Warren G took nearly three years to complete his second album, returning in the spring of 1997 with Take A Look Over Your Shoulder, which was greeted with decidedly mixed reviews and weak sales. I Want It All followed in 1999 with The Return of the Regulator appearing two years later. In 2005 he signed with Lightyear Enterntainment and released In the Mid-Nite Hour.
Regulate
Warren G Lyrics
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We regulate any stealin' of his property
We're damn good too, but you can't be any geek off the street
You gotta be handy with the steel, if you know what I mean
Earn your keep
Regulators, mount up
It was a clear black night, a clear white moon
Warren G was on the streets, tryin' to consume
Some skirts for the eve, so I can get some phones
Rollin' in my ride, chillin' all alone
Just hit the eastside of the L-B-C
On a mission tryna find Mr. Warren G
Seen a car full of girls, ain't no need to tweak
All you skirts know what's up with 2-1-3
So I hooks a left on 2-1 and Lewis
Some brothers shootin' dice, so I said, "Let's do this"
I jumped out the ride and said, "What's up?"
Some brothers pulled some gats, so I said, "I'm stuck"
Since these girls peepin' me I'ma glide and swerve
These hookers lookin' so hard they straight hit the curb
Onto bigger, better things than some horny tricks
I see my homie and some suckas all in his mix
I'm gettin' jacked, I'm breakin' myself
I can't believe they takin' Warren's wealth
They took my rings, they took my Rolex
I looked at the brother said, "Damn, what's next?"
They got my homie hemmed up and they all around
Can't none of them see him if they goin' straight pound for pound
They wanna come up real quick before they start to clown
I best pull out my strap and lay them busters down
They got guns to my head
I think I'm goin' down
I can't believe it's happenin' in my own town
If I had wings I would fly, let me contemplate
I glanced in the cut and I see my homie Nate
Sixteen in the clip and one in the hole
Nate Dogg is about to make some bodies turn cold
Now they droppin' and yellin', it's a tad bit late
Nate Dogg and Warren G had to regulate
I laid all them busters down, I let my gat explode
Now I'm switchin' my mind back into freak mode
If you want skirts, sit back and observe
I just left a gang of hoes over there on the curb
Now Nate got the freaks and that's a known fact
Before I got jacked I was on the same track
Back up, back up, 'cause it's on
N-A-T-E and me, the Warren to the G
Just like I thought, they were in the same spot
In need of some desperate help
But Nate Dogg and the G child
Were in need of somethin' else
One of them dames was sexy as hell
I said, "Ooh, I like your size"
She said, "My car's broke down and you seem real nice, would you let me ride?"
I got a car full of girls and it's goin' real swell
The next stop is the Eastside Motel
I'm tweakin' into a whole new era
G-funk, step to this, I dare ya
Funk on a whole new level
The rhythm is the bass and the bass is the treble (woo)
Chords, strings, we brings melody
G-funk, where rhythm is life and life is rhythm
If you know like I know
You don't wanna step to this
It's the G-funk era, funked out with a gangster twist
If you smoke like I smoke
Then you're high like everyday
And if your ass is a buster
2-1-3 will regulate
The song "Regulate" by Warren G ft. Nate Dogg is a narrative story of a night out in Long Beach, where Warren is out cruising and looking for women. He ends up getting lost and lost his Rolex and is about to be robbed when his friend Nate comes by and saves him by shooting his attackers. The lyrics of the song are the account of this episode.
The lyrics "We regulate any stealin' of his property, we're damn good too, but you can't be any geek off the street, gotta be handy with the steel if you know what I mean, earn your keep" mean that the two friends are gang members who don't tolerate any theft from their community. They're equipped and well-equipped to fight and solve any wrongdoing in their area. The lyrics go on to tell their story of navigating on the streets, encountering various people, some friendly, and others looking to harm them. The chorus, "Regulate, mount up," is them calling their friends to arm themselves and get ready for the battles that lie ahead.
The song is a classic hip-hop and G-funk song that became famous for its unique sound, catchy chorus, and vivid narrative. It was released in 1994 on Warren G's album "Regulate… G Funk Era." It went on to become a massive commercial hit, reaching number two on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart and number one on the US Billboard Hot Rap Tracks chart. The song has been featured in many films, TV shows, and video games and has been sampled in several other hip-hop songs.
Line by Line Meaning
Regulators
We are the law enforcement in this area.
We regulate any stealin' of his property
We take care of protecting the property of the people.
We're damn good too, but you can't be any geek off the street
We are skilled individuals and we cannot afford to have inexperienced people in our team.
You gotta be handy with the steel, if you know what I mean
You need to have good skills with weapons to be a part of our team.
Earn your keep
You need to do your part and work hard to maintain your position in our team.
Regulators, mount up
We're ready to start working and carry out our duties.
It was a clear black night, a clear white moon
The night was clear and peaceful, a good time to be out.
Warren G was on the streets, tryin' to consume
Warren G was out looking for something to do.
Some skirts for the eve, so I can get some phones
He was looking for girls to spend time with and maybe get phone numbers.
Rollin' in my ride, chillin' all alone
He was driving around in his car, enjoying himself.
Just hit the eastside of the L-B-C
He drove to the east side of Long Beach, California.
On a mission tryna find Mr. Warren G
He was trying to find himself.
Seen a car full of girls, ain't no need to tweak
He saw a car full of girls and didn't need to fuss about it.
All you skirts know what's up with 2-1-3
The girls knew Warren G's crew's code number.
So I hooks a left on 2-1 and Lewis
He turned left on 21st Street and Lewis Street.
Some brothers shootin' dice, so I said, "Let's do this"
He saw some people gambling and decided to join in.
I jumped out the ride and said, "What's up?"
He left his car and greeted the people gambling.
Some brothers pulled some gats, so I said, "I'm stuck"
The people got weapons, so he couldn't leave.
Since these girls peepin' me I'ma glide and swerve
He was driving around in his car to impress the girls who were watching.
These hookers lookin' so hard they straight hit the curb
The girls were paying so much attention to him that they accidentally hit the curb.
Onto bigger, better things than some horny tricks
Warren G was looking for more meaningful things than just having a good time with the girls.
I see my homie and some suckas all in his mix
He saw his friend in trouble with some shady people.
I'm gettin' jacked, I'm breakin' myself
They were robbing him.
I can't believe they takin' Warren's wealth
He couldn't believe they were stealing his friend's money.
They took my rings, they took my Rolex
They stole his jewelry.
I looked at the brother said, "Damn, what's next?"
He asked the robber what else they wanted to take.
They got my homie hemmed up and they all around
The robbers were surrounding his friend and he couldn't do anything without risking himself.
Can't none of them see him if they goin' straight pound for pound
His friend's attackers were too strong and he was outnumbered.
They wanna come up real quick before they start to clown
The robbers were trying to take Warren's wealth as soon as possible before making fun of him.
I best pull out my strap and lay them busters down
He decided to get his gun and kill the robbers to help his friend.
They got guns to my head
The robbers had guns pointing at him.
I think I'm goin' down
He was afraid he was going to die.
I can't believe it's happenin' in my own town
He was shocked that something like that would happen in his hometown.
If I had wings I would fly, let me contemplate
He had no other way out and thought about running away.
I glanced in the cut and I see my homie Nate
He looked around and saw his friend Nate.
Sixteen in the clip and one in the hole
He had a gun with sixteen bullets and one was already loaded.
Nate Dogg is about to make some bodies turn cold
Nate was ready to kill people.
Now they droppin' and yellin', it's a tad bit late
After killing the robbers, they started yelling and it was too late for them.
Nate Dogg and Warren G had to regulate
They had to take action to stop the robbers and protect themselves and their friends.
I laid all them busters down, I let my gat explode
He killed all the robbers with his gun.
Now I'm switchin' my mind back into freak mode
Now that the danger was over, he went back to his previous state of mind.
If you want skirts, sit back and observe
If you want to find girls, just relax and watch.
I just left a gang of hoes over there on the curb
He was driving away from where he left a group of girls.
Now Nate got the freaks and that's a known fact
Nate is good at attracting girls, and everybody knows that.
Before I got jacked I was on the same track
He was doing the same things before he got robbed.
Back up, back up, 'cause it's on
He needed some space because he was ready to do something.
N-A-T-E and me, the Warren to the G
He and Nate were united and ready to act together.
Just like I thought, they were in the same spot
He realized that Nate was also in that area.
In need of some desperate help
They needed help urgently.
But Nate Dogg and the G child
Nate and Warren are ready to help.
Were in need of somethin' else
They needed something else to do after the robbery experience.
One of them dames was sexy as hell
One of the girls was very attractive.
I said, "Ooh, I like your size"
He complemented the girl's appearance.
She said, "My car's broke down and you seem real nice, would you let me ride?"
The girl asked Warren for a ride since her car was broken.
I got a car full of girls and it's goin' real swell
He had a car full of girls and they were having a good time.
The next stop is the Eastside Motel
They were heading to a motel to spend time together.
I'm tweakin' into a whole new era
He was enjoying himself and entering a new phase of his life.
G-funk, step to this, I dare ya
He was listening to some G-funk music and dared others to join him.
Funk on a whole new level
He was experiencing a new level of funk music.
The rhythm is the bass and the bass is the treble (woo)
The music was comprised of a lot of bass sounds.
Chords, strings, we brings melody
The music had chords and was melodic.
G-funk, where rhythm is life and life is rhythm
G-funk music represented a lifestyle where music is the most important thing.
If you know like I know
If you know what I know about this music, you'll understand why it's so good.
You don't wanna step to this
You don't want to mess with us when we're listening to this music.
It's the G-funk era, funked out with a gangster twist
The music represented a combination of G-funk style and gangster-themed lyrics.
If you smoke like I smoke
If you're a regular smoker like me.
Then you're high like everyday
Then you're high all the time.
And if your ass is a buster
And if you are a coward.
2-1-3 will regulate
Their crew will keep watch over everything and everyone, and make sure everything is under control.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, REACH MUSIC PUBLISHING, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Jerry Leiber, Mike Stoller, Nathaniel Hale, Warren Iii Griffin
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind