Throughout the years, hip-hop has never had a clear foundation for how the rappers represent themselves. In some cases, rappers idealize their colors and hood as true representation, like Snoop Dogg and Nipsey Hustle who rep the Crips or YG and The Game who rep the bloods. At the end of the day, the nation has been going through it’s own version of Ridiculousness that they come together as one and make some banger tracks. But sometimes you just got to tell everyone the bottom line and Snoop Dogg does so on the standout track “Super Crip,” on his fourteenth studio album, Coolaid.
Coolaid is like most West Coast hip-hop albums where there is noticeable moments of irrelevant time from certain tracks. Running at 77 minutes, the album contains a lot of standouts, grooves and features to help you through whatever track you may dislike than others. Snoop Dogg brings enough flavors to make any part of the album listenable, which is the most you want from any album.
Snoop Dogg has transcended his sound for relevancy sake, but he was never completely shy of flexing out his gangster self. He had tracks from “Vato,” to “10 Lil Crips,” and “My Own Way.” Most recently he fleshed it out on Nipsey Hustle’s track, “Question #1.” On Coolaid, Snoop is more gangster and more suave at the same time. He’s not as hard hitting as his verse on “One Shot, One Kill,” was, but with the opening track “Legend,” it’s the closest you’ll get to that track. It also perfectly embodies the sound of being gangster and seductive.
Snoop’s second single, “Point Blank Money Gone,” He creates a tune with Jeremih about making paper without having to do anything involving it, which is the simple definition of fame. After the track gets to its interlude, the overall groovy-club theme track loses oomph with an off tone verse from Snoop Dogg.
Most tracks on Coolaid are great if not amazing but at the same time it doesn’t carry enough gravitas to be tuned back to after a few listens, like “Kush Ups,” or “Let the Beat Drop,” featuring Swizz Beatz. The latter has a dull instrumental with an overall lax vibe. “Kush Ups,” is that rich stoners anthem we all wish we could play ourselves, but just listening to it, Snoop plays us. It’s definitely motivation for the aspiring or those who just abhor push-ups.
The only problem with this album is that despite having listenable tracks, there are ones that you inadvertently skip because other tracks come to your mind quicker. Like on “Point Blank Money Gone,” I skip it right before the third verse, because the following track is the funkiest you’ll ever hear Wiz Khalifa and that’s got to amount to something.
Coolaid isn’t a contrived album. It gets points across and doesn’t shy away from the lighter and heavier subjects of life. Like on “Side Piece,” which is about the kind of attention Snoop would give to his side piece or mistress. And there’s “Double Tap,” the summer night track about tapping your female twice. From it’s soulful chorus to the seductive Snoop Dogg, the track is rounded out with E-40 being his usual E-40 self.
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When the album loses its West Coast influence for a “giving the people what they want,” it never loses its professional touch but it doesn’t reflect well overall for the album as a whole. It’s a quality that allows this album to have enough replay value for those cool summer days and nights.
Rating: 8/10
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