Warren Griffin III grew up in Long Beach and is credited with introducing his stepbrother Dr. Dre to a young Snoop Dogg — the connection that built Death Row's sound. He put in real time behind the boards before he ever stepped out front, producing on Dre's The Chronic and Snoop's Doggystyle, and when he finally broke out solo with 1994's Regulate... G Funk Era, he produced the entire album himself. "Regulate" ft. Nate Dogg peaked at No. 2 on the Hot 100 and the record went triple platinum — a rapper, producer and DJ all at once, and one of the actual architects of the G-funk sound rather than just someone rapping over it.
