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Nuthin' but a 'G' Thang

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"Nuthin' but a 'G' Thang" is a song by American rapper Dr. Dre, featuring fellow American rapper Snoop Dogg, on Dre's debut solo album, The Chronic (1992). As the album's first single it reached number 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 on March 20, 1993, behind "Informer" by Snow,[7] outperforming The Chronic's other singles, "Fuck wit Dre Day (And Everybody's Celebratin')", which peaked at number 8, and "Let Me Ride", which peaked at number 34. The single also reached number 1 on Billboard's Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks chart, and was a number 31 hit in the UK. Its music video was directed by Dr. Dre himself.

"Nuthin' but a 'G' Thang"
Single by Dr. Dre featuring Snoop Doggy Dogg
from the album The Chronic
ReleasedJanuary 19, 1993[1]
Recorded1992
StudioDeath Row (Los Angeles, California)
Genre
Length3:58
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Dr. Dre
Dr. Dre singles chronology
"Deep Cover"
(1992) 		"Nuthin' but a 'G' Thang"
(1993) 		"Fuck wit Dre Day (And Everybody's Celebratin')"
(1993)
Snoop Doggy Dogg singles chronology
"Deep Cover"
(1992) 		"Nuthin' But a "G" Thang"
(1993) 		"Fuck wit Dre Day (And Everybody's Celebratin')"
(1993)
Music video
"Nuthin' but a 'G' Thang" on YouTube

The song was selected by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as one of the 500 songs that shaped rock and roll.[8] XXL magazine named it the top hip-hop song of the decade. The song samples "I Want'a Do Something Freaky to You" by Leon Haywood. In June 1994, it was reissued in certain European countries.

Background

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Dr. Dre has stated that Warren G brought Dre a cassette tape filled with the work of Snoop Dogg for Dre to listen to. Upon putting the tape in, Dre was impressed with Snoop Dogg to the point where he felt the two of them had to meet.[9] After meeting Snoop Dogg, Dr. Dre decided on making "Nuthin' but a 'G' Thang," a song he had been working on, into a featured track, asking Snoop Dogg to add his vocals to it. Snoop Dogg, while in prison, recorded the original version of the song's vocals on a phone. Dr Dre stated that “The original version of Nuthin but a 'G' Thang, he called in and I take the receiver of the phone to the mic. You can hear jail sounds in the back and everything, he's “1, 2, 3 and to the 4…””.

Critical reception

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Peter Paphides from Melody Maker wrote, "The thing that makes Dr Dre's music so ace (in the case of "Nuthin' but a G Thang") is the fluidity of the rhymes and a salubrious touch of swingbeat arrangements that sweeten the blow of the lithe, luminous rhythm section. The subject matter — a slimy soliloquy on how Dre and guest rapper Snoop Doggy Dog like their woman — is best taken with a pinch of salt."[10]

Music video

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The accompanying music video for "Nuthin' but a 'G' Thang", directed by Dr. Dre,[11] depicts Dre coming into Long Beach, California to pick up Snoop and go to a block party. Mingling at the party, they perform the first verses with a barbecue cookout and a game of volleyball nearby. A female player's (Mercedes Ashley)[12] bikini top is pulled down by "T-Dubb", an original member of the Long Beach rap group Foesum, exposing her breasts. For the next verses they go inside the house. A small sequence of events shows a snobbish female party-goer humiliated by being sprayed with shaken-up malt liquor. The video ends with Dre dropping Snoop off back at his house, with Snoop staggering up the driveway. The MTV edit censors nudity, drug paraphernalia, Warren G with a blunt, copyrighted logos, a Chicago White Sox ball cap, and screen text. Many artists appeared in video, including The D.O.C., Warren G, Daz Dillinger, Kurupt, RBX and Suga Free.

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Accolades

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"Nuthin' but a 'G' Thang" is listed in The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll. In 2003, it was ranked at number 419 Rolling Stone's list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time, moving up to number 29 in a 2021 update. Q magazine listed it as the 24th greatest hip hop song of all time and is featured in the game Grand Theft Auto San Andreas.[14] In September 2010 Pitchfork Media included it at number 3 on their Top 200 Tracks of the 90s.[15]

Criticism

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In 1998, CBS reported that Senator Sam Brownback (R-Kansas), who sought hearings in the Senate Commerce Science and Transportation Committee, said he was "concerned that the music industry is marketing its most violent and misogynist music to teens." The report added, "While industry executives assert that children are protected from this music, much evidence suggests that most hyper-violent albums are bought by children." Advisory labels were an outcome of the hearings.[16]

Musically, the funk orientation in hip-hop is often linked to "Nuthin' but a 'G' Thang" but its roots were laid by another rap group, Above the Law. "Nuthin' But a G Thang echoes Above the Law's Never Missin' a Beat" [sic], according to a 2016 article in The Guardian.[17] Both groups interpolated the signature funk grooves of Parliament-Funkadelic.

Live performances

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Dre and Snoop performed the song live at the 1993 MTV Movie Awards on July 13, 1993. They also performed the song live at the 1994 Soul Train Music Awards on March 15, 1994.

Track listing

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Charts

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Certifications

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Region Certification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[40]
Sales Since 2005 		Gold 400,000‡
United States (RIAA)[42] Platinum 1,300,000[41]

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Nuthin' but a "G" Thang - Dr. Dre | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic.
  2. ^ Anderson, Errol (January 11, 2013). "Classic Albums: Dr Dre - The Chronic". Clash. Retrieved October 25, 2017.
  3. ^ Fitzgerald, Trent (December 15, 2016). "Dr. Dre's 'The Chronic' Album Turns 24, Fans React on Twitter". The Boombox. Retrieved July 7, 2021.
  4. ^ "The 30 best G-Funk tracks of all time". Fact Magazine. July 26, 2016. Retrieved July 7, 2021.
  5. ^ "Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg Break Down Their Classic Records on 'The Pharmacy'". Complex. Retrieved July 7, 2021.
  6. ^ Draper, Dominick 'Lachie Evens' (June 1, 2017). "Hip-hop tracks to jumpstart your summer playlist". AllHipHop. Retrieved October 25, 2017 – via The News Journal.
  7. ^ The Hot 100 : Mar 20, 1993 | Billboard Chart Archive
  8. ^ "Experience the Music: One Hit Wonders and the Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll". Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Retrieved April 1, 2012.
  9. ^ Snoop Dogg recorded this song in JAIL 😳🚨, retrieved February 23, 2024
  10. ^ Paphides, Peter (January 15, 1993). "Singles". Melody Maker. p. 26. Retrieved July 24, 2023.
  11. ^ "Dr. Dre - "Nuthin' but a 'G' thang"". mvdbase.com. December 1, 1992. Retrieved December 29, 2011.
  12. ^ Ashley, Mercedes (December 1, 2010). "To answer, yes this is me in the "Nuthing but a G Thang. Dr Dre Video. Yep, yep. I was 22 at the time". @mercedesashley. Retrieved December 4, 2017.
  13. ^ "Straight Outta Compton Movie Review (Three Takes) – Reviler". August 14, 2015.
  14. ^ * * * Q Mag: 150 Rock Lists * * *
  15. ^ Pitchfork Top 200 Tracks of the 90s
  16. ^ "Debate Over Rap Lyrics Continues". www.cbsnews.com. June 16, 1998. Retrieved May 6, 2019.
  17. ^ Westhoff, Ben (September 13, 2016). "Backstabbing, Moogs and the funky worm: how gangsta rap was born". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved May 6, 2019.
  18. ^ Dr. Dre – Nuthin' But A "G" Thang (CD) at Discogs
  19. ^ Images for Dr. Dre – Nuthin' But A 'G' Thang
  20. ^ Dr. Dre – Nuthin' But A 'G' Thang (CD) at Discogs
  21. ^ Images for Dr. Dre – Nuthin' But A "G" Thang
  22. ^ Dr. Dre – Let Me Ride / Nuthin' But A 'G' Thang (Vinyl) at Discogs
  23. ^ Images for Dr. Dre – Nuthin' But A 'G' Thang
  24. ^ Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010 (PDF ed.). Mt. Martha, VIC, Australia: Moonlight Publishing. p. 86.
  25. ^ "European Dance Radio Top 25" (PDF). Music & Media. April 24, 1993. p. 15. Retrieved November 4, 2021.
  26. ^ ""G"+Thang&cat=s Dr. Dre feat. Snoop Doggy Dogg – Nuthin' but a "G" Thang". Top 40 Singles.
  27. ^ "Dr. Dre: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company.
  28. ^ "Dance Singles" (PDF). Music Week. January 22, 1994. p. 22. Retrieved April 24, 2021.
  29. ^ "The RM Club Chart 22.1.94" (PDF). Music Week, in RM (Dance Update Supplemental Insert). January 22, 1994. p. 4. Retrieved October 2, 2022.
  30. ^ "Dr. Dre Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
  31. ^ "Dr. Dre Chart History (Dance Club Songs)". Billboard.
  32. ^ "Dr. Dre Chart History (Dance Singles Sales)". Billboard.
  33. ^ "Dr. Dre Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard.
  34. ^ "Dr. Dre Chart History (Hot Rap Songs)". Billboard.
  35. ^ "Dr. Dre Chart History (Rhythmic)". Billboard.
  36. ^ "Dr Dre Chart History (Global 200)". Billboard. Retrieved February 23, 2022.
  37. ^ "Billboard Top 100 – 1993". Billboardtop100of.com. Retrieved August 16, 2021.
  38. ^ "The Year in Music 1993" (PDF). Billboard. Vol. 105, no. 52. December 25, 1993. p. YE-29. Archived (PDF) from the original on June 27, 2021. Retrieved August 16, 2021.
  39. ^ "Billboard Hot 100 Decade-End 1990-1999" (PDF). Retrieved May 20, 2018.
  40. ^ "British single certifications – Dr Dre Ft Snoop Dogg – Nuthin' but a 'G' Thang". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved April 2, 2024.
  41. ^ "Best-Selling Records of 1993". Billboard. Vol. 106, no. 3. January 15, 1994. p. 73. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved May 4, 2015.
  42. ^ "American single certifications – Dr. Dre – Nuthin' but a 'G' Thang". Recording Industry Association of America.
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