"Nuthin' but a 'G' Thang" is a song by American

rapper Rapping (also rhyming, spitting, emceeing or MCing) is a musical form of vocal delivery that incorporates "rhyme, rhythmic speech, and street vernacular". It is performed or chanted, usually over a backing beat or musical accompaniment. The ...

Dr. Dre, featuring fellow American rapper Snoop Doggy Dogg, on Dre's debut solo album, ''

The Chronic ''The Chronic'' is the debut studio album by the American hip hop producer and rapper Dr. Dre. It was released on December 15, 1992, by his record label Death Row Records and distributed by Interscope Records. Recording sessions took place ...

'' (1992). The album's first single, "Nuthin' but a 'G' Thang," reaching number 2 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 on March 20, 1993, behind " Informer" by

Snow Snow comprises individual ice crystals that grow while suspended in the atmosphere An atmosphere () is a layer of gas or layers of gases that envelop a planet, and is held in place by the gravity of the planetary body. A planet ...

, outperformed ''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 The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart ranks the most popular R&B and hip hop songs in the United States and is published weekly by ''Billboard''. Rankings are based on a measure of radio airplay, sales data, and streaming activity. The chart had 100 ...

chart, and was a hit in the UK, where it reached number 31. The song was selected by the

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (RRHOF), sometimes simply referred to as the Rock Hall, is a museum and hall of fame located in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, United States, on the shore of Lake Erie. The museum documents the history of rock music an ...

as one of the 500 songs that shaped

rock and roll Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock 'n' roll, or rock 'n roll) is a genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It originated from African-American music such as jazz, rhythm an ...

. ''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.

Music video

The accompanying

music video A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing devi ...

for "Nuthin' but a 'G' Thang", directed by Dr. Dre, depicts Dre coming into

Long Beach, California Long Beach is a city in Los Angeles County, California. It is the 42nd-most populous city in the United States, with a population of 466,742 as of 2020. A charter city, Long Beach is the seventh-most populous city in California. Incorporate ...

to pick up Snoop and go to a block party. Mingling at the party, they perform the first verses with a

barbecue Barbecue or barbeque (informally BBQ in the UK, US, and Canada, barbie in Australia and braai in South Africa) is a term used with significant regional and national variations to describe various cooking methods that use live fire and smoke ...

cookout and a game of

volleyball Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules. It has been a part of the official program of the Summ ...

nearby. A female player's (Mercedes Ashley) bikini top is pulled down by "T-Dubb", an original member of the Long Beach rap group

Foesum Foesum is an American hip hop group whose members included T-Dubb, MNMsta and DJ Glaze. They recorded an album on Penalty/Tommy Boy Records called '' Perfection'', released on October 22, 1996. History In 1986, DJ Glaze and MNM created a DJ cr ...

, exposing her

breasts The breast is one of two prominences located on the upper ventral region of a primate's torso. Both females and males develop breasts from the same embryological tissues. In females, it serves as the mammary gland, which produces and s ...

. 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 Warren Griffin III (born November 10, 1970) is an American rapper and producer known for his role in West Coast rap's 1990s ascent.Steve Huey"Warren G: Biography" ''AllMusic.com'', Netaktion LLC, visited May 8, 2020. Along with Snoop Dogg and N ...

with a

blunt Blunt may refer to: * Blunt (surname), a surname (and list of people with the name) * Blunt (cigar), a term used in the cigar industry to designate blunt-tipped, usually factory-rolled cigars * Blunt (cannabis), a slang term used in cannabis cul ...

, copyrighted logos, a

Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team is owned by Jerry Reinsdorf, and ...

ball cap, and screen text. Many artists appeared in video, including The D.O.C.,

, Daz Dillinger,

Kurupt Ricardo Emmanuel Brown (born November 23, 1972), better known by his stage name Kurupt, is an American rapper and record producer who aided gangsta rap's rise via 1990s verses helping set lasting trends. He is one half of the rap duo Tha Dogg ...

, RBX and Suga Free.

In popular culture

*In the 2015 biopic ''

Straight Outta Compton ''Straight Outta Compton'' is the debut studio album by rap group N.W.A, which, led by Eazy-E, formed in Los Angeles County's City of Compton in early 1987. Released by his label, Ruthless Records, on August 8, 1988, the album was produced ...

'', the song is shown being improvised by Snoop Dogg ( Lakeith Stanfield) and Dr. Dre ( Corey Hawkins).

Accolades

"Nuthin' but a 'G' Thang" is listed in The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll. It is Dre's only song on ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its co ...

s list of the

500 Greatest Songs of All Time "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time" is a recurring survey compiled by the American magazine ''Rolling Stone''. It is based on weighted votes from selected musicians, critics, and industry figures. The first list was published in December 2004 in ...

, ranked at number 419, not counting two other songs that feature Dre as a producer and on vocals, N.W.A's " Fuck tha Police" and

Tupac Tupac Amaru Shakur ( ; born Lesane Parish Crooks, June 16, 1971 – September 13, 1996), also known as 2Pac and Makaveli, was an American rapper. He is widely considered one of the most influential rappers of all time. Shakur is among the b ...

's "

California Love "California Love" is a song by American rapper 2Pac featuring fellow American rapper-producer Dr. Dre and American singer Roger Troutman. The song was released as 2Pac's comeback single after his release from prison in 1995 and was his first si ...

". ''

Q magazine ''Q'' was a popular music magazine published monthly in the United Kingdom. It was founded in 1986 by broadcast journalists Mark Ellen and David Hepworth, who were presenters of the BBC television music series ''The Old Grey Whistle Test''. ''Q ...

'' listed it as the 24th greatest hip hop song of all time and is featured in the game Grand Theft Auto San Andreas. In September 2010 ''

Pitchfork Media ''Pitchfork'' (formerly ''Pitchfork Media'') is an American online music publication (currently owned by Condé Nast) that was launched in 1995 by writer Ryan Schreiber as an independent music blog. Schreiber started Pitchfork while working ...

'' included it at number 3 on their ''Top 200 Tracks of the 90s''.

Criticism

In 1998, CBS reported that Senator

Sam Brownback Samuel Dale Brownback (born September 12, 1956) is an American attorney, politician, diplomat, and member of the Republican Party who served as the United States Ambassador at Large for International Religious Freedom from 2018 to 2021. Brownba ...

(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. 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" ic according to a 2016 article in ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper A newspaper is a periodical publication containing written information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background. Newspapers can cover a wide ...

''. Both groups interpolated the signature funk grooves of Parliament-Funkadelic.

Track listing

* 1992 CD single # "Nuthin' But a "G" Thang" (Radio Mix) – 3:56 # "Nuthin' But a "G" Thang" (LP Version) – 3:58 # "Nuthin' But a "G" Thang" (Instrumental) – 4:06 # "Nuthin' But a "G" Thang" (Club Mix) – 4:38 # "Nuthin' But a "G" Thang" (Vibe Instrumental) – 4:30 # "Nuthin' But a "G" Thang" (Freestyle Remix) – 4:11 * 1994 CD single # "Nuthin' But a "G" Thang" (Radio Mix) – 3:56 # "Let Me Ride" (Radio Mix) – 4:22 # "Nuthin' But a "G" Thang" (Club Mix) – 4:38 # "Let Me Ride" (Extended Club Mix) – 11:01 * 1992 12" vinyl # "Nuthin' But a "G" Thang" (Radio Mix) – 3:56 # "Nuthin' But a "G" Thang" (LP Version) – 3:58 # "Nuthin' But a "G" Thang" (Instrumental) – 4:06 # "A Nigga Witta Gun" – 3:56 # "Nuthin' But a "G" Thang" (Club Mix) – 4:38 # "Nuthin' But a "G" Thang" (Freestyle Remix) – 4:11 * 1994 UK 12" vinyl # "Let Me Ride" (Radio Mix) – 4:22 # "Let Me Ride" (Extended Club Mix) – 11:01 # "Nuthin' But a "G" Thang" (Freestyle Remix) – 4:11 * 1994 US 12" vinylImages for Dr. Dre – Nuthin' But A 'G' Thang
/ref> # "Nuthin' But a "G" Thang" (Radio Mix) – 3:56 # "Nuthin' But a "G" Thang" (Red Eye Mix) – 4:25 # "Nuthin' But a "G" Thang" (Club Mix) – 4:38 # "Let Me Ride" (Radio Mix) – 4:22

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Decade-end charts

Certifications

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Nuthin' But A 'G' Thang 1992 songs 1992 singles 1993 singles Dr. Dre songs Snoop Dogg songs Death Row Records singles Interscope Records singles G-funk songs Songs about California Song recordings produced by Dr. Dre Songs written by Snoop Dogg Songs written by The D.O.C. Songs written by Leon Haywood Songs written by Dr. Dre Songs about drugs