“Keep Their Heads Ringin'” was released as part of the soundtrack for the movie “Friday”, in 1995. I’ve never watched it, but it’s one of those 90s comedies with Ice Cube in it.
Some types of smooth Jazz, some Soul, and some R’n’B, are probably smoother than this song. Despite that, there’s no getting away from the essential smoothness of this beat. It’s classic Dr Dre, silky as you like.
There’s a couple of tasteful samples from the 1980 “Funk You Up”, by The Sequence, which was on Sugar Hill Records. The song as a whole is an exemplary 90s West Coast G-Funk roller, complete with the high pitched G-Funk synth.
The lyrics are not exactly poetic. It’s a standard rap fare of “I’m a badman, I’m the best rapper, I get all the girls, I love smoking”. But that’s what it is, the bravado, the demand for the respect, and of course, the mystique of the gangsta life. In fairness, the delivery is top notch. The chorus is compelling, and the verses are slick.
Such a great groove!