Battlecat

One of the West Coast's most promising rap producers of the late '90s, Battlecat made a substantial name for himself by laying down beats for Snoop Dogg and his affiliates (Kurupt, tha Eastsidaz, Doggy's Angels, Xzibit), along with a number of other West Coast rappers. His aesthetic is a progression from the early-'90s G-funk sound pioneered by Dr. Dre, characterized by fat synth bass lines and soulful keys. Some of his better productions -- Snoop Dogg's "Stacey Adams," E-40's "Nah, Nah...," Xzibit's "Been a Long Time" -- bring a sense of laid-back funky soul to the respective artist's traditionally gangsta rap sound; furthermore, his productions also tend to make an excellent use of crooning Gs, such as Nate Dogg and Kokane, on the choruses to accentuate the soul element. If his late-'90s productions didn't solidify his place in the West Coast's roster of elite producers, the chart-topping success of Doggy's Angels' "Baby If You're Ready" (which spend multiple weeks at the top of Billboard's Hot Rap Singles chart in late 2000) only affirmed the potency of his aesthetic. ~ Jason Birchmeier, Rovi