Telling The Story: Warren G and Nate Dogg present "Regulate"

“ I like hip-hop because it tells a story”

- Barack Obama

When music is executed at its highest level it becomes art – an art that is able to synthesize the most personal of experiences and present them in such a way that they become accessible to all through the medium of song.
There is a metaphor that is used to describe the greats - the Johnny Cash's and the Bob Dylan 's; they say these men are able to 'squeeze blood from the stone'. What this means is that they can find that which is essential and human (blood) in even the most harsh and unyielding of life's circumstances (stone). They are master storytellers who live to tell the story.

Here at Suffer the Fool we will be celebrating great achievements in storytelling through song in a new feature I call “Telling the Story”. The lyrics of a particular song will be broken down into its various parts and analyzed as a narrative to reveal the deeper meaning hidden within the metaphor and poetry.

Today I'm proud to present the first installment of Telling the Story – Warren G's “Regulate”.






Telling the Story: Warren G feat. Nate Dogg “Regulate”

Intro

Regulators
We regulate any stealing of his property
And we damn good too
But you cant be any geek off the street,
Gotta be handy with the steel if you know what I mean, earn your keep!
Regulators!!! mount up!

Classic use of foreshadowing to prepare for the tale ahead. The use of a sampled voice in this opening monologue creates a sense of distance and detachment, perhaps suggesting that the listener is privy to a 'God's Eye' perspective on the events about to unfold.


It was a clear black night, a clear white moon
Warren g was on the streets, trying to consume
Some skirts for the eve, so I can get some funk
Just rollin in my ride, chillin all alone

With the weather on his side Warren begins by juxtaposing the clearness of the black night sky against the clearness of the white moon. No doubt a metaphor for racial harmony, Warren is letting us know that this story begins in a world of peace free of haze and confusion.
Since he is free from the trappings of conflict Warren is at liberty to focus on the fulfillment of his biological imperative as he cruises the block in search of a suitable mate . The final line of this stanza emphasizes that he is alone, metaphorically implying the solitude we experience at both the beginning and end stages of life.

Just hit the eastside of the lbc
On a mission trying to find mr. warren g.
Seen a car full of girls aint no need to tweak
All you skirts know whats up with 213

Enter: Nate Dogg. Nate begins his verse with a mis-en-scene that directly addresses the listener, letting them know that he’s looking for Warren on the east side of Long Beach. Momentarily distracted by the site of a car full of young women, Nate reminds himself that there’s no need to lose focus or engage courtship because he is a man of reputation in the 213 area code. Immediately Nate's character is established as being one of distinguished success and stern discipline.

So I hooks a left on the 21 and lewis
Some brothas shootin dice so I said lets do this
I jumped out the ride, and said whats up?
Some brothas pulled some gats so I said Im stuck.

Approaching the intersection of 21 and Lewis Warren decides to turn left. Riding high on the vibe of peace in the air in the night he sees a group of young men, nay, brothers occupying themselves with games of chance. Excited by the idea of joining in on the fun Warren greets them warmly and tries to make his way into the game. The young men don’t seem to take kindly to this however and respond by pulling out handguns. Realizing the depth of the plight he finds himself in, Warren uses the word “stuck” to describe both the physical sense of immobility he feels as well as the spiritual and emotional paralysis he is experiencing.


Since these girls peepin me ima glide and swerve
These hookers lookin so hard they straight hit the curb
Wontcha think of better things than some horny tricks
I see my homey and some suckers all in his mix

Nate has lost track! Preoccupied by the looks of intent he’s been getting from a mixed bag of sluts and prostitutes his focus has shifted from the fact he’s supposed to be looking for Warren. Setting his mind back on track Nate apprises himself of his surroundings and to his amazement Warren is near by!! Looking closer Nate is shocked to find that Warren, his homey, has been swarmed by the dice players whom Nate refers to as “suckers”, a term which derides them while also emphasizing the naive hubris they are presently exuding.


Im gettin jacked, Im breakin myself
I cant believe they taking warrens wealth
They took my rings, they took my rolex
I looked at the brotha said damn, whats next?


Coming to grips with the fact that the passive aggressive swarming he faced has now escalated into a full scale robbery Warren assumes a defensive position. Among the items being stolen from his person are his rings and Rolex watch. Looking into the eyes of one of his assailants, whom Warren still considers to be a “brother” in spite of the aggression being enacted upon him, he ponders aloud what might be taken from him next.


They got my homey hemmed up and they all around
Aint none of them seeing if they going straight pound for pound
I gotta come up real quick before they start to clown
I best pull out my strap and lay them busters down

This stanza gives us a glimpse into Nate’s deductive reasoning. As he sees it his friend is being swarmed and his attackers are not open to the idea of a fair fight. This doesn’t sit well with Nate who decides the best course of action is to brandish the firearm he has up to this point been concealing in order to murder Warren’s attackers before they get further out of hand.


They got guns to my head
I think Im going down
I cant believe this happenin in my own town
If I had wings I could fly
Let me contemplate
I glanced in the cut and I see my homey nate

Nate isn’t the only one who’s been hiding a gun. We are reminded that the young men playing dice were also carrying firearms which they now have pressed against the side of Warren’s head. Warren himself admits that the situation is dire and he prepares himself for the very real possibility that his life will come to an end before the night is over. Gone is the brotherly sentiment evidenced at the beginning of the song. It has been replaced with the disbelief that of all places for this to be happening, it’s happening in his hometown. Understanding the moment of death is at hand Warren visualizes himself in his mind’s eye as a bird, perhaps a crane or ibis, able to soar above the ignorant trappings of east side LA and back into the serenity and peace of the clear night sky he sang about so long ago. Abandoning all hope he accepts his fate until…he momentarily glances up to see redemption in the form of Nate Dogg carrying a weapon with the intent to kill.


Sixteen in the clip and one in the hole
Nate dogg is about to make some bodies turn cold
Now they droppin and yellin
Its a tad bit late
Nate dogg and warren g had to regulate


With a full sixteen bullets at his disposal and “one in the hole”(?) Nate begins his killing spree which, as he observes, will turn the once hot tempered thieves into cold corpses. As he unloads round after round into the bodies of Warren’s assailants shouts of fear and terror can be heard. Nate’s reaction ? Nate expresses the fact that the moment for recourse has long passed and they now all must die for him to “regulate” the situation and avoid having witnesses left who might testify against him in a trial. This is a powerful statement of moral philosophy dealing with issues of vigilante justice and its acceptability in a society where the State is the only body granted authority to make judgments in matters of life and death.


I laid all them busters down
I let my gat explode
Now Im switching my mind back into freak mode
If you want skirts sit back and observe
I just left a gang of those over there on the curb


Nate murders all of the dice players, earlier referred to as “suckers”, and by doing so has effectively saved Warren from being robbed or worse. Fresh off the kill Nate is ready to pick up where he left off with the prostitutes who still happen to be hanging out not too far from all the murder and violence.


Now nate got the freaks
And thats a known fact
Before I got jacked I was on the same track
Back up back up cause its on
N -a -t -e and me
The warren to the g


Warren’s spirit is once again lifted. He is so filled with childish excitement by the fact he has cheated death that he decides to spell his friends name aloud in the same way an infant would. This practice is symbolic of the fact that life for Warren seems to be beginning anew. He is also primed and refreshed to begin the act of courtship.


Just like I thought
They were in the same spot
In need of some desperate help
The nate dogg and the g-child
Were in need of something else
One of them dames was sexy as hell
I said ooo I like your size.
She said my cars broke down and you seem real nice,
Would ya let me ride?
I got a car full of girls and its going real swell
The next stop is the eastside motel

Nate returns to the women he had seen earlier and notices that they also are in need of help (not requiring murder). Invoking the principles of the barter system Nate’s mind immediately recognizes that while the women are in need of help him and Warren also are in need of 'something else' and perhaps an arrangement can be made that is satisfactory for both parties. The negotiation process begins:
Nate opens by stating his affinity for the size of one of the women present. Understanding the advance that has just been made upon her the woman in question reasons that Nate seems like a nice enough guy and that she is indeed in need of a ride so she appears ready to agree to his terms.
This initial agreement eventually turns into a car full of prostitutes for Nate and Warren. Assuming that they are in a standard size 4 door vehicle that would mean three women and two men. Ready to collect on his end of the bargain for having provided vehicular transportation to the stranded hookers Nate sings cheerfully that the next stop is the Eastside Motel.

Im tweaking
Into a whole new era
G-funk
Step to this
I dare ya
Funk
On a whole new level

Emboldened by the fortunate turn of events Warren makes confident proclamations of superiority daring all competitor’s to battle in the medium of 'funk'

The rhythm is the bass and the bass is the treble

This one liner from Nate Dogg at first appears to be an out and out non-sequitir. However upon closer examination it can be interpreted as a post modern play on perception reminding the listener that there is a veil separating appearance from reality – hence the “rhythm is the bass” and “the bass is the treble”.

Chords
Strings
We brings
Melody
G-funk
Where rhythm is life
And life is rhythm

After a night of orgiastic sex and a near death experience Warren takes a moment to reflect upon the meaning of it all and his place in the world. He ultimately concludes that, using various instrumentation such as chords and strings, he “brings melody” to the people. This gives him a sense of purpose and identity. For Warren “rhythm is life and life is rhythm”.


If you know like I know
You dont wanna step to this
Its the g-funk era
Funked out with a gangsta twist
If you smoke like I smoke
Then you high like everyday
And if your ass is a buster
213 will regulate

This final stanza brings the tale to a close and doubles as a genius statement of relativistic principle. All of the assertions made in these final lines are relative to the aptitudes and inclinations of either Nate or Warren and as such it reminds the listener that we are all constantly in a state of competition with one another and our accomplishments and defeats cannot be measured against time itself but instead only against the accomplishments and defeats of our fellow man. To wit: “If you know like I know, you don't wanna step to this” forces the listener to measure their level of knowledge against Nate's by calling into question whether or not they in fact know enough to avoid engaging in confrontation with him.
Nate advises that anyone as smart as him or smarter would avoid instigating confrontation with him while anyone less intelligent than himself might entertain the idea at their own peril. Similarly Nate's assertion that “If you smoke like I smoke, then you high like everyday” forces the listener to question whether or not they are more or less inclined to smoke marijuana than Nate based on the relative level of frequency denoted in the lyric (everyday).
Finally the last line of the song touches back on the theme of 'Unity' that runs throughout the piece by reminding the listener that the actions of individuals aggregate to form a universal will that can regulate itself against radically divergent opinions that threaten its solidarity. It is a potent reminder to all that the strength of man lies not in the individual but the collective.