Regulators...Mount Up! Annette K's Meet Up With G FUNK's Warren G and Director Karam Gill

It was a clear black night, a clear white moon

Annette K was downtown, for another interview

G FUNK is the film, the doc she had just seen

Now she's on her way to talk with Mr. Warren G....

See what I did there? I had to. I have literally had Regulate stuck in my head for weeks now. After watching Karam Gill's documentary G FUNK during SXSW this year, the song has been on a constant loop in my noggin. I hesitate to call it an ear worm, however, because Regulate. It holds up so well, and Gill's directorial debut finally sheds light on the musical phenomenon led by Warren G and the late Nate Dogg in the 90's. Needless to say, I jumped on the opportunity to interview the director and artist the day after their festival premiere and after party. From 70's and 80's house parties where funk was king, to school yard rap wars and mentoring/tough love by Warren's step brother Dr. Dre, all the way to the east coast/west coast drama that unfolded throughout the 90's, G FUNK chronicles not only the beloved "gangster funk" sub genre, but also provides a fascinating take on the most notorious era of rap and hip hop. So, check out my chat with the film makers about encapsulating such an intricate tale in cinematic form.

Annette Kellerman: Hey fellas! Thanks so much for meeting with me today to talk about your film.

Warren G: Oh hey, you were at the party last night.

Karam Gill: Where you at the screening last night?

Kellerman: Actually, I watched a screener because I had another obligation last night. But I was able to go to the after party.

Gill: You gotta see it in the theater! Because the bass in the score- you gotta hear it in a theater.

Kellerman: Yeah, I love to see any rockumentary in the theater for that very reason- plus it's just more fun to watch with an audience. But unfortunately that's just the way it worked out this time. Hopefully I can make it one of the other screenings at the fest, but I wanted to be sure and catch you guys while you were still in town. So, first off I want to know how this whole project came about? Warren, did you have the idea and then found Karam, or Karam did you have the idea and approach Warren?

Warren G: I had the idea bottled up for a long time- at least 15 years. I was just trying to find somebody who could put the story in movie form for me. I met Karam in Orange County at The Observatory, and they were filming. So they said, can they film me? So I said, alright. Cool, so they took my number and they filmed. Then he emailed me- texted me- a little video, some clips of what he did, and I was like you've got to roll with me. Let's go! From there, that's how it all started.

Kellerman: So Karam, that must have been pretty surreal for you as a fan.

Gill: Yeah, it was crazy. I think when we first met I was 19 or 20 at the time, and I told my buddies in college, "Yeah, I'm starting to do stuff with Warren G and tour with him and stuff," and they were like (jaw drops- everyone laughs).

Kellerman: Warren, how did it feel to look back at all of this footage and photos from back in the day, and then hear all these other artists talk about how much of an influence you've had on them and their music- even their lives. How did that feel to take it all in when you saw the final cut of the film?

Warren G: I feels good, ya know? Just to let me know that all the hard work paid off. I'm well respected in the industry, and people love my music. It felt really good. I might not have showed it that much, but it felt great. Trust me. I'm not one to just jump up and say, "Yeah motherfucker!" (everyone laughs)

Gill: That will be at the next Q and A.

Kellerman: Speaking of all the archival footage, can you talk about putting that all together? How did you find all of it and go through it?

Gill: Warren connected me with a guy who had two tapes.

Warren G: More than that!

Gill: He gave us two tapes.

Warren G: He's lucky I don't sue his ass. (big laughs in the room) He charged me for my own footage, that bitch! He charged me for my footage that I paid him to film of me overseas and here. He's got tons of footage, but he can't do shit without it unless he calls. So, I needed the footage and was like fuck it, I'm gonna give this motherfucker some money. Fuck it. But, fuck you. I still feel like that. Fuck you. You were my homeboy, and he turned into something else. He turned into this money hungry motherfucker over my shit, ya know? I understand you filmed it- I paid you to film it! Ya know, I never saved any of my tapes. But it's cool, I ain't trippin', I ain't gonna bash him...but (laughs all around the room).

Kellerman: Not at all, not at all (more big laughs). So you had these tapes...

Gill: Yeah, Warren connected us to this guy. We got those two tapes, and we pulled all the selects together and sent them to Warren.

Warren G: I still want to kick his ass.

Kellerman: I don't blame you! I would too.

Warren G: And all my homeboys- they all want to whup his ass.

Kellerman: He better just hand over some tapes.

Warren G: It's a serious archive- lots more. Tons of shit.

Kellerman: Well at least you had some of it to draw from. Aside from the archival stuff, I loved how you used dramatizations- Warren did you have a lot of creative input, for instance, in the flashback sequences from the house parties or other sequences from the 70's and 80's?

Warren G: Yeah, I did. It was all a part of telling the story. Me and Karam were talking- like it'd be dope if we made it like a movie at the same time. Ya know, reenactments. Him being such a great director, he took the vision of what I said and nailed it. To a T. I was like, goddamn! [The sequence with] that kid laying on the floor- that's what the fuck I used do. Just like that on the floor! The only thing that crushed me so bad- and hopefully I can still try to get it to edit it in, I'm gonna dig and try my hardest to find it- the picture, I got the picture of me laying just like the kid. I've got a real picture of me at that age laying just like that with my hands behind my head with the headphones and all the records around me. Exactly like that. That's what's so crazy about it. He nailed it to a T. Down to the carpet.

Kellerman: Down to the shag! They were beautiful sequences, but it also helps the film to not just be a talking head documentary.

Gill: Yeah, it was fun. With a traditional documentary you usually have verite style and you're following people around and whatnot. With this, we wanted it to feel like a movie, and the logic was that once the archival kicks in- like the Chronic era- there's no more reenactments because that's when it gets real. But this fantasy land of them growing up, there's no footage of that. It's almost like imaginary, so that's why the reenactments fit so well in that section.

Kellerman: Was pretty much everyone on board with the film? I mean, Dre is noticeably absent. Was that intentional on your part, or did he just not want to go there?

Warren G: It wasn't intentional, he's just busy. We were keeping it moving, ya know? I would love for him to get in on it, but we gotta keep it pushing.

Kellerman: Can't wait around for anyone, even Dre.

Warren G: Hopefully we may be able to cut him in there- that would be dope, but we got a vision. We got our vision that we have to move with just like he's got his vision with what he's doing. It's all good. There was still a lot of love that was shown to him, a lot of homages paid to him in there too. Ya know, that's the motherfucker who taught me how to sample, and I just used to watch him. I still feel like the little kid when I'm around him. The little kid (looks up, nods his head), like, uh huh, okay.

Kellerman: Is there any word on distribution for the film?

Gill: Uh, you'd have to ask those guys (points to a group of producers at the other end of the room). I don't know, we're figuring it out.

Warren G: We got a lot of people interested. Very interested. This movie has the potential to be just as big as the NWA movie. Just as big. It's bringing you back to that classic feel, that classic vibe of how everything went. Telling the untold stories of what people always wanted to know. We had to edit a lot of shit, because if we put in some of the shit...

Kellerman: I was gonna ask what all had to be cut.

Warren G: Oh, it would be World War ten around this motherfucker. Ya know, I'm the type of person, I'm never just totally slamming somebody if I'm involved. Like I said, there was a lot in there that really could've set it off, ya know? It's all good. It's there, you just gotta read between the lines.

Kellerman: Well, that wraps it up quite nicely because I think they're kicking me out already! Thank you so much for taking time this afternoon to sit down with me to talk about G FUNK.

Warren G: Thank you.

Gill: Thanks

And so ended my much anticipated interview with Mr. G FUNK himself, Warren G and director Karam Gill. There's no question in my mind that this film will be finding its way to a screen near you very soon, so definitely be on the look out for this highly entertaining slice of modern music history. Thanks so much for reading.

Rebecca Elliott

aka Annette Kellerman