213 "THE HARD WAY" REVIEW

[JumpinJack AJ]

This post is mainly 4 my man Tim who i sent of few of the trax and he waz wondering if he should check out the album...but it's 4 whoever else is interested also. After my review, i'm posting the reviews from CDnow/Amazon.

[b]TWIST YO BODY[/b] starts the album off with a choppy straight rap song 4 play in the clubs 4 ladies 2 respond 2. Nice song 2 ride 2. Chorus is kinda simple...but who cares? [b]ABSOLUTELY[/b] has a cool kinda feel 2 it production-wise. The lyrics aren't totally focused but it's a good song none the less. [b]KEEP IT GANGSTA[/b] is a crazy cool track. It's got a laidback feel and crazy synthisizers. Nate croons the classy hook and it just kinda talks about them and their style. [b]RUN ON UP[/b] is a laidback slow one with more synthesizers and a dash of urban thuymp 2 it. The song lets haters know they ain't worried about phoney guys tryna be hard and talk mess about 'em. [b]GROUPIE LUV[/b] is a fun funky track. Just a silly song about the ladies. This video is still in heavy rotation on BET. [b]LONELY GIRL[/b] is one of the albums stand out trax. Trust me on this one. Laidback funk meets sweet R-N-B. Ignoring Nate simply written but very cool hook, the track gives props 2 the ladies. [b]ANOTHER SUMMER[/b] is my favorite song on the album. Laidback soulful track about my favorite time of year. Feel-good track putting the fellas' personal lives out there. 213 THE [b]GANGSTA CLICC[/b] is a filler track...however, when in the right mood, it's fun 2 listen 2 and nod ya head 2 it in the car. A song boasting 4 themselves and knocking the haters. [b]GOTTA FIND A WAY[/b] is something u-neek. It's got this retro 70's R-N-B/funk/soul feel along a live band. Nate shines on this one. I'm not always in the mood 4 it, but it's a good song. [b]UPS & DOWNS [/b]has a crazy heavy urban thump with some g-funk thrown in the mix. Like "Gotta Find A Way" this song kinda talks about them coming up and aiming 4 success. [b]JOYSTICC[/b] is silly. I would call it a filler track, but the heavy 80's pop feel is kinda cool. This song is one of those sex-trax. [b]MARY JANE[/b] light weight funk song. It's about weed which is funny, cuz i don't know if any of them even smoke anymore...ha ha. I usually skip this track. [b]MLK[/b] is a nice funk meets Hip-Hop track. The track has a dark feel with a piano over the track. The monotone raps over it sound kinda cool. [b]LIL GIRL[/b] could have been left off the album in my opinion. Filler track number 3 in my opinion. [b]MY DIRTY HO[/b] is a funny joint!! I think a track like this is always on an album Nate Dogg is involved with. The lyrics aren't really funny, it's just funny hearing Nate sing the hook. The song kinda wakes up females who aren't living right 2 drop their lifestyles 4 something better. The production is classic on this one. Solid Hip-Hop beat with crazy piano over it. Very cool song. [b]APPRECIATION[/b] is just a fly joint. The fellas just talk about coming up and their lives. Funk meets Hip-Hop again. Dope song. [b]SO FLY [/b] totally jacks Monica + Missy's "So Gone." It's hard 2 adjust since we've heard Monica's song 100 times...but the song is dope none the less.

Overall, i'm dissapointed that Warren G didn't produce on the album since his production is often flawless. Also, half of the beats they chose just aren't Warren G's style so sometimes he seems a lil' outta place, but he still holds his own. Snoop is an overlooked talent these days so it waz nice 2 hear a full album of him 4 the 1st time in a long time (4 myself). Nate Dogg is just a classy talent who can say alot of things that most R-N-B singers can't say, so it's always a pleasure 2 lesten 2 him. As a fan of straight Hip-Hop, this album definitly serves up and alternative 2 what i usually listen 2. I don't regret getting this album. I think i listen 2 it now more than what i did when i 1st got it.



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Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
Warren G, Nate Dogg, and Snoop Dogg bring their old 213 crew back together in time for summer picnics and park jams. Though Warren G appears throughout, it's mostly a Dogg's day as Snoop and Nate give the album its gangsta-lean feel. The vibe is strictly laid back--the group pens odes to liquor, women, and weed, including a remake of Rick James's "Mary Jane" (released just before the singer's passing). For the most part however, 213 has their minds on sex more than smoking out, with playful cuts like "Groupie Luv" balancing the profane shock of "My Dirty Ho." Musically, they lay down classic G-Funk with that signature squeegee sound--just the right groove for street cruising and backyard partying, especially the sweet soul of "Another Summer" and the catchy funk of "Lil Girl." The Hard Way isn't quite as strong as you'd expect from such a marquee trio, but if you're looking for a collection of pleasant made-for-summer tunes, 213 is the area code to dial. --Oliver Wang

From the Artist
Album features hit producers Kanye West, J-Hen, Battlecat, Hi Tek, DJ Pooh, Lethal, Josef Leimberg and MORE!

Album Description
Childhood friends Snoop Dogg, Warren G and Nate Dogg started out as a local Long Beach rap group called 213. Their individual careers skyrocketed before they could release an album, and the guys went on to collectively sell more than 50 million albums as solo artists.
This is their historical reunion album - "The Hard Way"




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213 provide an entertaining album with "The Hard Way" (2004). The trio of Nate Dogg, Snoop Dogg and Warren G have all individually been known for delivering some memorable collabrations over the years, so I have been looking forward to seeing what they would be like collectively on their debut full length album. Overall this is a strong album with a lot of standout tracks. The early tracks don't grab my attention that much, including the lead single. The first real standout for me is "Wait A Minute", all of 213 come through nicely backed by a unique and addictive beat. The next track is my favourite on this album the Kayne West produced "Another Summer", this really captures the feeling of this season, an excellent feel good track, I agree with Snoop this is a summertime anthem. 213 then talk about the "Ups & Downs" of the Rap game, and staying true. I think we can all relate with the standout "Gotta Find a Way", we all need to get paid. "Joystick" has an old school feel to it like the earlier "Sassy Ways", it has got an 80's sounding feel to it with a humorous sex concept. After a Rick James (R.I.P.) skit, 213 drop the laidback "Mary Jane". Another memorable track is the outstanding "MLK", love the way this one flows. 213 talk to and about some ladies on "Give It Up" while giving thanks and showing love to family and friends on the mellow "Appreciation". I first heard the beat to "So Fly" on a track from 50 Cent's EP "Power of the Dolla" and Monica used it later with her hit single. Usually I don't like it when beats get reused, primarily because artists dont always improve the track. 213 create the exception, delivering a premium track, Snoop and Warren G rhyme well and Nate Dogg shines on this closer. I like the chemistry that these three have and its nice to see a West Coast album getting some attention in a time where Rap seems to be focused everywhere else. I recommend checking this one out. 213 have succeeded in creating a nice late summertime with "The Hard Way".



Being born and raised in California, the West Coast has always been my favorite area for hip-hop. Snoop Dogg and Warren G are definitely a couple of classic west side MC's, with Nate Dogg singing hundres of excellent hooks over the years. Naturally I was excited about these 3 getting together and doing an album. And now that it's it out I can say it was worth the wait.



This album is definitely a banger. Great production and a feel good vibe to it the release date was timed perfectly with summer. Because thats really what this is a Summer Anthem. It's got a very chilled laid back vibe and I love it. Kind of reminds me of the classic album "Regulate..G Funk Era" from Warren G. The beats do a great job of fusing old-school west side G-Funk sounds and current hip-hop sounds. Snoop and Warren are also at the top of their game through out the album spitting some of the best verses i've heard from them in awhile. Nate of course sounds perfect singing the hooks.

Now this album isn't perfect. There are, to me, a few generic mainstream sounding songs such as "213 Tha Gangsta Clicc" but still, most of the songs are top-notch. I'm going to give this cd 5 stars but its probably more like 4.5. It's near perfect and a great West Coast release.


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Before Snoop Dogg, Warren G, and Nate Dogg all respectively broke into the industry with a little help from Dr. Dre, the trio of best friends were just aspiring rap stars who recorded demos in the back room of Long Beach's infamous V.I.P. Records under the group name, "213" (the LBC's former area code). It's been well over a decade since those days and all three have gone on to accomplish great things in the music business. Snoop, unquestionably the most well-known of the three, put out one of the hottest debuts in rap history but has had somewhat of a lukewarm track record in the rap game as of late. Warren G, while musically one of the finest producers in the game has not been able to top the success he had with 1994's "Regulate". Nate Dogg has been all over everyone's hit records and as many rappers have stated has been the key ingredient in making a hit single as of late. Now, with the West coast generally being ignored on the pop charts and the rap game in general, Snoop has called for his two closest homeboys to help bring the game back.

"The Hard Way" is the first official 213 album to be released though many fans consider it to be a "reunion" album as Snoop, Warren, and Nate were all over each other's songs during their days on Death Row. The lead-off single, "Groupie Luv" is kind of a poor choice to reintroduce them to the game. In addition to the fact that every rapper and their mother has done a song on the same subject in the past nine months, Snoop and company really don't bring anything new to the table. Unfortunately, the remainder of the album seems to echo the content of "Luv". However, the music seems to be a lot easier to get into elsewhere. The opening track, 'Twist Yo Body" is a good start to the album and Nate's harmonized warning to the haters on "Run On Up" is beautiful stuff. The album's golden moment is "Lonely Girl", yet another track dedicated to the ladies but the mixture of a tremendous beat from Nottz and another great hook from Nate Dogg make for a very pleasing outcome. The same can be said of the outstanding "Joysticc" where Warren drops the rhymes while Nate does what he does best.

"Hard Way" is an entertaining album but it never seems to reach the expectations of longtime 213 fans. The fact that none of the songs were produced by Warren G takes away a good deal of the G-Funk vibe that one would associate with the group. As a rapper, Snoop still seems to be in the same state as he has been on his last couple of projects. He seems more content with revisiting his old bag of tricks than coming up with any new ones. Nate Dogg, for the most part, delivers in his position but even he seems to go back to his old material for inspiration in some areas. As a fun summer album, "The Hard Way" is worth more than a few spins but those expected either a step to the next level or a return to the old days for the 2-1-3 may feel just a little short-changed.




After listening to THe hard way, i was disapointed from such a hot crew. Its old school vibe is played out. NOt good for the new age. OLd beats, and i was looking for the new beats, and i think most people are too.



Now if want to buy a CD with some hip-hop language and you're ok with the occaional f-bomb then this cd is the greatest album put out in the last decade or three months. Snoop I pour my entire 40 of choclate milk(yeah choclate milk) out for you. And for you husler, bustas, and ladies bend and ear, bring a tissue, and get your freak on, cause this rides the lightning. boo-yah.

[bigted]

Thanks for that AJ, it's good to hear what the fans hear what they think about the album instead of just industry heads who seem to be biased towards certain artists 'cause they get paid off to give 'em a good review! I wouldn't consider a multi-platinum album a success if most of the people that bought the album want a refund back 'cause they rather throw the album in the garbage than hear it again, fans should be more careful when they buy albums so that way slacking multi-platinum cats'll be motivated to step up their games and the underrated cats would get more recognition, that's what the game needs most, smarter fans.