"This D.J." is a song by American

hip hop Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hip- ...

artist

Warren G Warren Griffin III (born November 10, 1970) is an American rapper, songwriter, record producer, and DJ who helped popularize West Coast hip hop during the 1990s.Steve Huey"Warren G: Biography" ''AllMusic.com'', Netaktion LLC, visited May 8, 2020. ...

, released in July 1994 by

Def Jam Def Jam Recordings (also simply known as Def Jam) is an American multinational record label owned by Universal Music Group. It is based in Manhattan, New York City, specializing predominantly in hip hop, contemporary R&B, soul and pop. The ...

as the second single from his debut album, '' Regulate...G Funk Era'' (1994). Released as the follow-up to his hit song "

Regulate Regulate may refer to: * Regulation Regulation is the management of complex systems according to a set of rules and trends. In systems theory, these types of rules exist in various fields of biology and society, but the term has slightly diff ...

", "This D.J." was another success for Warren G, becoming his second consecutive top-10 single in the US, peaking at number nine on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and receiving

gold Gold is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol Au (from Latin ) and atomic number 79. In its pure form, it is a brightness, bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile metal. Chemically, gold is a transition metal ...

certification by the

Recording Industry Association of America The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...

(RIAA), having sold 600,000 copies. Warren G revealed in 2023, during an interview for ''Drink Champs'', that "This DJ"'s chorus was written by

Snoop Dogg Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr. ( ; born October 20, 1971), better known by his stage name Snoop Dogg (previously Snoop Doggy Dogg), is an American rapper, record producer, and actor. Rooted in West Coast hip-hop, he is widely regarded as one of t ...

, that was supposed to perform it as well, but because of discrepancies between their labels, he couldn't be on the song and Warren G performed it instead. Because of the label's involvement, Snoop Dogg was ultimately not credited for the writing as well. The song was nominated for the Best Rap Solo Performance at the

37th Annual Grammy Awards The 37th Annual Grammy Awards were presented on March 1, 1995, at Shrine Auditorium, Los Angeles. They recognized accomplishments by musicians from the previous year. Bruce Springsteen was the night's biggest winner with 4 awards, including Song ...

Critical reception

Larry Flick Larry Flick is an American journalist, former dance music columnist, single reviewer, and Senior Talent Editor for ''Billboard'' magazine, where he worked for 14 years. Now he produces and hosts Sirius XM radio shows. Flick started in the musi ...

from ''

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'' magazine wrote, "This gangsta-funk follow-up [to '

'] is a solid sophomore shot aimed directly at the top spot. The rhythm is strictly laid-back, with a lazy bass line, casual lyrical flow, and cooing female backup vocals." Taylor Parkes from ''Melody Maker'' named it Single of the Week, describing it as "smoother still, an ecstatic groove." Pan-European magazine ''

Music & Media ''Music & Media'' was a pan-European magazine for radio, music and entertainment. It was published for the first time in 1984 as ''Eurotipsheet'', but in 1986 it changed name to ''Music & Media''. It was originally based in Amsterdam, but later m ...

'' commented, "Regulate your choices, DJs out there. Please don't forget to add a chunk of lazy

. Warren G's got such incredible swing in a field overcrowded by hyper-stiff two left-legged dance acts." Dele Fadele from ''

NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming and culture website, bimonthly magazine, and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a "Rock music, rock inkie", the ''NME'' would be ...

'' came to the conclusion that the song is "a good thing, a way to sidestep reality and just luxuriate in sound. Whistling keyboard noises, boosted bass, subtle guitar licks, no obvious Michael McDonald sample, and the smooth, considered rapping all add up to pop thrills." Jordan Paramor from ''

Smash Hits ''Smash Hits'' was a British music magazine aimed at young adults, originally published by EMAP. It ran from 1978 to 2006, and, after initially appearing monthly, was issued fortnightly during most of that time. The name survived as a brand ...

'' gave it a score of four out of five, writing, "WHOA! Close your eyes and suddenly you're in downtown LA, cruising through the backstreets, bopping along to another funky laid-back masterpiece from Mr Warren G Esq. He's undoubtedly the king of cool (even if he does use rude words). Buy it, you'll love it."

Single track listing

A-Side

#"This D.J." (LP Version)- 3:23 #"This D.J." (Radio Edit)- 3:23

B-Side

#"This D.J." (LP Instrumental)- 3:23 #"This D.J." (Remix Instrumental)- 3:43 #"Regulate" (Remix)- 4:18

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

References

{{Warren G 1994 singles Warren G songs G-funk songs Songs written by Warren G 1994 songs