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Continuing The Tradition
(Part 1 of 2)
Written By: Incognito
- 11/8/00
For the most part of gangsta rap in the 1990s we have
lived on the funk filled melodies of producers such
as Dr. Dre, DJ Quik, and Daz Dillinger. Dr. Dre set
the tone for the West and molded this California sound
that has grown tremendously in the past 10 years. Song's
like "Nuthin but a G thang", "Let me ride", and "What's
my name" showcased new sounds to the rap world, funk
inspired rhythms influenced by the likes of George Clinton,
and Roger Troutman. These types of sounds helped build
the West to what it is today. Looking ahead to what
this article is all about, I'm gonna analyze 3 key producers
for west coast hip hop. 3 cats who have what it takes
to catapult the West well into the next millennium,
Meech Wells, Battlecat, and Mel Man. These record producers
have been working hard to get where they are today,
and it's their time to shine now. Wit! ! h gangsta rap
having the reputation for well crafted beats, Meech
Wells, Battlecat, and Mel Man are having the weight
of west coast rap put on to them from there predecessors
to continue on the tradition of greatness.
Meech Wells emerged alongside Snoop Dogg for his 1998
LP "The Game is to Be Sold, Not to Be Told". At the
time Snoop had fled the atmosphere of Death Row for
new hope at Master P's No Limit label. Starting off
fresh Snoop needed a stable producer to help continue
on the success as he had at Death Row. The man to do
that was Meech, he provided the sound for Snoop's first
No Limit single, "Still a G thang". The song succeeded
and Meech secured future spots on Snoop Dogg records.
This LA based beatsmith has a famed bloodline, his mother
the late, great Mary Wells was a big part in the rise
of Mowtown Records. In more recent years you've probably
heard Meech's work on "Topp Dogg", "Tha Streetz iz a
Mutha" and "The Eastsidaz". In the future Meech Wells
will be an important factor for the West contributing
tracks for Doggy's Angels, and Snoop's highly anticipated
album, "The Last Meal". The good doctor has even spoke
of the talented producer, "He's one of the next up and
coming producers. I love his shit".
DJ Battlecat is no rookie when it comes to being in
the rap game, he has been in swing of things as a dj
for 11 years now. Battlecat got to witness first hand
the craftsmanship of one of the greatest producers ever
to touch the mixing board. 2 days before Dr. Dre would
leave The World Class Wreckin Crew to become apart of
N.W.A. Battlecat met the young producer and received
some words of encouragement. Dre was giving him tips
on how to break a record down, and that served greatly
to the young dj. With that Battlecat went to work on
The Bloods and Crips "Bangin on Wax" project in 1991,
which later on in 1993 led to produce Long Beach rapper
Domino's debut. He completed the record in one week,
and it became a success. From that point on Battlecat
gained some notoriety and his work would be used by
rappers like WC and Kurupt. In 1998 Battlecat dished
out hits like WC's "Just Clowin", and Kurupt's "We Can
Freak It". In late 1999 Battlecat hooked up with Snoop
Dogg's click and produced The Eastsidaz debut single
"G'd Up". Battlecat gained the respect he wanted, and
now he is being sought out by every West coast cat out
there. Recent hits tailored by Battlecat are "Nah, Nah"
and "Baby if Your Ready". Now entering 2001, Battlecat
has his hands full with projects for Doggy's Angels,
Snoop Dogg's "The Last Meal", and his own click The
California Los Angels.
Melvin Bradford, AKA Mel Man was born in Pittsburgh
and spent most of his life in a place called "The Hill",
a housing project. He was recruited by Dr. Dre to be
apart of his newly formed Aftermath Records outfit in
1996. The one time dj didn't know what to expect from
his gangsta rap mentor, but he quickly learned the traits
of the West coast sound. In 1998 Mel Man had a part
in the "Bullworth" soundtrack producing a cut for Xzibit
entitled "Los Angelos Times", and Eve's first ever track
called "Eve of Destruction". In 1999 Mel Man would become
very "instrumental" in the rebirth of Dr. Dre. He would
CO-produce "Dr. Dre 2001" and relaunch Dre back into
the rap world. Hits like "Still DRE" and "Forgot About
Dre" impacted the rap game in a big way. In 2000, Mel
Man produced the hit single "Year 200" for Xzibit. His
last project has been the controversial, but successful
"Marshall Mathers LP", for fellow Aftermath rapper Eminem.
Over the past year, Mel Man has been a big part in the
rise of west coast hip hop, and for the future he will
be involved with many records. He will be contributing
to "The Resless LP", Hittman's debut record and producing
Devin the Dude's album also.
There ya have it, I hope I shed some light on these
3 record producers. They have great potential and have
aready displayed some tight work. In my opinion I think
Mel Man has the golden touch, his style is original
and he stays away from sampling. Though I love Battlecat
and Meech Wells, they are very solid producers. By the
look of things, these 3 beat makers will be a part of
the rap world for a long time. Especially when they
are associated with the best, Dr. Dre. -Incognito
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