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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Classic, memorable, exotic Long Beach hip-hop., December 28, 1999
The legacy of Long Beach rap leads back quite a few years. The sweet sounds of Long Beach hip-hop are guarenteed to make you feel good. Warren G was one of the pioneers of this style of rap, better known as G-funk. This style of rap is famous for its sweet and smooth electric keyboards, subtle guitars, and soulful swinging. Warren G is a true genius of this style, staying true to it throughout his whole musical life. His album I Want It All features only the best in G-funk, with soulful swinging and smoothly flowing beats. One great thing about G-funk is its natural feel and jazzy, laid back demeanor. His very own group, 213, named for the Long Beach area code at the time, also included friends Snoop Doggy Dogg and Nate Dogg, is in my mind my second favorite rap group of all time, after The Dogg Pound. The swinging, smoothly-flowing manner of I Want It All is what makes it one of the greatest of all time, and one of the greatest of this year.The highlights on this album include the jazzy "Gangsta Love", which features his partners RBX, Kurupt and Nate Dogg, and flows just like the water, not mentioning the strong and confident performances from all, "Why Oh Why", which features Daz Dillinger and Kurupt for a bouncing street-hard track with excellent keyboards, "Dollars Make Sense", a slower track featuring Crucial Conflict and once again, Kurupt, and Warren's proteges Reel Tight, for an intense track filled with masterfully fast raps. The best track is probably "I Want It All", laced by so many bright instruments, trumpet, alto saxophone, guitar and keyboards, not to mention Warren and Mack 10 turning in wonderful performances. "Havin' Things", another great Long Beach track with Jermaine Dupri and Nate Dogg with swinging keyboards. Once again, you figure out that the perfect combination is Nate and Warren G. "You Never Know" features Snoop Doggy Dogg turning in an outstanding performance, although Warren steals the show. The sweet "My Momma (Ola Mae)" is a heartfelt dedication to Warren's fallen mother Ola Mae Sanders. In this song, he reminisces on how his mother helped him throughout his childhood. The swinging track "G-Spot" swings very well with sparkling guitars. Warren is splendid lyrically on this track and the chorus is very well done. The bouncing "Dope Beat" is where we join Warren solo for a genuine West Coast track, the laid back "World Wide Riders" features his group 5 Footaz for a keyboard-laced track. Another one of the greatest tracks on the album is "Game Don't Wait (213 Reunion)", where 213 unite for the most memorable track on the album. It's great to hear them all together again. Nate Dogg's smooth singing laces the track, and Warren and Snoop hold it together with tight raps. Also, there is "I Want It All (Special East Coast Remix)", though not as good as the original, it features Memphis Bleek, Drag-On and Tikki Diamond for a very good track. I recommend this album very highly for any hip-hop fan. This is best if you like West Coast rap, especially if you are a fan of Long Beach rap. A remarkable thing about this album is Warren's ability to combine gangsta tales and positivity. A true classic for Long Beach rap.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Further West Coast brilliance from the G-Child & Co., October 8, 2007
By 1999, West Coast hip hop was advancing past g-funk on the heels of influential albums like 2001 and Tha Streetz Iz a Mutha, ushering in a hard, fast, electronic sound in favor of the familiar slow, woozy, soulful g-funk sound that had dominated the coast for the past five years. As one of the forefathers of g-funk, this left Warren G in a strange predicament, but on his third album, 1999's "I Want It All," Warren just continues to do what he does best, and that is produce beautiful, laidback hip hop. The more I listen to all of his albums, the more I'm convinced that he's one of the best producers the west coast has ever had to offer; maybe even better than his half-brother Dr. Dre (Warren's sound is a little more focused, smooth, and musical; I like his ear for music better). Again, Warren adjusts his sound from his previous effort, 1997's ambitious Take a Look Over Your Shoulder, which was largely influenced by smooth R&B and pop music. "I Want It All" is often every bit as smooth as his first two albums, and maintains the same appeal with hook-heavy structures, a laidback approach, and rich instrumentals. But most of all, his creative genius stands out once again. He abandons his woozy synths for some more live-sounding instrumentation, with lots of horns and guitars, but the sound is still smooth and dense. Again, the rapping is mostly handled by guests, including Nate Dogg, Snoop Dogg, Daz Dillinger, Kurupt, RBX, Mack 10, Crucial Conflict, Jermaine Dupri, Phats Bossalini, Reel Tight, El DeBarge, Val Young, Eve, Drag-On, Shadow, Neb Love, K-Bar, Slick Rick, Memphis Bleek, and Tikki Diamonds. With all these guests, lyrically it sometimes feels like a compilation, but Warren never leaves the spotlight, and it keeps a really smooth, friendly vibe. When Warren raps, he has a really likable persona, a very conversational flow, and he sounds like someone you'd want to hang out with. He's not menacing or gangster, he enjoys life and music. While I don't like it quite as much as his first two albums, Warren G's "I Want It All" is another fine effort by the production genius, and one I highly recommend.
After the intro, the album kicks off with "Gangsta Love," an excellent opening collabo with Nate Dogg, Kurupt, and RBX. The gorgeous beat has beautiful bass and smooth sax instrumentation, it's one of Warren's best beats on the album and the MCs lace it with light, laidback lyricism. Nate also offers a great performance on this track. Warren, Daz, and Kurupt rap about their struggles hustling over an upbeat track on "Why Oh Why." Another great collabo is the Crucial Conflict and Kurupt number "Dollars Make Sense," which is anchored by another fine West Coast beat and nice verses. The title track has a great feel to it, a real classy-sounding track with rich horns and keyboards, Mack 10 guests. Warren's verses take a step back, and he looks at his career as a humble man. Jermaine Dupri and Nate Dogg provide good performances on the well-produced "Havin' Things," and it's followed by possibly my favorite song here, "You Never Know." A sunny, funky beat allows Snoop, Phats Bossalini, and Warren to drop some conscious lyrics, and the hook by Reel Tight is nice. Warren dedicates "My Momma (Ola Mae)" to his mother, on a solo track with catchy, low-key production. "G-Spot" is an enjoyable soulful, emotional number featuring El DeBarge & Val Young on the hook. The production here is another highlight. Warren adjusts his sound to suit his Ruff Ryder guests on "We Got That," it sounds like an average Ruff Ryders track, and although it's good it doesn't stand out. "Dope Beat" is aptly titled, a simple song with smooth vibes, and "World Wide Ryders" is another excellent track, it sounds a lot like something from Take a Look Over Your Shoulder. The cool "Game Don't Wait," a 213 reunion, and twangy "We Give You a Chance" with Slick Rick are solid late-album cuts. The album closes with a nice remix to the title track and an outro by Flavor Flav.
Warren G makes feel good music, and any time I pop one of his LPs into the player, it helps me relax and feel good. His constantly laidback vibes make for perfect listening on any occasion, and his musical genius can be appreciated on so many levels. It's definitely got a lot of mainstream appeal, but if you can't get into these beats then you should get your ears checked. "I Want It All" is another one for the collection for fans of Warren, g-funk, and West Coast hip hop.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
very so-so, December 25, 1999
when warren is bumping with snoop&nate it's on but this disc goes all over the place.sounding just like factory product and not up to warren g's depth.he has and can do better work than this.
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by Warren G 
