Grammy-nominated hip-hop pioneer Warren G is a Long Beach rapper who formed the legendary group 213 (named after the city's area code) with Nate Dogg and Snoop Dogg, who went on to collaborate with step-brother Dr. Dre on The Chronic (providing the samples for 'Nuthin' But a G-Thang') and contribute the track 'Indo Smoke' with Mista Grimm and Nate Dogg on the Poetic Justice soundtrack.

After a lively bidding war, Warren signed to Def Jam, which released his debut album, Regulate… G Funk Era in 1994, with the title track climbing to No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100