Wow… 1995 me would have lost his mind seeing this happen.
A bit of a backstory: during the West/East Coast rap wars of the 90s, Daz and Kurupt (Tha Dogg Pound) dropped “New York, New York” in 1995. While the song itself wasn’t anything too inflammatory (although a case could be made for the hook), the video however featured various members of Death Row Records — enlarged to Godzilla-size giants — stomping, jumping over and kicking down various NYC landmarks. Kurupt, in interviews, would later reveal that the video was in retaliation after Tha Dogg Pound were shot at by unknown assailants during a visit to New York.
In response, Capone-N-Noreaga — teaming with Tragedy Khadafi and Mobb Deep — dropped “L.A., L.A.” The original version of their song, released in 1995, used the same beat as “New York, New York” (which, ironically, was also used in a St. Ides commercial featuring The Notorious B.I.G. the same year), while its accompanying video featured the Queens-bred rappers kidnapping caricatures of Tha Dogg Pound, throwing them in car trunks, and ultimately tossing them over a bridge.
Well, it’s 2020, and CNN and DPG have collaborated on a new song, “Guidelines.” The track is slated to land on a forthcoming collaborative album from Capone and Daz. Looks like everything these days… is now… water under the bridge.
