Snoop Dogg Albums (20)
'Snoop Dogg Presents the West Coast Blueprint'
Release Date 2/23/2010
Tracks 21
Label Priority Records
See Album Tracklist and Review
'The Death Row: The Lost Sessions, Vol. 1'
Release Date 10/13/2009
Tracks 15
Label WideAwake
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What The Critics Say
In early 2009, WIDEawake Entertainment purchased the '90s glory and notorious mess that was Death Row Records, and wasted no time in releasing a snazzy remastering of the label's linchpin, Dr. Dre's The Chronic. Building upon that success, the folks at WIDEawake dug through unreleased recordings by Dre's one-time protégé and fellow superstar Snoop Dogg. Maybe it's a testament to just how spectacularly poorly the label was run during its heyday, but unlike many "from the vaults" hip-hop collections, Death Row: The Lost Sessions, Vol. 1 contains very little chaff. While the record is as uneven as a compilation like this is inevitably fated to be, the majority of the album showcases a supreme performer at his prime. After Snoop sets the scene with a mournful intro chronicling the exit of Dre, followed by the death of 2Pac, the program begins with the steamy funk of "Doggystyle," a sparse-but-fun track featuring some top-shelf George Clinton cameo moans. "Fallin' Asleep on Death Row" ups the ante with some vintage acrobatic Snoop rhymes over the perfectly swirling D.R. beat. Another high-level highlight comes on the original cut of "O.G.," with its alternate flows and requisite Dogg Pound luminaries. WIDEawake have vowed to bring some sense to Death Row, and these Snoop Dogg unearthings are the second step to proving their seriousness. ~ Jason Thurston, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
The original idea behind what Snoop Dogg considers his ninth album -- ignoring all those pesky and shoddy fringe releases -- was that the title represented a truly solo effort with no guest shots. As the street date grew closer, the rapper flipped the script and decided that Ego Trippin' referred to how he "let" people write songs for the album, songs Snoop could rap and sometimes, shockingly, sing. The leadoff good-time single "Sensual Seduction" -- or "Sexual Eruption" on the explicit album -- proved the latter wasn't a bad idea at all, with Snoop crafting a hooky bedroom track using both a smirk and a throwback Zapp feel. It was a perfect flagship release for an album that tries numerous things but never tries too hard, plus one where the nostalgia is plentiful and perfectly chosen. At the heart of it all are the "overseers" of the album, QDT Muzic, a production crew formed by Snoop along with new jack swing legend Teddy Riley and West Coast hero DJ Quik. This fascinating mix of veterans somehow handles everything from the crooked, crip-walking "Gangsta Like Me" to an unbelievably faithful and fun cover of the Time's "Cool" with Snoop singing and strutting just like Morris Day. Throwaway moments like the country song -- for real -- "My Medicine" are balanced by rich and honest moments like "Been Around tha World," where the rapper reminds listeners he's actually married and delivers a heartfelt "I'll be home soon" number. It's the one time his words are the focus, and while it's never clear how much Snoop actually wrote, the ghostwriters he's admitted to hiring have the thug script down and rarely disappoint. What is disappointing is the woefully long track list, the redundant numbers, and the trimming required to keep from drifting off before the majestic closer, "Can't Say Goodbye" with the Gap Band's Charlie Wilson, rolls around. Put a quarter of this loose, hangout session to the side and you've got a great argument that Snoop's transition from hungry gangster to laid-back celebrity and idea man is going much better than expected. ~ David Jeffries, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
With its crooked, crooked West Coast beat and the glorious TGIF chorus thrown on top of it, lead single "Cali Iz Active" came on the scene and ruled every beatbox that knew what was up. But just like the cover artwork to the album Cali Iz Active, the wicked title cut misrepresents what is really a reunion of the original Dogg Pound duo, Daz Dillinger and Kurupt, with only a couple of appearances by executive producer Snoop Dogg. One listen through this heat-carrying album and it doesn't matter much, since the long-estranged Daz and Kurupt are lyrically inspired here, have lost none of their chemistry, and their choices for producers and guest stars are either smart or risky. Falling into the latter category is Diddy's appearance on "It's Craccin All Night," a surprisingly successful track that figures into the handful of highlights. "Sittin on 23z" kicks its way into this category thanks to a monstrous beat by Swizz Beatz that shakes the foundations. The cuts with David Banner and Paul Wall do a good job of blending Southern and West Coast attitudes, but the West Coast heads are going to appreciate the Ice Cube, Nate Dogg, and Lady of Rage guest shots the most, since they brilliantly recall a time when G-funk ruled all. While it's a track or two too long, Cali Iz Active is arguably the strongest album from the crew and a West Coast fiend's dream come true. ~ David Jeffries, All Music Guide
'The Chronicalz, Vol. 1: The Mixed Up Album'
Release Date 1/1/2006
Tracks 16
Label Black Claw
See Album Tracklist and Review
'Snoop Doggy Dogg & Friends, Vol. 1'
Release Date 1/1/2006
Tracks 18
Label K-Town
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What The Critics Say
The cover artwork looks awful and anyone burned before by a bogus Snoop Dogg compilation will most likely pass on this one, but ZYX's Snoop Doggy Dogg & Friends, Vol. 1 is worth noting since it takes selections from Snoop's underground mixtape series Welcome to da Chuuch and makes them available above ground, at least until the realization hits that copyrights have been seriously infringed upon by the generous amount of samples here. The liner notes don't bother to mention that the good-timing "Let's Exchange Hoez" is a Snoop freestyle over Jay-Z's "Change Clothes." That's just one example, but the oddest of the lot is "Vote for Snoop," a rickety track that has Snoop delivering a short rap over a horribly scratchy copy of Marvin Gaye's "You're the Man." ZYX doesn't bother to order these tracks in any way that makes sense, the sped-up cover of Slick Rick's "Hey Young World" needs to be pitch-corrected, and Snoop is barely on a handful of these cuts. Still, this uneven and weird cash-in compilation provides some campy fun for the less discriminating Snoop fan. ~ David Jeffries, All Music Guide
'Welcome to tha Chuuch: Da Album'
Release Date 2/28/2005
Tracks 13
Label Sony
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What The Critics Say
A collection of tracks from Snoop's Welcome to tha Chuuch mixtape series, Koch's Welcome to tha Chuuch: Da Album gives these tracks their first aboveground exposure. There's a bunch of worthy newcomers, plus veterans of the West Coast like Daz, Kurupt, and Lady of Rage, but there's very little of Snoop himself and definitely less than was found on the original mixtapes. Still, the tracks retain their street feel and there's plenty of heat, even if the album as a whole is poorly sequenced with shabby packaging. The West Coast faithful and Snoop fanatics who don't have access to the shady world of mixtapes should check it if only for the raw feel, but everyone else can pass. ~ David Jeffries, All Music Guide
'R&G (Rhythm & Gangsta): The Masterpiece'
Release Date 1/1/2004
Tracks 20
Label Universal
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
Internet leakers caused the release of R&G (Rhythm & Gangsta): The Masterpiece to be pushed up a week, but that just means the world got to bask in the excitement of Snoop's great return for seven extra days. Upon its release, the ultrahot production team the Neptunes' contribution to the killer lead single "Drop It Like It's Hot" had been duly noted, but lost in all the chatter was how inspired and on-fire Snoop sounds. Any fan keeping up with his street-level mixtape series Welcome to the Chuuch could tell you something new and fresh was brewing, and 2002's Paid tha Cost to Be da Bo$$ was excellent, but Snoop's let his fans down before and two years off could mean trouble. Not to be, since Rhythm & Gangsta is right up there with his best while being riskier than anything before it. New sounds like tongue clicks, smooth jazz guitars, and a bit of Steve Miller's "Fly Like an Eagle" give Snoop a brand-new sonic palette to work with, and he's more than ready for it. The up-tempo "Signs" with Justin Timberlake (!?!) is glittery disco fun, but it ain't gonna keep Snoop from being himself. He's hardcore throughout the album, an album that's got plenty of street and commercial appeal and all the difficulties that comes with it. The numerous youngsters who can't stop singing "Drop It Like It's Hot" are going to freak their parents out with this one. "Can You Control Yo Hoe" is a tough stunner with an inescapable, loopy hook, but Snoop's challenge to the homies is rather disturbing. "If she won't do what you say, why aren't you slapping her?" is the song's direct message that can't be easily brushed off as metaphor, and it's the one that's gonna send mom and dad back to the record store, fuming! Recommending such an album that gets viciously misogynistic -- elsewhere too -- is difficult, but Snoop is fierce throughout Rhythm & Gangsta and putting "Masterpiece" in the title isn't hyperbole. ~ David Jeffries, All Music Guide
'Paid tha Cost to Be da Bo$$'
Release Date 11/26/2002
Tracks 20
Label Priority
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
Though Snoop Dogg never slipped from the charts, Paid tha Cost to Be da Bo$$ smacks of a comeback, and it's a great one. After finally being released from No Limit (he's still distributed by Priority), Snoop Dogg drafted a set of great producers for his sixth album, as well as a varied cast of featured guests capable of drawing in just about every segment of the hip-hop audience. Still one of the smoothest rappers around and the bemused observer of all around him, he slips on the tried and true pimp and godfather personas, but also has the nerve to feature an X-rated sex romp ("Lollipop," with Jay-Z and Nate Dogg) directly after a tender anthem to love and marriage ("I Believe in You") -- and sound extremely convincing with both. The pair of tracks produced by the Neptunes ("From tha Chuuuch to da Palace" and "Beautiful") are the highlights, two of the best they've done since their commercial breakout. Hardcore fans of rap, though, will want to skip ahead to "The One and Only" for a perfect meld of West Coast and East Coast -- the first meeting of Snoop and DJ Premier on wax. (Premier also turns in a hilariously cartoonish production for "Batman & Robin.") Yes, there are a few missteps: The G-funk roll on a few tracks sounds a little dated, and Bootsy Collins impersonator Mr. Kane makes a few embarrassing appearances ("Stoplight" is a bland, unnecessary update of Parliament's "Flashlight"). And two other remakes sound OK, but won't have a long shelf life. The first is virtually a cover of Eric B. & Rakim's "Paid in Full" called "Paper'd Up," and it's immediately followed by a redo of Robert Palmer's Jam & Lewis anthem "I Didn't Mean to Turn You On" ("Wasn't Your Fault"). You've got to be a strong figure to keep together an album this long and this rangy, but Snoop Dogg is up to the task. ~ John Bush, All Music Guide
