Snoop Dogg Album: “Tha Doggfather”

I just don't get it. Ok, the beats were beter on "Doggystyle" but its not fair to compare anyone's beats to Dr Dre's. Besides DJ Pooh (who produced most the album) did a very good job. The one thing I didn't like about Snoops 1st one was that none of the songs had any personal meanings. On this album he gets more personal at the times while remaining hardcore. Also think about what he had just gone through. His friend 2Pac was killed (who he dedicated the album to) and his other friend and mentoor DrDre just left the label, he had just got off a trail where he almost went to jail, and he was in the middle of the crashing Deathrow empire. But he still put together a great album.

The album starts with the title track witch is a great song. This one was produced bt Daz and its very good. "Up Jump tha Boogie" and "Snoop Bounce" show what Snoop can do with a swanky beat. The next song "Freestyle Conversation" has my favorite Snoop flow ever. Hes just rapping real fast about randome stuff and is undicribable. One of my favorite rap songs. "Gold Rush" is a great song with Kurupt on it who always makes the best songs with Snoop Dogg. It has a western film fell to it. "Me and My Doggz" is another one of the swanky songs on this album. "You Thought" is another good song with some smart and funny lyrics. Strong beat too. "Vapors" is a song about Snoop and all his friends making it out of the ghetto. This is what i mean by the album is more personal. Actualy Snoop said he wanted to make a positive album but the Deathrow wouldn't let him cuz they thought it would ruin their image. "2001" is great song and is one of the standout tracks. I don't realy like it when artists don't their songs and Snoop didn't write this song and one or two more but he wrote or co-wrote the rest so he never abandones the art of writing. I love "Sixx Minutes". Its always been one of my favorite songs on the album. its very calm and quiete. Its kinnda about how everyone tried to steal his style after his 1st album. "Wake Up" is another good one and has Tray Dee who is now in Tha Eastsidaz now. "Snoops Upside Ya Head" is another great song with an exeptionaly catchy chorus. "Doggyland" is another good one with a unique sound. The final track is Snoop and 2Pac playing live and its sortta haunting the way it ends. you'll see if you get it.

Overall I can't say this is Snoops best album but its the only one that I can listen to all the way through without haveing to skip a single track. Overall its well worth having. If you want to get all of Snoops albums this is actualy a real good starting point. Anyways i don't get why everyone hates this album but its actualy acceptionaly well done and should of been another clasic. Now that it's been re-released you can get it much cheaper than before.

Snoop released an absolute classic in 93 which went by the name of "Doggystyle". It took him a few years to come back with a scond album for his fans but when he did it was great. Their are people who are hating on this album which is mainly because it was such a disspointment that it couldn't touch Doggystyle. Well it's actually a pretty great album when you put that aside. Besides, did Nas ever come out with another Illmatic, Did Tupac ever come out with another Me Against The World, Did 50 Cent ever come out with another Power Of The Dollar, no. Anyway there were lots of things going on for Snoop at the time he was working on this.

- He had lost his homie Tupac

- Deathrow was crashing

- He had just had his murder trial

- Dr Dre had left Deathrow

So you see. And like I said it is a great album and people should judge it as a good record and not give it a bad rating just because its not another Doggystyle.

Now about the content of this album. The lyrics are not as gangsta as Doggystyle, well there's a reason for that. Snoop grew up and went to a more business sort of attitude. So his not as misogynystic and violent in the songs. The production of this was top, people like Daz and DJ Quik are great producers and made great G Funk beats. Snoop certainly was still in his prime when he made this, I think its just such a shame that he went downhill after leaving Deathrow.

Top Five Tracks

1. Doggfather

2. Me And My Doggz

3. Snoop's Upside Ya Head

4. Doggyland

5. Up Jump Tha Boogie

Overall 4.5 stars. Get this if you are a rap fan.

This album doesn't fit into the mold of the successful Snoop albums, which is probably why it didn't enjoy the success of some of his other efforts. But it definetly has the *biggest* funk influence of any of his albums.

This album has BEATS like no other rap album I've ever heard. It's not gangsta rap, it's just old school with a new school influence. I've always like the radio hits by snoop, but this is the only album where I've enjoyed the other songs, and I enjoy almost every one on this album.

P.S., if you have any bump in your ride, this album WILL hit.

In the wake of a murder trial, the signing of 2Pac to the Row, and Dre breaking from the Row, Tha Doggfather was released. It was in this transitional and unstable time that Snoop emerged as a layered and real artist. It was during this time that people were wondering if rap was fad or fact. It was during this time that Pac and Biggie were the dons of the game. It was during this time that Snoop released his highly anticipated and strangely addictive album: Tha Doggfather.

A lot of people underrate this album as Snoop's weakest, or even Death Row's weakest album. F ***'em. This album was the last realest Snoop, the Dogg before releasing pop hits like "Beautiful". Just hear me out here, and I'll tell you the truth about this album.

Snoop turns from BG to OG in this album. As much as Snoop would argue against it, he was Dr. Dre's little homey in the Chronic and a little bit even in Doggystyle. This is the effort where Snoop for good or bad breaks with Dre. When you first hear this album it is utterly unremarkable. It's a disappointment. However, it's one of those albums that gets better and better with each time you pop it in.

The CD is a straight through listen. Pop it in and put the remote down. From the innovative opening to the gangsta party, it's hot. There aren't any signature tracks on here, like Bone Thugs-N-Harmony's Art of War. What the album does have is a pack of great rap songs! There are no bad songs on this. While I like some better than others, there are no ridiculous tracks.

Tha Doggfather is an album not to be discussed as a track by track effort but as one great experience. Snoop fills out his identity here. What he becomes is one smooth rapper. The songs are slick, not lacking humor, and strong. Snoop "takes his time when he's dropping his rhymes" and he is at his absolute pinnacle of rapping. Since this masterpiece, he has somehow forgotten how to rap like his real self. This album is the purest Snoop Doggy Dogg album.

The homies are included, but it doesn't cloud the tracks. The album plays out with some of the best skits mixed with great music that have ever been assembled. It's just a smooth ride through the Doggyland. There are virtually no low points, but a few high points.

That's probably the beef I have with Doggfather. The reason that no songs stand out to me is because Snoop on this album is very vanilla and smooth.

He says a lot of nothing on here. It's just vintage Snoop. Snoop just rocks the party, talks a lot about his murder trial and court, and makes G's.

Much love to Snoop on this effort. It's a really good record, underrated by pop fans like Ja Rule or Chingy's fans. It's no Doggystyle, but what is? This is the most complete Snoop album you can buy outside of the legendary Doggystyle. It's mature, but not as stupid as the new Snoop seems to be. The album has such a funky sound and feel to it. There are absolutely no album that sounds like it. If you consider yourself a true rap fan who realizes exactly what Ja Rule is trying to be like, you should pick Tha Doggfather up.

Doggfather features the cream of the rapping industry with the smooth lyrics, startling verbal descriptions, and enchanting interludes that give a little more insight into what he sings about, thinks about. He could not have done it without the "possie" of fellow rappers he gathered to feature on this album; Warren-G, Ice-T, Dat Nigga Daz, and all the Gang from NWA,plus the writers who put together the lyrics, even all the little guys that you will never hear of, but were needed nonetheless. Snoop has done a magnificent job on this album, and I await his next with baited breath!!