# 213 (group)
**213** was an American hip-hop group from [Long Beach, California](https://www.edgepedia.org/long-beach-california), formed by [Snoop Dogg](https://www.edgepedia.org/snoop-dogg) (Calvin Broadus), Warren G (Warren Griffin III), and [Nate Dogg](https://www.edgepedia.org/nate-dogg) (Nathaniel Hale), who named the trio after their home telephone area code, 213. Active in various configurations from around 1990, the group released a single album, *The Hard Way*, in August 2004 on TVT Records.[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/213-mn0000508297) • [2](https://rapsource.net/cd/213-the-hard-way/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Members | Snoop Dogg (Calvin Broadus), Warren G (Warren Griffin III), and Nate Dogg (Nathaniel Hale), all from Long Beach, California[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/213-mn0000508297) |
| Name | Taken from the group's own area code, 213, inspired by Richie Rich's 415 group from the San Francisco Bay Area[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/213-mn0000508297) |
| Only album | *The Hard Way*, released August 17, 2004 on TVT Records, 19 tracks[2](https://rapsource.net/cd/213-the-hard-way/) |
| Breakthrough song | "So Fly," a mixtape freestyle send-up of Monica's "So Gone," a surprise radio and underground hit in summer 2003[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/213-mn0000508297) |
| Lead single | "Groupie Luv," released ahead of the album[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/213-mn0000508297) |
| Styles | G-funk, West Coast rap, and gangsta rap[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/213-mn0000508297) |
| Activity timeline | Founded 1990 in Long Beach; dissolved 1994; reunited 1996; dissolved again in 2004, per the German collector database Musik-Sammler[3](https://www.musik-sammler.de/artist/0213/) |
## History and formation
The three musicians grew up in Long Beach and came together as a group around the turn of the 1990s. In the high-school-era lineup described by Tower Records Japan's retrospective, Snoop was the MC, Nate the singer, and Warren the DJ; they battled other local groups, including acts that later became known such as Tha Eastsidaz, Domino, and the Twinz, and made demo tapes.[4](https://tower.jp/article/series/2004/09/30/100044443) AllMusic describes the same division of labor: Snoop and Warren rapped while Nate sang the melodies and hooks.[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/213-mn0000508297)
**The Death Row connection.** [Warren G](https://www.edgepedia.org/warren-g) played a demo tape for Dre, who responded to Snoop's rapping and offered him a contract. That led to "Deep Cover" before *The Chronic*.[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/213-mn0000508297) • [4](https://tower.jp/article/series/2004/09/30/100044443) During *The Chronic* sessions the three were used individually rather than as a unit, though all three appear together on "[Ain't No Fun](https://www.edgepedia.org/aint-no-fun-if-the-homies-cant-have-none)" from Snoop's *Doggystyle*.[4](https://tower.jp/article/series/2004/09/30/100044443) Warren G and Nate Dogg then shot to stardom with their hit duet "Regulate."[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/213-mn0000508297)
**Earlier reunion attempts.** Warren G's 1998 single "Game Don't Wait" was billed on the vinyl as a 213 revival, an earlier attempt to bring the trio back that stalled after a few further collaborations.[4](https://tower.jp/article/series/2004/09/30/100044443) Musik-Sammler's discography records the group's history as a founding in 1990, a first dissolution in 1994, a reunion in 1996, and a final dissolution in 2004.[3](https://www.musik-sammler.de/artist/0213/)
**The 2003 breakthrough.** "So Fly," a one-time collaboration among the three former group mates parodying Monica's hit single "So Gone" as a mixtape freestyle, unexpectedly found success on radio and underground circuits in the summer of 2003 and soon brought the trio an album contract with TVT Records.[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/213-mn0000508297)
## The Hard Way (2004)
The reunited 213 entered the studio, and roughly a year after the "So Fly" deal, in August 2004, *The Hard Way* was released to much fanfare, preceded by the lead single "Groupie Luv."[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/213-mn0000508297) The album appeared on August 17, 2004 on TVT Records as a 19-track CD.[2](https://rapsource.net/cd/213-the-hard-way/)
**Production.** The credits list an unusually broad producer roster: B Sharp (tracks 4, 11, 15), [DJ Pooh](https://www.edgepedia.org/dj-pooh) (track 6, including "Groupie Luv"), Fredwreck Nassar (tracks 1 and 13), Hi-Tek (track 2), [Kanye West](https://www.edgepedia.org/kanye-west) (track 8), Nottz (track 7), [Terrace Martin](https://www.edgepedia.org/terrace-martin), Missy Elliott (track 19, including "So Fly"), and Lil' 1/2 Dead. Executive producer is credited as Bigg Snoop Dogg, with mastering by Brian "Big Bass" Gardner.[2](https://rapsource.net/cd/213-the-hard-way/) The Tower Records column observes that the album drew on East Coast-connected producers in Snoop's circle, such as Kanye West and Hi-Tek, giving it a relaxed, mature sound rather than a strictly Long Beach G-funk record.[4](https://tower.jp/article/series/2004/09/30/100044443)
**Notable tracks.** The album includes a "Rick James (Interlude)" featuring comedian [Dave Chappelle](https://www.edgepedia.org/dave-chappelle)'s Rick James impersonation, followed by "Mary Jane," which samples [Rick James](https://www.edgepedia.org/rick-james)'s song of the same name.[4](https://tower.jp/article/series/2004/09/30/100044443) • [2](https://rapsource.net/cd/213-the-hard-way/)
## Singles and releases
Beyond "Groupie Luv" and "So Fly," the group's release history includes 12-inch records: the 2004 promo single "Absolutely / To Be With Somebody Like Me" on Westside Entertainment, and "Gotta Find A Way / Twist Yo Body" on TVT Records in 2005, issued after the album.[5](https://musicbase.net/213)
## A one-album supergroup
AllMusic frames the 2004 project as a reunion of three of the West Coast's top rap artists who had broken up their trio and pursued separately successful solo careers: after "Regulate," Warren G and Nate Dogg maintained lukewarm solo careers while Snoop remained a perennial superstar.[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/213-mn0000508297) The album was long rumored and much anticipated before it materialized, and the group dissolved again in the same year it released it.[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/213-mn0000508297) • [3](https://www.musik-sammler.de/artist/0213/)
## Style and legacy
213 is classified in the styles G-funk, West Coast rap, and gangsta rap.[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/213-mn0000508297) Musicbase adds contemporary R&B and pop rap to the list, reflecting Nate Dogg's sung hooks.[5](https://musicbase.net/213) The group's sound and identity grew directly out of the members' earlier partnerships, above all the "Regulate" duet that made Warren G and Nate Dogg stars.[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/213-mn0000508297) The name itself, an area code, made the trio a named emblem of Long Beach hip-hop, and the group is registered as a recognized corporate name entity in the Library of Congress authority file[6](http://id.loc.gov/rwo/agents/no2004107861) and as a United States music corporate body in the German GND authority record under the variant name "Two Hundred and Thirteen."[7](https://lobid.org/gnd/10337045-6)
## References
1. [213 — Biography, Discography, Albums & Expert Reviews, AllMusic (Jason Birchmeier)](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/213-mn0000508297)
2. [213 – The Hard Way (CD), RAPSOURCE.NET](https://rapsource.net/cd/213-the-hard-way/)
3. [213 (USA): Diskographie, Links, Infos, Musik-Sammler.de](https://www.musik-sammler.de/artist/0213/)
4. [第51回 ─ Three The hard way!!, TOWER RECORDS ONLINE (September 30, 2004)](https://tower.jp/article/series/2004/09/30/100044443)
5. [213 – bands, collaborators & records, musicbase](https://musicbase.net/213)
6. [213 (Musical group), LC Linked Data Service, Library of Congress](http://id.loc.gov/rwo/agents/no2004107861)
7. [213 – Körperschaft (GND authority record 10337045-6), lobid.org](https://lobid.org/gnd/10337045-6)
---
*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Music › Musicians and ensembles › Ensembles and groups › Rock, pop, and metal bands › Musical duos, supergroups, and collaborative projects › Pop, hip-hop, R&B, and electronic supergroups*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license