Battlecat: Biography

• Overview
• Discography
• Biography
• Related Artists

• Jelly Roll
• Mike Mosley
• Meech Wells
• Scott Storch
• L.T. Hutton
• Nate Dogg
• Tha Dogg Pound

• Parliament
• Cameo
• Dr. Dre
• George Clinton
• Ant Banks
• DJ Quik

• Eastsidaz
• Kurupt
• Xzibit
• E-40
• Snoop Dogg
• Doggy's Angels

Genres:

Gangsta and Hardcore Rap Music, West Coast Rap Music

Decades Active:

1990's|2000's

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, All Music Guide