"Ego trippin'" out- Snoop Dogg review
Drew Choiniere
Issue date: 4/3/08 Section: Living
If we look back at the now legendary career of Snoop Dogg, many different titles come to mind: reality television star, actor, amateur porn director, and oh yeah rapper. Despite his many albums, singles and songs, it feels like Snoop's many pop culture personas have become bigger and more important than his rap career. This seems to be the main issue on his ninth studio album "Ego Trippin'," where Snoop tries to balance everything from pimp to gangsta, drug lord to devoted family man with ultimately mixed results.
As the robust album (20 tracks) flows with a seemingly effortless glide, many trends become clear rather quickly. Firstly, Snoop should stop trying to make his thug/gangsta songs. After this much time, much of his street cred has about dried up but he still insists on trying to relive his youth like Troy Aikman trying to play football in the late 90s. Songs like "Staxxx in My Pocket" and "Gangsta Like Me" sound stale with their empty threats and excessive talk of guns and drugs.
Another obvious trend is his newfound affinity for heavily synthesized, dance tracks where Snoop can continue to be the laid back playa. These are the tracks where he succeeds the most. The album's first single "Sexual Seduction" is the perfect, over-sexed, almost comical, slow grind anthem that feels straight out of 1984, and that's a compliment. Others such as the Rick James-channeling "Cool" and the celebratory "Press Play," Snoop and his producers including Pharrell and Teddy Riley of "Rump Shaker" and "No Diggity" fame, have crafted slick, glittery club jams that compliment Snoop's celebrated, smooth, lyrical flow.
The final welcome surprise is suddenly seeing how introspective and self-aware Snoop has become. On the soulful and really quite pretty "One Chance (Make It Good)," he promises to long-suffering wife to be a better husband and father, and on "Why Did You Leave Me?" he waxes poetic over pianos and strings.
This album is far from perfect. The countrified atrocity "My Medicine" featuring Everlast is an abomination to the ears, and "Life of Da Party" is just plain sad. But with a new lease on life, and some club bangers to match Snoop Dogg is ensuring for another generation of listeners that he's worthy of the hype.
Grade: B
Download These: "Sensual Seduction," "Press Play," and "Once Chance (Make It Good)
As the robust album (20 tracks) flows with a seemingly effortless glide, many trends become clear rather quickly. Firstly, Snoop should stop trying to make his thug/gangsta songs. After this much time, much of his street cred has about dried up but he still insists on trying to relive his youth like Troy Aikman trying to play football in the late 90s. Songs like "Staxxx in My Pocket" and "Gangsta Like Me" sound stale with their empty threats and excessive talk of guns and drugs.
Another obvious trend is his newfound affinity for heavily synthesized, dance tracks where Snoop can continue to be the laid back playa. These are the tracks where he succeeds the most. The album's first single "Sexual Seduction" is the perfect, over-sexed, almost comical, slow grind anthem that feels straight out of 1984, and that's a compliment. Others such as the Rick James-channeling "Cool" and the celebratory "Press Play," Snoop and his producers including Pharrell and Teddy Riley of "Rump Shaker" and "No Diggity" fame, have crafted slick, glittery club jams that compliment Snoop's celebrated, smooth, lyrical flow.
The final welcome surprise is suddenly seeing how introspective and self-aware Snoop has become. On the soulful and really quite pretty "One Chance (Make It Good)," he promises to long-suffering wife to be a better husband and father, and on "Why Did You Leave Me?" he waxes poetic over pianos and strings.
This album is far from perfect. The countrified atrocity "My Medicine" featuring Everlast is an abomination to the ears, and "Life of Da Party" is just plain sad. But with a new lease on life, and some club bangers to match Snoop Dogg is ensuring for another generation of listeners that he's worthy of the hype.
Grade: B
Download These: "Sensual Seduction," "Press Play," and "Once Chance (Make It Good)
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