"Tha Last Meal"

RATING: 3 ½ stars

In 1992, Snoop Doggy Dogg stepped up to the mic and helped to make Dr.Dre’s "The Chronic" a hiphop classic. Then in 1993 "Doggystyle" was released, another hiphop classic was born and Snoop Doggy Dogg was a star. We all know what happened next: Dr.Dre left Death Row Records to start up Aftermath and Snoop released the unlistenable "Tha Doggfather". If that wasn’t bad enough, Snoop moved from Death Row Records and recorded two more barely listenable albums for Master P’s No Limit Records. Without Dr.Dre in his corner, why listen? Snoop Dogg’s fifth album and his last for No Limit "Tha Last Meal" almost returns to the classic beats and rhymes of "Doggystyle" and I can’t front…This is a pretty good album. Dr.Dre produced four of the nineteen tracks and mixed another seven of them. Also complimenting Snoop’s smooth flow is Timbaland, Jelly Roll, Meech Wells, Battlecat, Studio Tone, Scott Storch, Carlos Stephens and Soopafly. Kokane appears on a number of tracks with the tight hooks in the tradition of Nate Dogg who also appears to do his thing. Snoop gets plenty of lyrical back-up from special guests like Bad Azz, MC Ren, The Lady Of Rage, Ice Cube, Master P, Butch Cassidy, Tha Eastsidaz, Suga Free, Mr.Magic and the Ruff Ryder’s first lady, EVE. "Tha Last Meal" is certainly proof that with Snoop putting some energy into his rhymes and hooking up with the right producers, it can once again be a doggy doggy world.

 Baird “FLATLINE” Warnick