably 08-09 or Never .
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Dr. Dre
I'm not saying he has to sign every rapper on the west to Aftermath or produce for every rapper out there but he can do a lot more then what he does to support the shit. True he helped out the Game recently but he had to associate himself with 50 Cen and G-Unit and more less do east coast style to sell albums.
I agree he hasen't done all that he can, but he signed both Game and Bishop, which definatly counts for something. Plus he needs guys with appeal. Not too many people from the west have that now-a-days, espically with no body checking the west right now. He's just so much of a perfectionist he dosen't want to work with just anyone, which does kind of hurt some of these rappers trying to get a beat from a hot producer.
Ice Cube
The man said it himself in an interview with Murder Dog in 2004 that he is not even going to bother helping anyone on the west anymore or help to bring up new artists. Which is a shame because I feel he could do a lot more for the coast.
Ice Cube has been acting for the past 5 years. It's pretty fucked up that he said that shit, but over the years he's lost some of his pull.
Snoop Dogg
It seems to me he only looks out for himself he doesn't even help the rappers like Daz, Kurupt, Soopafly, Warren G and Nate Dogg that kiss his ass. Snoop could do much more but for some reason he doesn't and he's one of the main people complaining about the west not getting much airplay or video play.
Are you fucking kidding me? Just read the posts by other people above. The fact that he dosen't beef with anyone is a plus. Not to mention he has/is willing tol work with anyone and everyone. But he can try to sign a young act to mold into a popular rapper.
Suge Knight
The sad thing is a few years ago when he got out of prison he actually had the talent to rebuild his label and actually help the west coast out, but instead he focused all of his time and energy dissing Dre and Snoop when he should have been using that time to promote Crooked I and Eastwood. Shameful.
HAHA. THIS is a joke right? Death Row is over. He could have gotten some success with Eastwood and Crooked, but that time is over.
Mack 10
He is one of the few west coast rap artists with a lable and a deal with Capitol but like Ice Cube he said himself that he wasn't going to help out anyone else on the west coast but he signed a east coast rapper Red Cafe, he could resigned Techneic and help him and try to work with some other up coming people on the west but he won't.
This guy can't even sell 100K ON A MAJOR. What makes you think he can bring anyone up?
Tomica Wright
Ruthless Records used to be great label and it could at least become a contender again. It still has distribution by a major label and I feel that Tomica could sign some new talent to that label it's too much talent on the west for her not to have any artists on that label. If she doesn't want to run the label anymore then she should hire someone to handle the business side of things and get some management there.
Why would you expect anything out of her? What has Ruthless done in the last 10 years, that they can help anyone?
You got a VERY good point, but some bad examples. I agree Dre & Cube can do more.
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Be honest the only one who has a shot to go platinum is Bishop BUT not before probably 08-09 or Never .
Do you seriously think he might come out in '09? :(
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Homie, these cats in the West that haven't fallen off have no responsibility to help these other cats. Many of them (especially Daz, Kurupt, Warren G, etc.) fell off because unlike Dre, Snoop, etc., they haven't been able to adapt to the times and update their sound. Unless they do that, it doesn't matter who helps them...the mainstream still won't give a fuck. And they really shouldn't...why do muh'fuckas wanna listen to a rapper who's still making the same music he was making 10 years ago?
And don't say Snoop's done nothing...Snoop brought up Tha Eastsidaz and has regularly done guest appearances for Daz and Kurupt and Warren G in spite of his going rate, plus he got Nate Dogg and Warren G their deal with TVT for the 213 reunion album, and that failed. Face it, these other niggas from the West have ZERO commercial potential...they act like it's still 1995 and they can get by putting out the same shit over and over. And THAT is the whole problem with the West - it's still livin in the past and refuses to move forward.
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Honestly, the biggest problem that I see on the west is there really aint too much unity amongst the artists and/or producers out there. Take a look at how cats in ATL,H-Town or anywhere in the south is doing it. Almost every artist in the south that comes out will almost always feature other south artist on albums or songs. I would love to see LA and Bay area artists link up and support eachother just as much as cats in the south is, ya know.
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^^^True, more unity is needed.
If u look at Dre he HAS helped the west out over the recent years, he pushed Xzibit & Knoc into the limelight, he produced a track 4 Warrens return of the regulator & Nate's Music & Me (In no they were in 2001 but its still quite recent), he produced Games album, and hes signed Bishop.
But wen artists like X & Knoc go it on their own without Dre, it just doesnt work (or not as well as it did with Dre anyway). It's not that Dres not tryin, its the fact that the world is not as interested if hes not there, its like artists get stuck in Dres shadow.
Snoop has realized that n has tried 2 go it alone without Dre, and he has been successful, but a lot of his fans stil wanna hear him with Dre and he'll neva get away from that fact cos wen he works with Dre it brings the best out of him. 8)
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^^^True, more unity is needed.
If u look at Dre he HAS helped the west out over the recent years, he pushed Xzibit & Knoc into the limelight, he produced a track 4 Warrens return of the regulator & Nate's Music & Me (In no they were in 2001 but its still quite recent), he produced Games album, and hes signed Bishop.
But wen artists like X & Knoc go it on their own without Dre, it just doesnt work (or not as well as it did with Dre anyway). It's not that Dres not tryin, its the fact that the world is not as interested if hes not there, its like artists get stuck in Dres shadow.
Snoop has realized that n has tried 2 go it alone without Dre, and he has been successful, but a lot of his fans stil wanna hear him with Dre and he'll neva get away from that fact cos wen he works with Dre it brings the best out of him. 8)
Very True
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Ice Cube
The man said it himself in an interview with Murder Dog in 2004 that he is not even going to bother helping anyone on the west anymore or help to bring up new artists. Which is a shame because I feel he could do a lot more for the coast.
Didn't damn near everyone he tried to put on or help end up dissin' him at some time. I can't say I blame him.
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I know Suge can't do shit now I just mentioned him as an example but he could have done something back in 2001.
As for the west coast sound why does it have to be universal?
The south has been doing the same shit for years and no one says anything about their sound and I'm from the south so I should know. I feel that when I buy a west coast album I want it to sound like a west coast album not like an east coast or down south album.
Also I admit I was a little hard on Snoop but I still feel he could do more and you guys made some good points.
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The south has been doing the same shit for years and no one says anything about their sound and I'm from the south so I should know. I feel that when I buy a west coast album I want it to sound like a west coast album not like an east coast or down south album.
Yeah, and why do you think that's a good thing? That means the South ain't gonna last forever. A lot of Southern rappers that used to be big have already gone under. It's the rappers like T.I. who work with Swizz Beatz that are doing well - doesn't that tell you anything?
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When did I say that was a good thing?!
I was trying to make the point that a lot of down south rappers use the same sound and rap about the same thing and no says anything about it.
And so what if T.I. works with Swizz Beats I don't support T.I. and hate Swizz Beats production and I really rappers would stop working with him.
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These guys are all artists, not artist developers. Its not their responsibility to develop new talent -- the fact that they have done it in the past for their friends should be respectable enough.
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Well as a producer / CEO I think it is Dr. Dre's job to work with and develop new artists.
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Well as a producer / CEO I think it is Dr. Dre's job to work with and develop new artists.
And what do you think he is doing with Bishop and Game? The problem is he isn't like scott storch, Lil Jon or Jazze Pha. He's not one of those hot producers that will work with anybody. He really limits himself so he can give it 100%. I think one of those producers that will work with lots of people is something the west coasst needs.
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When did I say that was a good thing?!
I was trying to make the point that a lot of down south rappers use the same sound and rap about the same thing and no says anything about it.
And so what if T.I. works with Swizz Beats I don't support T.I. and hate Swizz Beats production and I really rappers would stop working with him.
You missed the point. The point is, the fact that the South adheres so strongly to one style is what's going to bring it down (probably in the near future, too). The West fell off because it couldn't put out anything but G-Funk, and everyone hated that back in the mid-90s'. Well, now the South ain't puttin out nothing but crunk (essentially), and a lotta people are complaining about that. 10 years ago, you would've been saying the same thing about the West that you're saying about the South.
My point is that T.I. ain't all that different from cats like Game...he crossed over by working with many different producers and not limiting himself to only Lil Jon or Mannie Fresh and appealing to a wider audience. So unlike most other Southern cats, he'll probably last a lot longer cause he's shown an ability to adapt himself to different audiences and tastes.
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When did I say that was a good thing?!
I was trying to make the point that a lot of down south rappers use the same sound and rap about the same thing and no says anything about it.
And so what if T.I. works with Swizz Beats I don't support T.I. and hate Swizz Beats production and I really rappers would stop working with him.
You missed the point. The point is, the fact that the South adheres so strongly to one style is what's going to bring it down (probably in the near future, too). The West fell off because it couldn't put out anything but G-Funk, and everyone hated that back in the mid-90s'. Well, now the South ain't puttin out nothing but crunk (essentially), and a lotta people are complaining about that. 10 years ago, you would've been saying the same thing about the West that you're saying about the South.
My point is that T.I. ain't all that different from cats like Game...he crossed over by working with many different producers and not limiting himself to only Lil Jon or Mannie Fresh and appealing to a wider audience. So unlike most other Southern cats, he'll probably last a lot longer cause he's shown an ability to adapt himself to different audiences and tastes.
I 2nd that.
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But the difference between what the south is doing now and G-Funk is that G-Funk was a good sound and I still don't understand to this day why everyone hates it.
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When did I say that was a good thing?!
I was trying to make the point that a lot of down south rappers use the same sound and rap about the same thing and no says anything about it.
And so what if T.I. works with Swizz Beats I don't support T.I. and hate Swizz Beats production and I really rappers would stop working with him.
You missed the point. The point is, the fact that the South adheres so strongly to one style is what's going to bring it down (probably in the near future, too). The West fell off because it couldn't put out anything but G-Funk, and everyone hated that back in the mid-90s'. Well, now the South ain't puttin out nothing but crunk (essentially), and a lotta people are complaining about that. 10 years ago, you would've been saying the same thing about the West that you're saying about the South.
My point is that T.I. ain't all that different from cats like Game...he crossed over by working with many different producers and not limiting himself to only Lil Jon or Mannie Fresh and appealing to a wider audience. So unlike most other Southern cats, he'll probably last a lot longer cause he's shown an ability to adapt himself to different audiences and tastes.
I 2nd that.
I 3rd that.
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I tired of this it's bad enough that I feel that I'm probably only person down south that wants the west to succeed, but if you guys are happy with being at the bottom of the rap food chain than fine if you don't care that the west doesn't any respect, air play or video play, that's fine with me if you guys don't care then why should I.
I'm done with this thread and the west in general I'm just going to continue support the few artists on the west that I still like and it's not that many.
Peace out.
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But the difference between what the south is doing now and G-Funk is that G-Funk was a good sound and I still don't understand to this day why everyone hates it.
Well, that's your opinion. I prefer G-Funk myself, but objectively speaking, there's not much difference between G-Funk and Crunk when it comes to substance - both G-Funk and Crunk records tend to be party-oriented joints for the clubs, and not much else.
The only reason people hated it was because it was overused and became played the fuck out. When people hear a formula beat to death, they'll get tired of it eventually. I loved the classic G-Funk albums back in the day, but after a while, I got sick of every single album coming out of the West using the same Clinton and Zapp samples and the same whiny synthesizers, and I moved on to other shit I'd been ignoring.
I tired of this it's bad enough that I feel that I'm probably only person down south that wants the west to succeed, but if you guys are happy with being at the bottom of the rap food chain than fine if you don't care that the west doesn't any respect, air play or video play, that's fine with me if you guys don't care then why should I.
Homie, I'm from the West originally, and most of my fondest memories are of the classic West Coast records. But the fact is, the West Coast played itself out, and these washed-up G-rappers from Cali have no one to blame but themselves for that. Unlike the East, the West has shown an almost complete lack of ability to evolve and to reinvent itself, except for a few artists (like Snoop). It's become devoid of creativity and that's why people like me got sick of it. I would love to see some of the West's more progressive and intelligent artists, like Ras Kass and Jurassic-5, put the West back on the map, but it ain't gonna happen. As long as the West remains trapped in the 90s', it ain't goin' nowhere. That's not a matter of what I want - it's a matter of FACT.
So if you want to continue to support a lack of creativity and substance in the West and then complain that it isn't on top, fine, but that simply shows what kind of hip-hop fan you are.
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I know Suge can't do shit now I just mentioned him as an example but he could have done something back in 2001.
As for the west coast sound why does it have to be universal?
The south has been doing the same shit for years and no one says anything about their sound and I'm from the south so I should know. I feel that when I buy a west coast album I want it to sound like a west coast album not like an east coast or down south album.
Also I admit I was a little hard on Snoop but I still feel he could do more and you guys made some good points.
WHAT IS A WEST COAST SOUND,PLEASE BREAK THIS DOWN FOR ME,CAUSE i've heard the la dream team,suga and spice,mc hammer,sir mix alot,insane poetry,freestyle fellowship,living legends,tone loc,young mc,digital underground,the pharcyde,del and souls of mischief,besides snoop and the death row sound, so TELL ME WHAT IS THE WEST COAST SOUND!!!!!!!!!!!!!!,cause personally we been universal,BEFORE EVERYONE ELSE,EQUALS JUST NEED TO START RESPECTING EVERYTHING WE DO/DID, get yo minds right yell
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But the difference between what the south is doing now and G-Funk is that G-Funk was a good sound and I still don't understand to this day why everyone hates it.
Well, that's your opinion. I prefer G-Funk myself, but objectively speaking, there's not much difference between G-Funk and Crunk when it comes to substance - both G-Funk and Crunk records tend to be party-oriented joints for the clubs, and not much else.
The only reason people hated it was because it was overused and became played the fuck out. When people hear a formula beat to death, they'll get tired of it eventually. I loved the classic G-Funk albums back in the day, but after a while, I got sick of every single album coming out of the West using the same Clinton and Zapp samples and the same whiny synthesizers, and I moved on to other shit I'd been ignoring.
I tired of this it's bad enough that I feel that I'm probably only person down south that wants the west to succeed, but if you guys are happy with being at the bottom of the rap food chain than fine if you don't care that the west doesn't any respect, air play or video play, that's fine with me if you guys don't care then why should I.
Homie, I'm from the West originally, and most of my fondest memories are of the classic West Coast records. But the fact is, the West Coast played itself out, and these washed-up G-rappers from Cali have no one to blame but themselves for that. Unlike the East, the West has shown an almost complete lack of ability to evolve and to reinvent itself, except for a few artists (like Snoop). It's become devoid of creativity and that's why people like me got sick of it. I would love to see some of the West's more progressive and intelligent artists, like Ras Kass and Jurassic-5, put the West back on the map, but it ain't gonna happen. As long as the West remains trapped in the 90s', it ain't goin' nowhere. That's not a matter of what I want - it's a matter of FACT.
So if you want to continue to support a lack of creativity and substance in the West and then complain that it isn't on top, fine, but that simply shows what kind of hip-hop fan you are.
Although I love the 90's G-Funk sound, you make excellent points.
Cats still want to gangbang and throw up their rags all over their records and people just don't want to hear that anymore.
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we all need to realize that whatever the West tries to change, it STILL won't get the spotlight again