Grammy-nominated hip-hop pioneer Warren G is a Long Beach rapper who formed the legendary group 213 (named after the city's area code) with Nate Dogg and Snoop Dogg, who went on to collaborate with step-brother Dr. Dre on The Chronic (providing the samples for "Nuthin' But a G-Thang") and contribute the track "Indo Smoke" with Mista Grimm and Nate Dogg on the Poetic Justice soundtrack. After a lively bidding war, Warren signed to Def Jam, which released his debut album, Regulate... G Funk Era in 1994, with the title track climbing to No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100.