Kurupt, of the infamous and iconic Dogg Pound, dropped an incredible solo effort in 2001 with the release of Space Boogie: Smoke Oddessey. One of the standout tracks from this illustrious set of music is “The Hardest Muthafuckas”, a posse cut featuring MC Ren, Xzibit, and the late, great Nate Dogg. The four West Coast legends deliver some serious heat over a guitar-driven banger produced by Grammy Award-winning producer Fredwreck.
In an ode to his opening commandment on the Eazy-E record “Ruthless Villain”, MC Ren kicks of the record with, “Yo, Fredwreck, turn this motherfucker up man, so it can fuck with my eardrums a lil’ bit”. And from there Fredwreck’s menacing guitar licks pave the way for the oncoming onslaught.
Nate Dogg laced this track in a way only Nate Dogg ever could, singing classic, gangster-style, catchy soulful vocals over a dope beat. The late singer let it be known that he can’t be fucked with with this opening verse sating: “Some try to repeat my flow/ Others never try cuz they know/ I told you that the game don’t wait/ I’m so tight that I can wait for the game/ Just about as tight as tight can be/ That’s why you never see ’em fuckin’ with me/ Get ya chance to bow out gracefully /You standin’ face to face with defeat”.
Rock ‘n Roll Hall of Fame member and former N.W.A frontman, MC Ren obliterates the track with a ferocious 16-bar, scene-stealing verse. Coming in hard, the ruthless Villain shows the track no mercy: “bring yo bitch ass in, close the door/ Now you wanna run and fetch me a ho/ Muthafucka, tell yo mama tip-toe /When she pass my door/ Kurupt, got this bitch about to toss this ho/ And when we makin the nigga shit/ Always makin the killin/ I be hearin you bitches, there go the villain”.
Having kicked down the door on his career and blasting off after doing monster feature spots with Snoop Dogg, Dr. Dre, Eminem, and following hot on the heels of the success from his third solo release Restless early in the new millennium, Xzibit tore through his verse in true X to the Z fashion. With a no holds barred verse, Xzibit laid waste to anybody wanting to compete with him: “Make my enemies search for God like Mase/ You should avoid catching two to the face, so I can avoid catching a case /You’se just another fuckin’ rat in a race/ While I explode and expose to this multi-platinum fan base/ Never seen before I kick in your door/ Ain’t no time to run for them guns, just get on the floor”.
Kurupt Young Gotti, the high-caliber, lyrical assassin who hails from the DPG, closes out this West Coast anthem: “Scream it at the top of your lungs/ Tell these niggas where we from/ Say Kurupt…Kurupt (Kurupt!)/ Yeah nigga the hardest muthafucka in here/ I like Hennessy and beer /Remy, gin and juice, tequila, and grapefruit/ Chocolate thai, indigo sticks, and a thick bitch/ Down and out, nah I’m up and in/ Down at the Dogg House with Dre, Cube, & Ren”.
Check out Kurupt, MC Ren, Nate Dogg, and Xzibit on the Fredwreck-produced “The Hardest Muthafuckaz” below: