G-funk
G-funk, (Gangsta-funk or Ghetto-funk), is a type of hip hop music that emerged from West Coast gangsta rap in the early 1990s. G-Funk incorporates multi-layered and melodic synthesizers, slow hypnotic grooves, a deep bass, background female vocals, the extensive sampling of P-funk inspired tunes (of the likes of Isaac Hayes, George Clinton, and Donny Hathaway), and a high portamento sine wave keyboard lead (a feature that became the genre’s notable trademark). This genre was characterized by a predictable and rather minimalist subject matter (typically violence, sex, and endless drug-use), and a “lazy drawl” that sacrificed wordplay and lyricism for simplistic clarity and a rhythmic flow. Nevertheless, G-Funk was easy to dance to, and therefore, its primary function became party music. G-Funk’s beat-oriented, exuberant, good-time house-party anthems became popular hit-singles, the most famous being Snoop Dogg’s Gin and Juice.
There is some debate concerning who first performed G-Funk. The progenitor of the sound is variously claimed to be Eazy-E, fellow NWA member Dr. Dre, through his 1992 album The Chronic, or Above The Law. After Dr. Dre's success, G-Funk became the dominant sound in hip hop for several years, with Death Row Records artists like Snoop Doggy Dogg (blessed with Dre's production) and Warren G crossing over to the mainstream.
The commercial success of G-Funk completely altered the map of mainstream hip-hop. It took the nation's attention away from the New York (which had previously been regarded as the Mecca of Hip-Hop) and placed the spotlight on Los Angeles, thus making the West Coast the center for mainstream hip-hop. For the next four years (1992-1996), West Coast G-Funk held a virtual monopoly on the hip-hop mainstream scene, thus overshadowing several acts coming from the East Coast.
In addition, G-Funk uses similar production cues, if not the same, as San Francisco Bay Area hip hop created "Mobb Music." Mobb Music incorporates the G-Funk sound, with more tempo variations, less portamento, synthesizers, Moog bass lines, and more live instruments. The sound, Mobb Music, can be attributed to a host of producers such as Mike Mosley, Sean T, One Drop Scott, Cellski, Ant Banks, JT the Bigga Figga, DJ Darryl, Ric Roc, and Studio Tone. SF Bay Area hip hop artists, San Quinn, RBL Posse, Mac Dre, E-40, B-Legit, Suga-T, D-Shot, Too $hort, Mac Mall, Gelo, C-Bo, JT the Bigga Figga, 11/5, Cold World Hustlas, 3xCrazy, UDI, Guce, and Spice-1, used Mobb Music as the back drop for most of their lyrics.
There has been some debate about Mobb Music having a longer presence on the West Coast hip hop scene than G-Funk, which gained more commercial acceptance.
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