MattA75's Full Review: Doggystyle [PA] [Digipak] by Snoop Doggy Dogg
People can say what they want about important, pioneer rap groups like Public Enemy and N.W.A., and they can say what they want about the wider audience that rappers like Jay Z and Eminem have garnered, perhaps no two people are more responsible for hip hop's ascension than the dynamic duo of Dr.Dre and Snoop Doggy Dogg. Dre's The Chronic album was owned by everyone when I was in middle school and my first two years of high school. And Snoop's debut, Doggystyle was just as popular, and to this day, it stands as the only Snoop Dogg record a casual fan needs to own.
Murder Was the Case is probably the strongest track on the record. From the solid, thumping beat supplied by Snoop's mentor, Dr.Dre, to the other portions of the song, including the tolling bell and the squawking synthesizers that run throughout the song. While not the exact mix that would become such a hit for Snoop on radio (at least it doesn't sound like the same mix to me), Murder Was the Case is more raw than 50 Cent could ever hope to be, not only in terms of lyrical content, but in production and in delivery as well.
There were three other songs from this record that blew up for Snoop. The first of which was Who Am I (What's My Name?), a track that finds Snoop laying down a smooth and funky braggadocio. The beat is solid, and Snoop's delivery is part of what makes this track such a good time. Add in an unforgettable hook on the chorus, and you have a stone cold classic party jam.
Gin and Juice was single number two, and it blew up even bigger. Not surprisingly, the formula for Gin and Juice was similar to that for What's My Name? The song had a chorus ("rolling down the street, smoking en..do, sippin on gin and juice") that was instantly unforgettable, solid production, and a complete party jam feel.
For his last single, Snoop dropped a different kind of party jam. Doggy Dogg World became a hit in the summer of 1994, and the song had a smokey club throwback feel to it, even with it's aggressive rhymes from not only Snoop, but from Tha Dogg Pound and The Dramatics as well.
What sets Doggystyle apart though, is the quality of the album tracks and skits on the record. The skits are, for the most part, funny as hell, especially the intro to Gz and Hustlas, which finds a "young Snoop" telling a substitute teacher that he wants to be a "motherf*cking hustla." Anothe braggodocio track, Snoop proves himself a deft lyricist here, calling out to Dizzy Gillespie and laying down multiple funny lines.
The album's opening duo, the Bathtub intro and the G Funk Intro, flow flawlessly into the first real track of the disc, Gin and Juice. Tha Shiznit has one of the best basslines on the entire album, a creeping bit of bass that almost finds itself buried in the mix. While this may not do some songs justice, here, it works that much better.
Serial Killa is a solid, raw flip side to Murder Was the Case. At this point, new listeners may find the lyrical content to be trite and unoriginal, but back in 1994 it was still considered impressive. On the other end of the spectrum, Ain't No Fun (If the Homies Can't Have None), is just ridiculous in the best of ways. Those who are politically correct will be up in arms after listening to this song, but I find it to be just ridiculously funny.
While Snoop's status as a legendary hip hop figure has increased over the past decade, his musical output hasn't come close to matching the vibe of this, his debut. Maybe it's because he began associating with Master P, or maybe it's because he's too busy acting, but either way, Snoop has become almost a caricature of himself. And no album proves that better than Doggystyle.
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