Like other people said, he didn't ABANDON the bay if you ask me. the dood doesn't say joints....he says "JURNTS." There is only one place they say it like that, and that's in the LOU. He was from the N.O. and wasn't in the bay that long. He is not the best lyrically, but to me he had flavor, and the shit was HARD! the beats were some of the best ever, on any coast, and they had some real classics that i still listen to til this day.
If you really look at what happened, he took it back to the south and got money for his home region. I am from watsonville cali, i moved to oklahoma and i live in NY now, but if i started getting paper here in NY, i would still go back home and let the people from my area shine!
He changed the game and still helped people like c-bo and jt the bigga figga get their start, he didn't OWE anybody shit!
as far as his career, i think he put out some very solid material, but like someone said, he went from GREAT.....to shit in 1 cd??????? oh well, he still had major slump before that, GREAT CD's to this day!
Man changed the game, and showed people in the bay, and the south how to get their money, done deal! nothing more, nothing less.
As a man, i think he seems like a real cool dood. I'd love to kick it with him, when i see interviews with him, he cracks me up! Just like e-40, i think he's funny as hell too.
I have major respect for the man for what he did in rap, for his family, and the bay and the south, and his community. He fell off, but he still put it down