The Hard Way (213 album)

The Hard Way
The Hard Way
Studio album by 213
Released	August 17, 2004
Recorded	2002–2004
Studio	DSR (Los Angeles); Battery (New York City); Larrabee Studios East (Los Angeles); Larrabee Studios North (Los Angeles); Planet (Los Angeles); The G-Spot (Los Angeles);
Genre	West Coast hip-hop; gangsta rap; G-funk;
Length	71:59
Label	Doggystyle; G-Funk; Dogg Foundation; TVT;
Producer	Fredwreck; Hi-Tek; Quaze; B Sharp; Tha Chill; Kanye West; DJ Pooh; Nottz; Josef; Lil ½ Dead; Niggarochi; Terrace Martin; Marlon Williams; Michael Angelo; Tha Bizness; Missy Elliott; Jelly Roll;
Snoop Dogg chronology
Nate Dogg chronology
Warren G chronology
Singles from The Hard Way
	"So Fly"; Released: July 26, 2004; "Groupie Luv"; Released: August 4, 2004;

The Hard Way is the only studio album from American hip-hop trio 213, which consisted of Snoop Dogg, Warren G and Nate Dogg. It was released on August 17, 2004, on Snoop Dogg's Doggystyle Records, Warren G's G-Funk Entertainment, Nate Dogg's Dogg Foundation Records, and TVT Records.

Reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	56/100^[1]
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	^[2]
Blender	^[3]
E!	B^[4]
Entertainment Weekly	C+^[5]
HipHopDX	^[6]
NME	7/10^[7]
RapReviews	5.5/10^[8]
Rolling Stone	^[9]
Stylus	6/10^[10]
Vibe	^[11]

The Hard Way received mixed to positive reviews from music critics. Jason Birchmeier of AllMusic especially praised Warren G for "rapping tougher and more gangsta than usual."^[2] For HipHopDX, K.B. Tindal described the album as containing "[c]risp beats, sharp hooks, and straight lyrics."^[6] Rating the album three out of four stars, Rob Sheffield of Rolling Stone called 213 an "excellent G-funk-era-revival supergroup."^[9]

Grading the album with a C-plus, Michael Endelman of Entertainment Weekly compared the group to the 2003–04 Los Angeles Lakers, because the album "boasts marquee talent but doesn’t quite deliver the championship trophy."^[5] Matt Barone of RapReviews scored the album 5.5 out of 10 points for "overly generic left coast production and uninspired verses."^[8] Scott McKeating of Stylus rated the album six points out of 10, in part due to lackluster lyrics: "Snoop and Nate seem to have a problem going longer than a few bars without dropping some lines about 'dirty ass hoes.'"^[10] Rondell Conway of Vibe rated the album with 2.5 out of five due to 213 offering what he called "obsolete subject matter" despite "nostalgically offer[ing] its signature G-funk sound."^[11]

Commercial performance

The Hard Way debuted at number four on the US Billboard 200, selling 95,000 copies in its first week.^[12] The album debuted at top on the US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart.^[13]

"So Fly" was released on July 6, 2004, at first single from the album. The song reached at number 2 on US Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles.

The official debut retail single was "Groupie Luv", which was also accompanied by a promo video. It was directed by Chris Robinson and was filmed in Snoop Dogg's own house (see also Still a G Thang). It is also the video debut for dancer Criscilla Crossland. "Groupie Luv" topped at number 26 on Billboard Hot 100 Airplay.

Track listing

*The Hard Way* track listing
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"Intro"	Calvin Broadus Nathaniel Hale Warren Griffin III Frederick Wassar	Fredwreck	1:49
2.	"Twist Yo' Body"	Broadus Hale Griffin III Tony Cottrell	Hi-Tek	3:28
3.	"Absolutely"	Broadus Hale Griffin III Stan Harris	Quaze	4:00
4.	"Keep It Gangsta"	Broadus Hale Griffin III Donald Fagen Kevin Gilliam Walter Becker	B Sharp	4:36
5.	"Run On Up"	Broadus Hale Griffin III Vernon Johnson	Tha Chill	3:33
6.	"Groupie Luv"	Broadus Hale Griffin III Mark Jordan Bennie Maupin Harvey Mason Herbie Hancock Paul Jackson	DJ Pooh	3:52
7.	"Lonely Girl"	Broadus Hale Griffin III Dominick Lamb	Nottz	4:04
8.	"Another Summer" (featuring LaToiya Williams)	Broadus Hale Griffin III Kanye West Garry Glenn Priest Brooks	West	4:12
9.	"213 tha Gangsta Clicc"	Broadus Hale Griffin III Josef Leimberg	Leimberg	3:52
10.	"Gotta Find a Way"	Broadus Hale Griffin III Donald Smith Keith Henderson LaFayette Evans Wanda Hutchinson	Lil' ½ Dead Niggarochi	3:25
11.	"Ups & Downs" (featuring Boki)	Broadus Hale Griffin III A Edwards Gilliam Johnson	B Sharp Tha Chill	3:53
12.	"Joysticc"	Broadus Hale Griffin III James Mtume Marlon Williams Terrace Martin	Martin Williams	4:48
13.	"Rick James" (Interlude)	Broadus Hale Griffin III Nassar	Fredwreck	0:36
14.	"Mary Jane"	Broadus Hale Griffin III Harris Gabriel Jackson Michael Small Nathaniel Hall Rick James	Quaze	3:48
15.	"MLK"	Broadus Hale Griffin III Gilliam Clarence Satchell Frederick Tyrone Crum Keith Harrison Ralph Aikens Robert Neal, Jr. Roger Parker	B Sharp	3:44
16.	"Lil Girl"	Broadus Hale Griffin III Michael Angelo Saulsberry	Michael Angelo	3:19
17.	"My Dirty Ho"	Broadus Hale Griffin III Christopher Whitacre Justin Henderson Vincent Bell	Tha Bizness	4:12
18.	"Appreciation"	Broadus Hale Griffin III Whitacre Henderson	Tha Bizness	4:06
19.	"So Fly"	Broadus Hale Griffin III Melissa Elliott Zyah Ahmonuel	Missy Elliott	4:07

European edition bonus track
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
20.	"Whistle While You Hustle" (featuring Daz Dillinger and Soopafly)	Broadus Hale Griffin III Delmar Arnaud Brooks David Drew	Jelly Roll	2:35

Notes

"Twist Yo' Body" features backing vocals performed by Dion.
"Rick James" (Interlude) features vocals performed by Dave Chappelle.

Sample credits

"Keep It Gangsta" contains an interpolation of "Black Cow" performed by Steely Dan.
"Groupie Luv" contains an interpolation of "Chameleon" performed by Herbie Hancock, Paul Jackson, Harvey Mason and Bennie Maupin.
"Another Summer" contains excerpts of "Intimate Friends" performed by Eddie Kendricks.
"Gotta Find a Way" contains excerpts of "Rejoice" performed by the Emotions.
"Joysticc" contains an interpolation of "Juicy Fruit" performed by James Mtume.
"Mary Jane" contains excerpts of "It's Time" performed by the Jungle Brothers.
"MLK" contains an interpolation of "Riding High" performed by Faze-O.
"My Dirty Ho" contains an interpolation of "The Rain" performed by Oran "Juice" Jones. It also samples Lacrimosa (Requiem) in Requiem (Mozart).
"So Fly" contains excerpts of the recording "So Gone" performed by Monica and excerpts of "You Are Number 1" performed by the Whispers.

Personnel

Artists

213 – primary artist (all tracks)
Snoop Dogg – primary artist (all tracks)
Nate Dogg – primary artist (all tracks)
Warren G – primary artist (all tracks)
LaToiya Williams – featured artist (track 8)
Boki – featured artist (track 11)
Dion – background artist (track 2)
Dave Chappelle – skit (track 13)

Technical personnel

Brian "Big Bass" Gardner – mastering
Nate Oberman – engineer (tracks 3, 5, 7, 10, 11, 14–17, 19)
Shon Don – engineer (tracks 2, 4, 6–9, 16–18, 20), mixing (track 8, 12, 14, 20)
Geoff Gibb – engineer (track 12)
Dave Aron – mixing (tracks 3–5, 7, 9–11, 15–18)
Steve Baughman – mixing (track 2)
DJ Pooh – mixing (track 6)
Nomad – mixing (track 19)

Record producers

Fredwreck – production (tracks 1, 13)
Hi-Tek – production (track 2)
Quazedelic – production (tracks 3, 14)
B Sharp – production (tracks 4, 11, 15)
Tha Chill – production (track 5, 11)
DJ Pooh – production (track 6)
Nottz – production (track 7)
Kanye West – production (track 8)
Josef Leimberg – production (track 9)
Lil ½ Dead – production (track 10)
Niggarochi – production (track 10)
Terrace Martin – production (track 12)
Marlon Williams – production (track 12)
Michael Angelo – production (track 16)
J-Hen – production (tracks 17, 18)
Missy Elliott – production (track 19)
Jelly Roll – production (track 20)
Soopafly – additional strings (track 7)

Additional personnel

Benjamin Wheelock – design
Anthony Mandler – photography

Charts

Weekly charts

Weekly chart performance for *The Hard Way*
Chart (2004)	Peak position
Australian Albums (ARIA)^[14]	50
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)^[15]	57
Canadian Albums (Billboard)^[16]	3
Canadian R&B Albums (Nielsen SoundScan)^[17]	9
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)^[18]	57
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)^[19]	34
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)^[20]	21
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)^[21]	33
UK R&B Albums (OCC)^[22]	35
US Billboard 200^[23]	4
US Independent Albums (Billboard)^[24]	1
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)^[25]	1

Year-end charts

Year-end chart performance for *The Hard Way*
Chart (2004)	Position
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)^[26]	85

Certifications

Certifications for *The Hard Way*
Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)^[27]	Gold	50,000^{^}
^{^} Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

^ "Reviews for The Hard Way by 213". Metacritic. Retrieved December 14, 2025.
^ ^a ^b Birchmeier, Jason (August 10, 2004). "213: The Hard Way". All Music Guide. Retrieved August 10, 2018.
^ Beato, G. (August 17, 2004). "Snoop Dogg and his childhood pals strut through a reunion set". Blender. Archived from the original on March 24, 2005. Retrieved August 10, 2018.
^ "213 - The Hard Way". E! Online. August 28, 2004. Archived from the original on August 28, 2004. Retrieved December 14, 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
^ ^a ^b Endelman, Michael (September 10, 2004). "The Hard Way (2004)". Entertainment Weekly. No. 782–783. Archived from the original on June 7, 2011. Retrieved August 10, 2018.
^ ^a ^b Tindal, K.B. (August 31, 2004). "213 - The Hard Way". HipHopDX. Archived from the original on September 6, 2004. Retrieved August 10, 2018.
^ Exquisite, state-of-the-art beats, rhymes and vocal hooks. [25 Sep 2004, p.65]
^ ^a ^b Barone, Matt (August 17, 2004). "213's The Hard Way". RapReviews.com. Archived from the original on August 25, 2004.
^ ^a ^b "213: The Hard Way". Rolling Stone. September 2, 2004. Archived from the original on September 30, 2004. Retrieved August 10, 2018.
^ ^a ^b McKeating, Scott (September 15, 2004). "213: The Hard Way". Stylus. Archived from the original on November 8, 2004. Retrieved August 10, 2018.
^ ^a ^b Conway, Rondell (September 2004), "213 – The Hard Way (TVT)", Vibe, vol. 12, no. 9, p. 236, archived from the original on March 9, 2005, retrieved August 10, 2018
^ Whitmire, Margo (August 25, 2004). "'NOW 16' Is No. 1 Again". Billboard. Retrieved February 15, 2009.
^ "Now Takes Down Ashlee; 213 Stomps in at #4 on Albums Chart". MTV. Archived from the original on September 12, 2014.
^ "Australiancharts.com – 213 – The Hard Way". Hung Medien.
^ "Ultratop.be – 213 – The Hard Way" (in Dutch). Hung Medien.
^ "213 Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard.
^ "R&B : Top 50". Jam!. October 7, 2004. Archived from the original on October 10, 2004. Retrieved January 29, 2023.
^ "Dutchcharts.nl – 213 – The Hard Way" (in Dutch). Hung Medien.
^ "Offiziellecharts.de – 213 – The Hard Way" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved August 10, 2019.
^ "Charts.nz – 213 – The Hard Way". Hung Medien.
^ "Swisscharts.com – 213 – The Hard Way". Hung Medien.
^ "Official R&B Albums Chart on 7/11/2004 – Top 40". Official Charts Company.
^ "213 Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard.
^ "213 Chart History (Independent Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved October 27, 2015.
^ "213 Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard.
^ "Best of 2004 – R&B/Hip-Hop Albums". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved December 14, 2015.
^ "Canadian album certifications – 213 – Hard Way". Music Canada.

[1] "Reviews for The Hard Way by 213". Metacritic. Retrieved December 14, 2025.

[allmusic-2] Birchmeier, Jason (August 10, 2004). "213: The Hard Way". All Music Guide. Retrieved August 10, 2018.

[Blender-3] Beato, G. (August 17, 2004). "Snoop Dogg and his childhood pals strut through a reunion set". Blender. Archived from the original on March 24, 2005. Retrieved August 10, 2018.

[4] "213 - The Hard Way". E! Online. August 28, 2004. Archived from the original on August 28, 2004. Retrieved December 14, 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)

[EW-5] Endelman, Michael (September 10, 2004). "The Hard Way (2004)". Entertainment Weekly. No. 782–783. Archived from the original on June 7, 2011. Retrieved August 10, 2018.

[HipHopDX-6] Tindal, K.B. (August 31, 2004). "213 - The Hard Way". HipHopDX. Archived from the original on September 6, 2004. Retrieved August 10, 2018.

[7] Exquisite, state-of-the-art beats, rhymes and vocal hooks. [25 Sep 2004, p.65]

[rapreviews-8] Barone, Matt (August 17, 2004). "213's The Hard Way". RapReviews.com. Archived from the original on August 25, 2004.

[RS-9] "213: The Hard Way". Rolling Stone. September 2, 2004. Archived from the original on September 30, 2004. Retrieved August 10, 2018.

[Stylus-10] McKeating, Scott (September 15, 2004). "213: The Hard Way". Stylus. Archived from the original on November 8, 2004. Retrieved August 10, 2018.

[Vibe-11] Conway, Rondell (September 2004), "213 – The Hard Way (TVT)", Vibe, vol. 12, no. 9, p. 236, archived from the original on March 9, 2005, retrieved August 10, 2018

[12] Whitmire, Margo (August 25, 2004). "'NOW 16' Is No. 1 Again". Billboard. Retrieved February 15, 2009.

[13] "Now Takes Down Ashlee; 213 Stomps in at #4 on Albums Chart". MTV. Archived from the original on September 12, 2014.

[ac_Australia_213-14] "Australiancharts.com – 213 – The Hard Way". Hung Medien.

[ac_Flanders_213-15] "Ultratop.be – 213 – The Hard Way" (in Dutch). Hung Medien.

[ac_BillboardCanada_213-16] "213 Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard.

[17] "R&B : Top 50". Jam!. October 7, 2004. Archived from the original on October 10, 2004. Retrieved January 29, 2023.

[ac_Netherlands_213-18] "Dutchcharts.nl – 213 – The Hard Way" (in Dutch). Hung Medien.

[ac_Germany_213-19] "Offiziellecharts.de – 213 – The Hard Way" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved August 10, 2019.

[ac_New_Zealand_213-20] "Charts.nz – 213 – The Hard Way". Hung Medien.

[ac_Switzerland_213-21] "Swisscharts.com – 213 – The Hard Way". Hung Medien.

[ac_UKR&B_-22] "Official R&B Albums Chart on 7/11/2004 – Top 40". Official Charts Company.

[ac_Billboard200_213-23] "213 Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard.

[ac_BillboardIndependent_213-24] "213 Chart History (Independent Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved October 27, 2015.

[ac_BillboardRandBHipHop_213-25] "213 Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard.

[26] "Best of 2004 – R&B/Hip-Hop Albums". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved December 14, 2015.

[Canada213Hard_WayalbumCertRef-27] "Canadian album certifications – 213 – Hard Way". Music Canada.

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213
Snoop Dogg Warren G Nate Dogg
Studio albums	The Hard Way
Singles	"So Fly" "Groupie Luv"
Other songs	"Ain't No Fun (If the Homies Can't Have None)"
Related articles	Discography

Warren G
Studio albums	Regulate... G Funk Era (1994) Take a Look Over Your Shoulder (1997) I Want It All (1999) The Return of the Regulator (2001) In the Mid-Nite Hour (2005) The G Files (2009)
Collaborative albums	The Hard Way (2004) (with 213)
EPs	Regulate... G Funk Era, Part II (2015)
Singles	"Regulate" "This D.J." "Do You See" "What's Love Got to Do with It" "I Shot the Sheriff" "Smokin' Me Out" "I Want It All" "Game Don't Wait" "Lookin' at You" "My House"
Featured singles	"Indo Smoke" "Eastside LB" "Prince Igor" "All Night, All Right" "Nobody Does It Better" "Just a Lil' Bit"
Other songs	"Ain't No Fun (If the Homies Can't Have None)"
Related articles	Discography Production discography 213 G-Funk Entertainment

Nate Dogg
Discography
Studio albums	G-Funk Classics, Vol. 1 & 2 Music & Me
Compilation albums	Essentials
Collaboration albums	The Hard Way
Singles	"Never Leave Me Alone" "Nobody Does It Better" "I Got Love" "Get Up"
Featured singles	"Indo Smoke" "Regulate" "Let's Play House" "Bitch Please" "Bitch Please II" "The Next Episode" "Oh No" "Where I Wanna Be" "Lay Low" "Can't Deny It" "Area Codes" "Multiply" "The Streets" "21 Questions" "Gangsta Nation" "Ooh Wee" "Time's Up" "I Like That" "Thugs Get Lonely Too" "The Set Up" "Gangsta Party" "Real Soon" "Shake That" "Have a Party" "Boss' Life" "My House"
Other songs	"Ain't No Fun (If the Homies Can't Have None)" "Xxplosive" "'Till I Collapse"
Related articles	Snoop Dogg 213 Warren G Tha Dogg Pound Death Row Records

Snoop Dogg
Albums Singles Songs Guest appearances Awards and nominations Filmography
Studio albums	Doggystyle (1993) Tha Doggfather (1996) Da Game Is to Be Sold, Not to Be Told (1998) No Limit Top Dogg (1999) Tha Last Meal (2000) Paid tha Cost to Be da Boss (2002) R&G (Rhythm & Gangsta): The Masterpiece (2004) Tha Blue Carpet Treatment (2006) Ego Trippin' (2008) Malice n Wonderland (2009) More Malice Doggumentary (2011) Reincarnated (2013) Bush (2015) Coolaid (2016) Neva Left (2017) Bible of Love (2018) I Wanna Thank Me (2019) From tha Streets 2 tha Suites (2021) BODR (2022) Missionary (2024) Iz It a Crime? (2025)
Compilations	Dead Man Walkin' Death Row: Snoop Doggy Dogg at His Best Welcome to tha Chuuch: Da Album Snoop Dogg Presents The Big Squeeze Snoop Dogg Presents Christmas In Tha Dogg House Death Row: The Lost Sessions Vol. 1 Snoop Dogg Presents Algorithm
EPs	Dispicable Stoner's EP Make America Crip Again 220
Soundtracks	Murder Was the Case Bones Mac & Devin Go to High School (with Wiz Khalifa)
Mixtapes	Tha Blue Carpet Treatment Mixtape That's My Work, Volume 1 (with The Dogg Pound) That's My Work 2 That's My Work 3 That's My Work 4 (with The Eastsidaz) That's My Work 5 (with The Dogg Pound) LBC Movement presents Beach City
Collaborations	Tha Eastsidaz (with Tha Eastsidaz) Duces 'n Trayz: The Old Fashioned Way (with Tha Eastsidaz) The Hard Way (with 213) 7 Days of Funk (with Dâm-Funk) Cuzznz (with Daz Dillinger) Snoop Cube 40 $hort (with Ice Cube, E-40 & Too $hort)
Concert tours	Up in Smoke Tour Rock the Bells
Related articles	213 Tha Dogg Pound Tha Eastsidaz 7 Days of Funk Mount Westmore Doggy Style Records Leafs By Snoop Mary + Jane Martha & Snoop's Potluck Dinner Party Pleezbaleevit! One More Light World Tour Snoop Dogg's Doggystyle Tekken Tag Tournament 2 Reincarnated (film) Merry Jane Doggyland
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