Dr. Dre & Snoop Dogg “Nuthin’ But a ‘G’ Thang” tops R&B chart

Nuthin’ But a ‘G’ Thang Dr. Dre & Snoop Dogg

Writer(s): Tracy Curry, Calvin Broadus, Otha Haywood (see lyrics here) Released: November 19, 1992 First Charted: January 23, 1993 Peak: 2 US, 2 CB, 24 RR, 12 RB, 31 UK, 63 AU, 24 DF (Click for codes to charts.) Sales (in millions): 1.3 US, 0.2 UK, 1.5 world (includes US + UK) Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, 79.82 video, 274.37 streaming

Awards: Click on award for more details.

About the Song: Rapper Dr. Dre (born Andre Young) started out with the World Class Wreckin’ Cru and then was part of the gangsta rap group N.W.A. before releasing his debut solo effort, The Chronic, in 1992. The album reached #3 on the Billboard album chart and sold more than five million copies, fueled by top-ten hits “Nuthin’ But a ‘G’ Thang” and “Dre Day” as well as top 40-hit “Let Me Ride.” With “Nuthin’” Dre “brought his innovative G-Funk sound to the mainstream.” TB It was “a West Coast rap classic” TC about gangster life and getting laid. It’s ultimately a “piece of misogynistic nonsense,” TC that “reads like the patter between two adolescent boys” TC which explains why “gangsta rap essentially appealed to teenage males.” TC The song is built around a sample from seventies funk artist Leon Haywood’s “I Want’a Do Something Freaky to You.” “All the hallmarks of his best work are here: the Funkadelic-inspired beats, the stop-start liquid bass, the subtle funk guitar, and the heavy-breathing backing vocals.” TB The song didn’t just establish Dr. Dre as a commercially-viable solo artist, but as “one of the most clued-up talent spotters around.” TB “Nuthin’” introduced Snoop Dogg (then known as Snoop Doggy Dogg) to the mainstream; in fact, Snoop actually does most of the rapping on the song. TC The pair previously collaborated on “Deep Cover” in 1992, a #46 R&B hit from the soundtrack of the same name. Snoop’s Dr. Dre-produced debut solo album, Doggystyle, dropped the next year. It hit #1 on the Billboard album chart, sold nearly seven million copies in the United States, and produced two top-ten hits. With those two albums, Dre “developed a sound that was so funky and fat that he quickly became one of the most inventive and powerful of rap producers; ” TC in fact, “the most important hip-hop producer of the 1990s.” TB He produced and guested on Blackstreet’s chart-topping hit “No Diggity” and would also work with Tupac Shakur, Eminem, and Mary J. Blige. Resources: DMDB encyclopedia entry for Dr. Dre DMDB encyclopedia entry for Snoop Dogg TC Toby Creswell (2005). 1001 Songs: The Great Songs of All Time. Thunder’s Mouth Press: New York, NY. Page 717. TB Thunder Bay Press (2006). Singles: Six Decades of Hot Hits & Classic Cuts. Outline Press Ltd.: San Diego, CA. Page 260. Related Links: First posted 6/18/2023.