This album is very hard to review. I wanna rip on it so much because Snoop has shown absolutely NO improvement as a rapper in the past ten years and only seems to be getting worse. I must admit, however, that he can still bang out some good material. Nothing mind-blowing or Doggystyle caliber, but good. His sixth solo album “Paid tha Cost to Be Da Bo$$” is solid, but nothing memorable. It doesn’t hold a candle to Doggystyle and isn’t even his second or third best effort, but its still good.

It’s weird, I loved this album the first few times I heard it and I once proclaimed that it was almost as good as Doggystyle. After coming off the “new Snoop album” high, I realized that this is nowhere near Doggystyle. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a pretty good album but its nothing incredible or even very good. If Snoop had shaved the filler and put a little more thought into his lyrics, it’d be much better. As it is, it’s simply okay...

The album has its flaws. First of all: Snoop’s lyrics SUCK! Now, Snoop has never been the greatest lyricist, but DAMN, I don’t remember him sucking this bad. With lyrics that sometimes border retardation ( “I’m a muthaf*ckin fool in the pool doin’ the breaststroke”), this is one of the album’s major downfalls. One day he won’t be able to hide behind his still-top notch flow and that fa shizzle my nizzle crap he stole from the Bay-- people are going to realize how utterly stupid some of his lyrics are. Hell, even 50 Cent can write better lyrics. Another thing: I miss the old “gangsta” Snoop. That’s replaced on “Paid tha Cost” by boring, generic pimp crap. I suppose he’s matured from the childish, senseless violence, but you can’t deny the music was more entertaining. And ANOTHER thing: why is Dr. Dre not on this album? It’s been scientifically proven (“Tha Doggfather” and “Da Game is to Be Sold”) that Snoop sucks without Dre. Dre isn’t that good without Snoop either. These two have made bona-fide classics together, why screw up a winning formula?

It’s nearing the end of the road for Snoop. He’s starting to suck more and more and his mainstream popularity is dwindling. He should reunite with Dre and create one more classic album, then retire on top. With that said, let’s delve deeper into his current effort...

1. Don Doggy (intro)
An intro with a Godfather-esque Mafia vibe. Establishes Snoop as “tha Bo$$.” Nothing special.

2. Da Bo$$ Would Like to See You (second intro)
Another intro, except this one has a more West Coast-ish ambience. Snoop does nothing but say “the boss would like to see you” over and over again. I like when he sings “its my house...and I live here.” That’s cool. Still nothing special.

3. Stoplight (3 1/2 Stars)
The album finally kicks off with a strong P-funk influenced track that Snoop flows very well on (Soopafly ghostwrote the song). It reminds me of his song on the Undercover Brother soundtrack, except nowhere near as stupid. I would like to say its more akin to Eminem’s “Lose Yourself” and the song is an extended metaphor for how he’s unstoppable and will continue to succeed and achieve in life in the face of adversity. But its Snoop Dogg, so its likely not. Strong introduction though.

4. From tha Chuuuch to Da Palace (3 1/2 Stars)
This song is a lot better now that its not being played on the radio and MTV as much. Snoop is the latest rapper to jump on the Neptunes bandwagon and they provide him with a unique instrumental with which to kick his sharp braggadocio. You’ll either love or hate the production, but I found it grew on me after a while. Good song–and this is one of the few songs where Snoop’s lyrics are actually up to par with his flow.

5. I Believe in You f/ Latoiya Williams (3 1/2 Stars)
This is something new from Snoop, a LOVE song. We’re used to him slappin’ hoes and yelling out "b*tches ain’t sh*t" all the time. This is a more mature Snoop however and it’s a quite lovely ode to his wife. Hi-Tek’s production fits perfectly with Latoiya Williams’ beautiful voice and Snoop’s smooth, playful flow.

6. Lollipop f/ Jay-Z, Soopafly, and Nate Dogg (3 1/2 Stars)
Don’t let the title mislead you, this song isn’t really about lollipops, silly. It’s about sex. Oral sex. Guess Snoop didn’t want us thinking he was too soft after the last song and everything. All of the MCs have spit decent verses with Jay-Z’s being the standout. Nate Dogg is boring, but the excellent instrumental by Just Blaze is what really drives this song. If not for that, it may not have even scored a three.

7. Ballin’ f/ The Dramatics and Lil’ Half Dead (4 Stars)
DO NOT let the title fool you, this is not some stupid Cash Money type of bullsh*t. This is an awesome song with an old school R&B playa vibe and the Dramatics (remember “Doggy Dogg World”) RULE on this song. Snoop’s lyrics suck, but he flows them pretty well so it doesn’t take too much away from the song. Snoop is the ONLY rapper who would sound well on this type of song.

8. Beautiful f/ Pharrell and Uncle Charlie Wilson (4 Stars)
I hate to admit it, but I like this song. I know I shouldn’t but I do. Its another Neptunes produced track and Pharrell croons the hook and Charlie Wilson does an excellent job on the bridge. It’s not exactly a love song but Snoop raps about his appreciation for his special girl and lets her know how special she is. Typical Snoop-ish lyrics but he makes them work incredibly well because he can flow his a$$ off. Part of the reason I like this song is that it reminds me of a girl I know.

9. Paper’d Up f/ Mr. Kane and Traci Nelson (3 Stars)
It samples Eric B and Rakim’s “Paid in Full” and is another in Snoop’s line of covers of classic songs (“Lodi Dodi” “Vapors”). It’s a cool song and has good performances from Snoop and Mr. Kane. My only complaint is that this song doesn’t stand out much. It’s like its just...there.

You’re thinking “Hey didn’t he say this album sucked? Seems good so far.” Keep reading...

10. Wasn’t Your Fault (2 Stars)
Below-average song. Snoop details situations with ho*s and explains why you shouldn’t trust them. I like the chorus which sounds like its sung by a fake-a$$ Ginuwine. I thought the song was cool at first, then it got stupid.

11. Bo$$ Playa (2 Stars)
Okay, now you can judge the song by its title. It’s a crap pimp song with crap lyrics and a crap hook (“sah-da-tay like my n*gga Pootie Tang”). The beat’s pretty cool and I like Bishop Magic Don Juan’s interludes. Yeah, he’s like 70 years old, but he’s still cool. I especially like it when he yells “CHUUUCH!” Still a bad song.

12. Hourglass f/ Mr. Kane and Goldie Loc (0 Stars)
The WORST and most annoying Snoop song ever. I can’t believe the genius who helped give us “Nothin’ But a G Thang” and “Gin and Juice” would abandon us for this type of crap. This song sucks on so many levels. The production sucks. The lyrics suck. Mr. Kane sucks. Snoop said this one was “for the clubs.” Even the clubs have better standards than to play this crap.

13. The One and Only (4 Stars)
I found this song to be a little overrated, though I understand why. Any song sounds like a classic after “Hourglass.” It’s a really good song though. A sort of auto-biographical song ghostwritten by E. White so that means the lyrics are an improvement, though not by much. Next to Dr. Dre, DJ Premier is the greatest hip hop producer and does a great job with this track. Snoop and Premo sound very good together, it gives Snoop a return to the street sound.

14. I Miss That B*tch f/ E. White (3 Stars)
This song could’ve easily been 3 1/2 or even 4 Stars, but Mr. Kane’s “singing” at the end ruins it for me. He was much better on “Tha Last Meal”, one of the reasons it was so good in fact, but on this album he sucks. Horribly. E. White and Snoop both rap about a special woman they miss and still have strong feelings for. Snoop’s woman was weed and not surprisingly, I hear they’ve reunited.

15. From Long Beach 2 Brick City f/ Redman and Nate Dogg (2 Stars)
Don’t believe the liner notes, Warren G is not on this song. That disappointed me, but he could’ve done little to save this one anyway, it’s crap. The song sucks after Redman’s verse. Nate Dogg is boring and Snoop spits retarded mumbo-jumbo. Yawn. Hey, what do you do when you have a track with two MC’s from different cities and the song has no real subject matter? Why, you name it “From (this city) to (that city).” How original.

16. Suited N Booted (2 Stars)
Another average forgettable song. This time its about his pimp attire. Yawn.

17. You Got What I Want f/ Ludacris, Goldie Loc, and Uncle Charlie Wilson (1 1/2 Stars)
Okay, this “stupid, forgettable, lazy, and hastily put together” song trend is getting old. Think of this as a sequel to Hourglass, but better. But still not good. The beat is a little unorthodox for Snoop and its weird hearing Ludacris on a track with Snoop. Almost makes me think someone’s a little insecure about his ability to push records anymore. Luda does a nice job, though it would’ve been better to hear him on “Lollipop,” a good song.

18. Batman and Robin f/ Lady of Rage and RBX (3 1/2 Stars)
This is Snoop’s version of “Business” with an even more Batman-ish beat (courtesy of DJ Premier) and more overt Batman references. I can’t say it enough, Snoop sounds great over Premier’s beats. His next album should be produced entirely by Dr. Dre, DJ Premier, and Warren G. Snoop plays the part of Batman and Rage is Robin. They both rap about how they’ve both arrived to save the day. It’s a cool song, but its hella corny. But its Batman, how can you deny Batman?

19. A Message 2 Fat Cuzz (interlude)
Snoop’s talkin’ to Suge on this dark and evil sounding interlude. It leads nicely into the next track. One question though. Shouldn’t this be called “A Message 2 Fat Blood” or something?

20. Pimp Slapp’d (3 Stars)
The infamous diss to Suge Knight, Tha Row, and Xzibit. As everyone knows, Snoop’s been embroiled in a bitter war of words with his former label ever since he left for No Limit in 1998. I mean, this track isn’t bad, it just wears thin after the first couple of times you hear it. The end of the track features an answering machine message of some dude talking sh*t about Suge and how he’s not really from the ‘hood and couldn’t hurt a fly. Now the dude’s suing Snoop for putting it on the album because he fears for his life. Go figure.

I only recommend buying this for normal price if you’re a hardcore Snoop fan and this would round out your collection. Otherwise, buy it for cheap or something.

3 Stars

Recommended: No

Great Music to Play While: Getting ready to go out