Who remembers the man with that dance? Or the man who still got the “Gin and Juice” in hand? Snoop Dogg has always been that artist that hasn’t met the quality of his debut album Doggystle, with subsequent releases, but when he has collaborated with the Neptunes, I felt like what I was listening pure bliss. I love each Neptunes collaboration from “From Tha Chuuuch To Da Palace,” to “Vato,” featuring B-Real, so my anticipation held no bars. Now that it’s out, I can finally breath.
Snoop is no stranger to singing (remember “Sexual Eruption” or Reincarnated?), so as I kept hearing Snoop singing for most of the tracks I knew I was in going to a funky nirvana.
The album opens with “California Roll,” which features Pharrell and Stevie Wonder. Pharrell takes an upbeat funk melody and then Snoop takes it on a sexualized R&B trip. The claps in between verse and chorus allow a smooth transition with the tempo. Stevie Wonder comes in offering some backing vocals and plays a slick melody with his harmonica.
“R U a Freak,” is definitely my favorite track on the album. The instrumental is taken with a very low funk composition and a nice low electric guitar melody underlying the claps and snares. The hook is also phenomenal. With lines like this:
She’s DTF cause she’s down to feel
That Aromatic, now unlock it baby this is for real
And
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I’m just a squirrel tryna get a nut
You crack me up
Well, I was sold. It has a pun, and I love anything with a pun, even a very dirty one. I guess he sings for the bitches and the riches and that’s what to expect coming from Snoop.
This is heavily evident on the track “So Many Pros,” which plays out like a list of only pros about Snoop and why’s he Big Boss D-O-G-G. It’s convincing but what sells it is Charlie Wilson and the tempo.
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The album’s lead single “Peaches N’ Cream,” features “Uncle” Charlie Wilson. This single was what initially sold me on the album with its overall vibe. Unlike the other tracks Snoop switches from rapping to singing. It’s upbeat with a quick rhythmic layers.
Charlie Wilson offers some backing vocals under Snoop and Pharrell’s vocals in the chorus, as well as a duet at the end with Snoop.
The penultimate track features Snoop and Gwen Stefani singing a duet. With this track Snoop’s low falsetto voice is lost in Gwen’s casual seductive tone. Pharrell’s touch on this track has some complexity with it alternating layers coming in and out quickly and smoothly.
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At 41 minutes in length, the album doesn’t feel short. It took me on a tour and brought me back again. Unlike Nas’s illmatic this album didn’t leave me wanting more, but it leaves an imprint that has me with glee when it starts over again.
It’s album that’s more reliant on vibe and seduction, so the lyrics have been second in my ears. This is why the fourth track on the album, “Awake,” is slightly forgettable but when stumbled up, it’s a good groove. The album does have lyrical moments, mainly on the final track. “I’m Ya Dogg,” features Rick Ross and Kendrick Lamar, and I haven’t really fucked with Rick Ross as a whole since Teflon Don. I know six years is a lot, but he has had some great verses here and there, and on this track it’s one of those here. Kendrick, who is coming off a successfully perfect album in March, doesn’t disappoint here. He uses dog breeds as metaphors for his dick and sex. At least he’s being relevant.
The album is all about the fun, the women, the weed, and the riches to come in California. As it bothers me that I won’t make the trip over any time soon, the album comes with a great summer vibe and a pleasant replay
P.S.
Chad Hugo of the Neptunes co-produced some tracks in the first half of the album.
9/10
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