The Hard Way (213 album)

The Hard Way is the only studio album from American hip hop trio 213, which consisted of Snoop Dogg, Warren G and Nate Dogg. It was released on August 17, 2004 under Doggystyle Records, G-Funk Entertainment, Dogg Foundation, TVT Records.

The Hard Way
Studio album by 213
Released	August 17, 2004
Recorded	2002-2004
Studio	Various DSR Studios (Los Angeles) Battery Studios (New York City) Larrabee Studios East (Los Angeles) Larrabee Studios North (Los Angeles) Planet Studio (Los Angeles) The G-Spot (Los Angeles)
Genre	West Coast hip hop Gangsta rap G-funk
Length	71:59
Label	Doggystyle G-Funk Dogg Foundation TVT
Producer	Fredwreck Hi-Tek Quaze B Sharp Tha Chill Kanye West DJ Pooh Nottz Josef Lil ½ Dead Niggarochi Terrace Martin Marlon Williams Michael Angelo J-Hen Missy Elliott Jelly Roll
213 chronology
St. Ides EP (1994) The Hard Way (2004) Live in Las Vegas (2009)
Singles from The Hard Way
"So Fly" Released: July 26, 2004 "Groupie Luv" Released: August 4, 2004

Background

The reunion of the group first appeared as 213 in Warren G's The Return of the Regulator in the track "Yo' Sassy Ways". In 2003, Snoop Dogg, released his series of mixtapes, from which the second compilation Welcome to tha chuuch, Vol. 2 included the first version of "So Fly", which is a parody of the then chart-running hit single by Monica, So Gone. Missy Elliott, a co-producer of the song (with Spike & Jamahl), got to hear the tape and was very impressed by it. She agreed with Snoop to cede the right of the sample for the upcoming 213 project in exchange for their rapping on Tamia's "Can't Go for That" remix. In the end it came out to be the first unofficial radio single of The Hard Way.

Reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[1]
Blender	[2]
Entertainment Weekly	C+[3]
HipHopDX	[4]
RapReviews	(5.5/10)[5]
Rolling Stone	[6]
Stylus	(6/10)[7]
Vibe	[8]

The Hard Way received mixed to positive reviews from music critics. Jason Birchmeier of AllMusic especially praised Warren G for "rapping tougher and more gangsta than usual."[1] For HipHopDX, K.B. Tindal described the album as containing "[c]risp beats, sharp hooks, and straight lyrics."[4] Rating the album three out of four stars, Rob Sheffield of Rolling Stone called 213 an "excellent G-funk-era-revival supergroup."[6]

Grading the album with a C-plus, Michael Endelman of Entertainment Weekly compared the group to the 2003–04 Los Angeles Lakers, because the album "boasts marquee talent but doesn’t quite deliver the championship trophy."[3] Matt Barone of RapReviews scored the album 5.5 out of 10 points for "overly generic left coast production and uninspired verses."[5] Scott McKeating of Stylus rated the album six points out of 10, in part due to lackluster lyrics: "Snoop and Nate seem to have a problem going longer than a few bars without dropping some lines about 'dirty ass hoes.'"[7] Rondell Conway of Vibe rated the album with 2.5 out of five due to 213 offering what he called "obsolete subject matter" despite "nostalgically offer[ing] its signature G-funk sound."[8]

Commercial performance

The Hard Way debuted at number four on the US Billboard 200, selling 95,000 copies in its first week.[9] The album debuted at top on the US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart.[10]

"So Fly" was released on July 6, 2004 at first single from the album. The song reached at number 2 on US Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles.

The official debut retail single was "Groupie Luv", which was also accompanied by a promo video. It was directed by Chris Robinson and was filmed in Snoop Dogg's own house (see also Still a G Thang). It is also the video debut for dancer Criscilla Crossland. "Groupie Luv" topped at number 26 on Billboard Hot 100 Airplay.

Track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"Intro"	Calvin Broadus Nathaniel Hale Warren Griffin III Frederick Wassar	Fredwreck	1:49
2.	"Twist Yo' Body"	Broadus Hale Griffin III Tony Cottrell	DJ Hi-Tek	3:28
3.	"Absolutely"	Broadus Hale Griffin III Stan Harris	Quaze	4:00
4.	"Keep It Gangsta"	Broadus Hale Griffin III Donald Fagen Kevin Gilliam Walter Becker	B Sharp	4:36
5.	"Run On Up"	Broadus Hale Griffin III Vernon Johnson	Tha Chill	3:33
6.	"Groupie Luv"	Broadus Hale Griffin III Bennie Maupin Harvey Mason Herbie Hancock Mark Jordan Paul Jackson	DJ Pooh	3:52
7.	"Lonely Girl"	Broadus Hale Griffin III Dominick Lamb	Nottz	4:04
8.	"Another Summer" (featuring LaToiya Williams)	Broadus Hale Griffin III Garry Glenn Kanye West Priest Brooks	West	4:12
9.	"213 tha Gangsta Clicc"	Broadus Hale Griffin III Josef Leimberg	Leimberg	3:52
10.	"Gotta Find a Way"	Broadus Hale Griffin III Donald Smith Keith Henderson LaFayette Evans Wanda Hutchinson	Lil ½ Dead Niggarochi	3:25
11.	"Ups & Downs" (featuring Boki)	Broadus Hale Griffin III A Edwards Gilliam Johnson	B Sharp Tha Chill	3:53
12.	"Joysticc"	Broadus Hale Griffin III James Mtume Marlon Williams Terrace Martin	Martin Williams	4:48
13.	"Rick James" (Interlude)	Broadus Hale Griffin III Nassar	Fredwreck	0:36
14.	"Mary Jane"	Broadus Hale Griffin III Gabriel Jackson Michael Small Nathaniel Hall Rick James Harris	Quaze	3:48
15.	"MLK"	Broadus Hale Griffin III Clarence Satchell Frederick Tyrone Crum Keith Harrison Gilliam Ralph Aikens Robert Neal, Jr. Roger Parker	B Sharp	3:44
16.	"Lil Girl"	Broadus Hale Griffin III Michael Angelo Saulsberry	Michael Angelo	3:19
17.	"My Dirty Ho"	Broadus Hale Griffin III Justin Henderson Vincent Bell	J-Hen	4:12
18.	"Appreciation"	Broadus Hale Griffin III Henderson	J-Hen	4:06
19.	"So Fly"	Broadus Hale Griffin III Melissa Elliott Zyah Ahmonuel	Missy Elliott	4:07

European edition bonus track

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
20.	"Whistle While You Hustle" (featuring Daz Dillinger and Soopafly)	Broadus Hale Griffin III David Drew Delmar Arnaud Brooks	Jelly Roll	2:35

Notes

• "Twist Yo' Body" features backing vocals performed by Dion.
• "Rick James" (Interlude) features vocals performed by Dave Chappelle.

Sample credits

• "Keep It Gangsta" contains an interpolation of "Black Cow" performed by Steely Dan.
• "Groupie Luv" contains an interpolation of "Chameleon" performed by Herbie Hancock, Paul Jackson, Harvey Mason and Bennie Maupin.
• "Another Summer" contains excerpts of "Intimate Friends" performed by Eddie Kendricks.
• "Gotta Find a Way" contains excerpts of "Rejoice" performed by the Emotions.
• "Joysticc" contains an interpolation of "Juicy Fruit" performed by James Mtume.
• "Mary Jane" contains excerpts of "It's Time" performed by the Jungle Brothers.
• "MLK" contains an interpolation of "Riding High" performed by Faze-O.
• "My Dirty Ho" contains an interpolation of "The Rain" performed by Oran "Juice" Jones. It also samples Lacrimosa (Requiem) in Requiem (Mozart).
• "So Fly" contains excerpts of the recording "So Gone" performed by Monica and excerpts of "You Are Number 1" performed by The Whispers.

Personnel

Artists 213 – primary artist (all tracks) Snoop Dogg – primary artist (all tracks) Nate Dogg – primary artist (all tracks) Warren G – primary artist (all tracks) LaToiya Williams – featured artist (track 8) Boki – featured artist (track 11) Dion – background artist (track 2) Dave Chappelle – skit (track 13) Technical personnel Brian "Big Bass" Gardner – mastering Nate Oberman – engineer (tracks 3, 5, 7, 10, 11, 14–17, 19) Shon Don – engineer (tracks 2, 4, 6–9, 16–18, 20), mixing (track 8, 12, 14, 20) Geoff Gibb – engineer (track 12) Dave Aron – mixing (tracks 3–5, 7, 9–11, 15–18) Steve Baughman – mixing (track 2) DJ Pooh – mixing (track 6) Nomad – mixing (track 19)

Record producers Fredwreck – production (tracks 1, 13) Hi-Tek – production (track 2) Quaze – production (tracks 3, 14) B Sharp – production (tracks 4, 11, 15) Tha Chill – production (track 5, 11) DJ Pooh – production (track 6) Nottz – production (track 7) Kanye West – production (track 8) Josef Leimberg – production (track 9) Lil ½ Dead – production (track 10) Niggarochi – production (track 10) Terrace Martin – production (track 12) Marlon Williams – production (track 12) Michael Angelo – production (track 16) J-Hen – production (tracks 17, 18) Missy Elliott – production (track 19) Jelly Roll – production (track 20) Soopafly – additional strings (track 7) Additional personnel Benjamin Wheelock – design Anthony Mandler – photography

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (2004) Peak position Australian Albums (ARIA)[11] 50 Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[12] 57 Canadian Albums (Billboard)[13] 3 Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[14] 57 German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[15] 34 New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[16] 21 Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[17] 33 UK R&B Albums (OCC)[18] 35 US Billboard 200[19] 4 US Independent Albums (Billboard)[20] 1 US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[21] 1

Year-end charts Chart (2004) Peak position US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[22] 85

Singles

Year	Title	Peak chart positions
		U.S. Hot 100	U.S. R&B	U.S. Rap	NZ	AUS
2004	"So Fly"	102	39	18	—	—
	"Groupie Love"	48	24	23	16	39

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[23]	Gold	50,000^^
^^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

See also

• List of number-one R&B albums of 2004 (U.S.)

References

1. Birchmeier, Jason (August 10, 2004). "213: The Hard Way". All Music Guide. Retrieved August 10, 2018.
2. Beato, G. (August 17, 2004). "Snoop Dogg and his childhood pals strut through a reunion set". Blender. Archived from the original on March 24, 2005. Retrieved August 10, 2018.
3. Endelman, Michael (September 10, 2004). "The Hard Way (2004)". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on June 7, 2011. Retrieved August 10, 2018.
4. Tindal, K.B. (August 31, 2004). "213 - The Hard Way". HipHopDX. Archived from the original on September 6, 2004. Retrieved August 10, 2018.
5. Barone, Matt (August 17, 2004). "213's The Hard Way". RapReviews.com. Archived from the original on August 25, 2004.
6. "213: The Hard Way". Rolling Stone. September 2, 2004. Archived from the original on September 30, 2004. Retrieved August 10, 2018.
7. McKeating, Scott (September 15, 2004). "213: The Hard Way". Stylus. Archived from the original on November 8, 2004. Retrieved August 10, 2018.
8. Conway, Rondell (September 2004), "213 – The Hard Way (TVT)", Vibe, 12 (9), p. 236, archived from the original on March 9, 2005, retrieved August 10, 2018
9. Whitmire, Margo (2004-08-25). "'NOW 16' Is No. 1 Again". Billboard. Retrieved 2009-02-15.
10. http://www.mtv.com/news/1490546/now-takes-down-ashlee-213-stomps-in-at-4-on-albums-chart/
11. "Australiancharts.com – 213 – The Hard Way". Hung Medien.
12. "Ultratop.be – 213 – The Hard Way" (in Dutch). Hung Medien.
13. "213 Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard.
14. "Dutchcharts.nl – 213 – The Hard Way" (in Dutch). Hung Medien.
15. "Offiziellecharts.de – 213 – The Hard Way" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved August 10, 2019.
16. "Charts.nz – 213 – The Hard Way". Hung Medien.
17. "Swisscharts.com – 213 – The Hard Way". Hung Medien.
18. "Official R&B Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company.
19. "213 Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard.
20. "213 Chart History (Independent Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved October 27, 2015.
21. "213 Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard.
22. "Best of 2004 – R&B/Hip-Hop Albums". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved December 14, 2015.
23. "Canadian album certifications – 213 – The Hard Way". Music Canada.

External links

• 213 official page
• Chart Data
• 213 on Music Video Database
• E-jams