I'm a well known West Coast/G-Funk stan. Dre and Snoop were the first rap artists I ever heard when I was 8 years old. My parents barred me from getting The Chronic when it came out so I had to dub it on a tape labeled "Ace of Base" from one of my neighbors so I could listen to it (quietly) in my room after they went to bed or when they weren't home.

In middle school when we got the internet, I destroyed my parents' computer(s) with various viruses downloading all the new and unreleased Snoop/Dre/Death Row music I could find on sites like snoopsdogghouse.com and other unofficial Death Row sites. When Snoop left Death Row, I bought (and still have, and still often listen to) his self-released CD "Smokefest '96," which is, in part, the impetus for this post.

In those middle school file folders were a *bunch* of unreleased and/or rare/hard to find west coast golden era songs that I've mostly been able to rediscover over the years, but don't listen to as often as I otherwise would because they're only available on other stans' YouTube channels and shit like that. And of course like the rest of us, I spend most of my time these days on streaming (and vinyl more and more).

But last nite something reminded me of one of those old, rare songs and I spent like 3 hours sitting on my couch, searching out and listening to those songs from the mid 90s that I used to have in my file folders on my parents' computer, and reminisced. Which made me decide to make this post; maybe to open a discussion about west coast artists' unreleased/rarity vaults specifically, maybe to open a discussion about unreleased /rarities in general; maybe just to memorialize some of these songs so I never go an extended period without listening to them again; or whatever else.

I wish more of these songs would get the re-mastering treatment and see an official release now that Snoop owns DR (many of them have on various Death Row/Suge Knight releases but they changed enough that the songs lost some of their original magic) cuz damn, these songs are just so vintage, so of their time, so directly up my damn alley haha. I have a lot of them on my old iPod but not all of them.

I can only imagine what else Dre and them have in the vaults that we'll unfortunately never get to hear. These guys were batting a thousand during the early-to-mid 90s (and into the late 90s, in some cases); everything they dropped was a head bobbing masterpiece IMO. So cool, so funky, so vibey and groovy, so fun.

Anyway - I'm just gonna post a bunch of these bangers below, for my and hopefully some others' enjoyment. Maybe this post goes wood, but hopefully, if nothing else, some of you at least discover some great songs you'd never heard before.

I'll post two good sources below as well, if anyone wants to dig deeper into these west coast vaults; I'm only posting my personal favorites (albeit, several of them). I have some backstories about some of these songs that I'll include below. I somehow vividly remember a lot of the origin stories even tho I first read/found out about them nearly 30 years ago. Core memories I suppose.

Sources:
https://youtube.com/@AnnonymousOne
https://youtube.com/@deathrowvault2663
(be aware that some of the songs on the 2nd link appear to be not what they say they are ... AnonymousOne's songs/vids are 100% legit in my experience).

Bangers:
Snoop Doggy Dogg f. Kurupt, Jewell, Nate Dogg - Every Single Day (OG, remastered)
https://youtu.be/Pn0EIpyttck
(here's the version I always had that was a radio rip from 1996 or so, which has some slight differences):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L3qfRpJUV8w

Snoop Doggy Dogg f. The (original) Eastsiders - Feels So Good (from the "Ride" soundtrack)
https://youtu.be/USdBgSLKUto

Dr. Dre - My Life (supposed to have been on Chronic 2: Daddy's Got a Brand New Funk before Dre left DR)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OcIFc4020Ew

Snoop Doggy Dogg f. George Clinton & Jewell - Doggystyle (sample clearances prevented it from being on the album)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0oJAkg5PigU

Snoop Doggy Dogg - Neva Again (radio rip, song that came out right after he left Death Row and just before the Smokefest album was released)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5xINEH6t-z0

Snoop Doggy Dogg f. Dr. Dre - The Next Episode (original g-funk version, also couldn't make Doggystyle cuz of sample issues)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cs0DGmd6JdI

Snoop Doggy Dogg f. Kurupt - Ride On (Remix; original was on the Caught Up soundtrack; this remix was on the aforementioned Smokefest album .. I prefer this version. Snoop and Kurupt had great chemistry back then; I wish we got more songs like this and Every Single Day from them)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m07_VRA6CrQ

Dr. Dre - Get It (this sounds more like 2001-era Dre but I like it so I included it)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7dqit-u1M4w

Kurupt f. Jewell - I Don't Bang No More (god dayum this is that vintage g-funk; this is the song I was reminded of last nite that sparked my solo listening party and this post)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LStcRjZAi8w

Snoop Doggy Dogg f.Daz, Raphael Saadiq (this song got a somewhat official release and video but still a rarity IMO)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zSPQkO4RHe8

Tha Dogg Pound f. Nate Dogg - Just Doggin' (this was on the Sunset Park soundtrack but still a rarity too IMO .. great Kurupt verses)
https://youtu.be/m3YBAHXFWQM

Nas f. Nature, Dr. Dre - Everyday Thing (not sure the time this was released but it can be gleaned that it was during The Firm sessions, not only cuz of the artists involved but cuz I think Nature's verse is ripped straight from Firm Family, which was on the Firm's album)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xXPNGD2999s

Snoop Doggy Dogg - May I (not sure when this was released but it got an official release on one of Suge's petty post-Dre/Snoop albums)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7fkhyROuido

Snoop Doggy Dogg - County Blues (pre-Chronic demo song, same story as above in that it got an official release on one of those Suge albums but this is the original, raw version I had back in the 90s)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NeNA1NVjAxs

I'll prolly be back to post more, there's so many Snoop gems from the pre-Chronic sessions when he and Dre first got together that I want to post here but I gotta run for now. Enjoy !

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"Fuck aliens." © WarriorPoet415