Tha Dogg Pound Albums (8)
What The Critics Say
After taking a four-year break before their last album, 2006's Cali Iz Active, Tha Dogg Pound are making up for lost time by not even letting a year pass before releasing Dogg Chit. One can wonder if it had anything to do with Active's low sales, since nobody seemed to want Tha Pound lifted out of the ghetto and onto the charts. If the artwork's reference to their debut didn't clue you in, Dogg Chit is a return to the bleak and brutal world they explored back in 1995. It's all convincing, going against any thought the return to form is contrived and forced, and beats are so G-funk it's only when the Game shows up that the album feels post-2000. Paternity tests come under fire on the amusing "Dat Ain't My Baby," and "Vibe" forgets about carrying heat for a change, but the rest of the album is pure thugging and won't recruit any new fans. Course, when they partied it up less than a year before, nobody noticed, so this traditional, almost entirely Daz-produced effort is no big surprise. That it's so good after such little time passed is a surprise, and entirely welcome one. ~ 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
'Dillinger & Young Gotti, Vol. 2: Tha Saga Continues'
Release Date 11/1/2005
Tracks 14
Label Gangsta Advisory
See Album Tracklist and Review
'The Last of tha Pound'
Release Date 2/24/2004
Tracks 10
Label Red Urban
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
In the wake of all that has transpired in the saga of Death Row Records, Daz Dillinger and Kurupt are two of the only artists to come out unscathed. While Suge Knight was sentenced to jail time and 2Pac was murdered, Daz and Kurupt laid low for several years after the release of their 1995 album Dogg Food. In 2001, with a new name and a new label, the artists formerly known as the Dogg Pound are back with more of that West Coast G-funk that made Death Row famous in the first place. Daz openly flaunts his gang affiliation on "DPG" while Xzibit makes a cameo on the stellar track "Gangsta-Like." For the most part, DPG has put together a winning package of G-funk that is far from fresh but still entertaining. A lot has happened since Daz and Kurupt's heyday with Death Row, but this album proves that the more things change, the more they stay the same. ~ Jon Azpiri, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Yet another of Death Row's vault releases, tha Dogg Pound's 2002 follows the precedent set by Snoop Dogg's Dead Man Walkin' and 2Pac's Until the End of Time, both of which were released a few months before this album. Like those albums, 2002 compiles a disparate collection of leftover tracks, in this case culled from Daz Dillinger and Kurupt's never-finished sophomore release. As tempting as it is, though, to dismiss this album as the yet another exploitative attempt by Suge Knight to make it seem as if Death Row was somehow still relevant in the 21st century, 2002 actually deserves some recognition. Leftover vault recordings or not, there are a few wonderful moments on 2002. In fact, there are enough standout moments that this album actually challenges the duo's mediocre Dogg Food for the status of being a better album. In particular, the Dr. Dre-produced "Just Doggin" just may be tha Dogg Pound's career pinnacle -- a straightforward song featuring Nate Dogg on the hook and a slightly out-of-the-ordinary pre-2001 Dre beat that carries the song for almost five wonderful minutes. Besides this impressive song, 2002 also offers "Every Single Day," noteworthy for its wild wah-wah guitar-driven beat, in addition to a better than average performance by Snoop on not one but two verses. Then there's an out-of-place yet no doubt welcome collaboration with Jay-Z, Beanie Sigel, and Memphis Bleek on a remix of "Change the Game," and there's also the standout album-opening "Roll Wit Us" and notable yet uninspired appearances by Xzibit and 2Pac. Besides these numerous highlights, there are a number of unmemorable songs that are at best on par with much of what's found on Dogg Food. In the end, 2002 is worth picking up for the aforementioned highlights if you're a West Coast G-funk fan, especially if you enjoyed Dogg Food, even if much of the remaining album is admittedly disparate. ~ Jason Birchmeier, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Before the release of tha Dogg Pound's debut album, Dogg Food, various conservative organizations attacked the record for being exceedingly violent and vulgar, pressuring Warner Bros. not to release the album. Not only did the company agree, it also sold off all of its interests in Interscope Records. Of course, that didn't stop the album from being released -- Interscope signed a distribution deal with Priority Records. It's ironic that Dogg Food caused so much controversy, because, musically, the album is a very conservative piece of gangsta rap. Essentially, Dogg Food is the third rewrite of Dr. Dre's The Chronic, following Snoop Doggy Dogg's Doggystyle and the Murder Was the Case soundtrack. Even though Dr. Dre is only listed as an executive producer, his influence is all over the album, as Dat Nigga Daz faithfully reproduces all of the elements of Dre's trademark G-funk style -- slow, loping beats, deep, elastic rhythms, the occasional wail from a female singer, and layers of cheap, whiny synthesizers. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
