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Snoop has came a long way from the lanky,
short fade-rockin’ kid who appeared on the Deep Cover
soundtrack over a decade ago. When The Chronic
dropped, I remember running up my momma’s phone bill
requesting the “G Thang” video on the BOX. Snoop’s career has
weathered the storm of a murder trial, bi-coastal beefs,
record label troubles, and other potential setbacks that would
have ended most rapper’s careers. A grown up Snoop has laid
off the chronic, dedicated himself to his family, and is now
the top dogg on his label. Now, Snoop is heading his own
company, Dogghouse Records, and is out to prove that he has
Paid Tha Cost To Be Tha Boss (we’re gonna call it PCB
from now on to keep it short). The boss theme is present
throughout the whole album as Snoop lets it be known that he
is the one running things from now on.
The Big Bow Whizzle shows his
Godfather-like status on the intro, comparing himself to
infamous bosses like Capone and Gotti. Snoop even has cats
coming up to him giving thanks and asking for favors, as if he
was Don Corleone. For “Stoplight”, Snoop declares “I’m first
in the race and ain’t gon’ loooose it/Niggas better watch out,
and bitches better mooove it” over a loop from the first
couple bars of Parliament’s “Flashlight”. The Neptune-aided
“From Tha Chuuuch To Da Palace” is PCB’s first single.
Snoop must have recorded the track a while back, ‘cuz he says
“Now I ain’t tryin’ to be picky/But if you give me somethin’,
it’s got to be the sticky”. On joints like “I Believe In
You”, Snoop shows a maturity not seen in some of his past
work. Long past his “Ain’t No Fun” days, Snoop tells a
heartfelt story about his love for his wife. Roc-a-Fella super
producer Just Blaze provides a flute-laced track for Snoop,
Soopafly, Nate Dogg, and his boss Jay-Z on “Lollipops”. The
maestro DJ Premier brings his signature chopped up drum loops
and superior scratching skills to the table on “The One and
Only”. Snoop spits “I’ve been acquitted of a 187/And I thank
God in heaven” over a better than average Primo track. Snoop
shows that he still has love for Mary Jane on “I Miss That
Bitch”, featuring Dogg House artist E-White. Cincinnati’s own
Hi Tek laces a filthy track, reminiscent of the old school
Gamble & Huff productions from the 70’s. The old to the new
connection continues with “Ballin’”. The Dramatics
harmonizing with Snoop over a Battlecat track make it a great
combination. If that wasn’t enough old school for you, the
Gap Band’s Charlie Wilson is on hand for two joints on PCB.
Wilson and Pharrell lend their vocals on the Neptune-produced
“Beautiful”, and Snoop gives another shout out to his ol’
lady. Uncle Charlie also appears on the futuristic sounding
“You Got What I Want”. The Jelly Roll track just doesn’t
work, despite decent contributions from Ludacris and Goldie
Loc. “Paper’d Up” is another lackluster song, severely biting
the classic Eric B & Rakim joint “Paid In Full”. “Wasn’t Your
Fault” is for all the fellas lacking game. If that’s you,
make sure you check that out fa shizzle. Now if you’re
seriously lacking game, check out “Bo$$ Playa” featuring
Chicago’s biggest pimp (I’m 2nd in line) the
Archbishop Don Magic Juan. One of the hottest joints is “From
Long Beach 2 Brick City” with Redman, Warren G, and Nate Dogg.
Red kills it with lines like “We been bout it bout it/Shoot up
your town, and then we Bin Laden hidin’”. Death Row veterans
RBX and Lady of Rage join Snoop on “Batman & Robin”. I like
the concept, but the song is straight corny though. The most
controversial song on PCB is “Pimp Slapp’d”. This
joint showed up on a Kay Slay mix tape back in the summer and
quickly caught a buzz as Snoop has some choice words for some
of his former allies. Here’s a sample:
"A lot of niggas
should have said it/ Fuck 'em, but I'm gonna say it for 'em/
Stop it, pop it, rewind it and play it for 'em/ Suge Knight's
a bitch and that's on my life/ Your rappers and artists tell 'em
shut it up/ 'Cause I'll fuck every last one of them up/
Especially Kurupt/ See that's my lil' homeboy, so he knows
what's up."
Snoop also gets on Xzibit for choosing to dis someone like
Jermaine Dupri while staying away from Suge Knight. It’ll be
interesting to see if X or Kurupt come out with a track
dissing their big homie Snoop, as long as they keep the beef
on wax.
PCB does have a few
drawbacks, but is pretty solid overall. One of the best
aspects is that Snoop used several different producers with
different styles. The sound stays fresh from track to track,
and there’s pretty much something for everybody on the album.
Snoop demonstrated that he’s not afraid to show love to his
wife and kids on a record, which shows a level of maturity not
seen from most MC’s out right now. Snoop has paid the cost
to be the boss, and can now focus on what appears to be a
bright future for the Dogg House.
-Nate Money
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