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Snoop Dogg

That Snoop has made his best album since 1993’s Doggystyle is a painful reminder that the hip-hop ambassador has spent the majority of his career coasting. There have been stand-alone triumphs on each disc, most recently the brilliant Neptunes-produced “Drop It like It’s Hot” from 2004’s mixed Rhythm and Gangsta. But until Tha Blue Carpet Treatment, the Chronic-created star has been more famous for introducing the regrettable “izzle” suffix to the general populace than for putting out great albums. That high profile, though, has given Snoop the capital to put together a disc filled with all-star producers and guests including Damien Marley, Timbaland, Stevie Wonder, and even the mostly-MIA D’Angelo, who jumps on the excellent “Imagine” with Dr. Dre. There are great songs all over the disc, from the huge single “I Wanna Fuck You” (with Akon) to the dark “Round Here” with a beat that sounds as if it might have come from a PJ Harvey track. Through it all, Snoop’s larger-than-life personality steals the show, a feat few MCs are even capable of. Even if the disc’s too long and there’s too much coasting here and there to qualify it as near-classic, there’s more than enough to convince doubters that Snoop can still deliver.

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Photos: Snoop Dogg with Method Man and Redman

Snoop Dogg with Method Man and Redman, live at Lupo's, Providence, October 31, 2009
Photos from the Providence stop of Snoop Dogg's Wonderland High School Tour
By RICHARD MCCAFFREY  |  November 02, 2009
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Interview: Warren G

Smooth hustler
Humble and nonchalant as ever, Warren G is cooler than Miles Davis smoking an Alaskan cucumber.
By CHRIS FARAONE  |  October 28, 2009
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Smack downer

Hip-Hop Misogyny: It Ain’t What It Used To Be
I haven’t come hereto academically justify West Coast credos about assimilating hoes into housewives. Instead I’ve come to mourn the commercialization of misogynistic rap lyrics.
By CHRIS FARAONE  |  July 23, 2009
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A long time comin'

La Coka Nostra's been prepping this debut for a minute
Says Slaine, "When I get high I want to get higher, and when I get low I just want to get lower. I can't seem to find that place in the middle."
By CHRIS FARAONE  |  July 17, 2009
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Review: Brüno

Sacha Baron Cohen's Brüno restores bad taste to its rightful place
Candide camera
By A.S. HAMRAH  |  July 08, 2009
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Photos: Sunday at Bonnaroo 2009

Phish, Erykah Badu, Snoop Dogg, and more at Bonnaroo 2009 in Manchester, Tennessee
Phish, Erykah Badu, Snoop Dogg, and more at Bonnaroo 2009
By LEXY WINTER  |  June 18, 2009
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Battle of the banned

Authorities kick out the jams
It's one thing to be a musician and get thrown out of Disneyland (Velvet Underground) or banned from a national landmark (Ozzy Osbourne at the Alamo), but you've hit rock paydirt when you become the target of an entire nation.
By DANIEL BROCKMAN  |  March 02, 2009
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Word to the mother

Hip-hop moms serve waaay more than dinner
As a prepubescent thug, I often complained about the audio rotation on my father's car stereo, which primarily consisted of a steady mix of Moody Blues and books on tape.
By CHRIS FARAONE  |  February 02, 2009
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The bulletproof cred of M.O.P.

Hardcore heroes
In their decade and a half as thug-rap ambassadors, Brooklyn's Mash Out Posse have made some moves that lesser outfits might have caught shit for.
By CHRIS FARAONE  |  January 26, 2009
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Stayin’ alive

How to survive without resorting to disco
Once in a while, usually during slow rock weeks, some strange little “quirky news” story will get stuck in the media craw and bounce around uselessly to pretty much every outlet.  
By DAVID THORPE  |  October 28, 2008
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Mirror ball

Fables of deconstruction
The stirring pop hits of the day can’t help but reflect the refracting cracked mirror of our nation’s increasingly emotion-laden psyche.
By DANIEL BROCKMAN  |  September 08, 2008
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The Big Hurt: Confessions of a band namer

The music industry’s best-kept secret speaks out
Maybe you’ve never heard the name Harold Wells, but it’s a safe bet that you’re a fan of his handiwork.
By DAVID THORPE  |  September 02, 2008
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Rebirth of a prince

Digging RZA in 36 steps
I recently took the Greyhound to Montreal for a RZA concert.
By CHRIS FARAONE  |  August 19, 2008
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The Big Hurt: More bad news in brief

DMX spits, Lou spills, Kelly leaks, Keane sucks
Police pulled over Snoop Dogg’s tour bus and — gasp! — smelled marijuana!
By DAVID THORPE  |  August 13, 2008
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David Banner

The Greatest Story Ever Told | Motown
It would be a stronger statement if it weren’t for the conflicting cornerstones of conscientious-rapper soapboxing and standard-issue gangsta themes he’s laid at its foundation.
By ANDREW GRAHAM  |  July 22, 2008

On-point tips

A Checklist For A Tribe Called Quest’s Reunion Show
A Checklist For A Tribe Called Quest’s Reunion Show
By CHRIS FARAONE  |  July 22, 2008
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Better than Madonna

Pop stars with product to move
Everybody dug Confessions on a Dance Floor , but I’m one of approximately 12 people who liked American Life , Madonna’s weirdly militant 2003 disc.
By MIKAEL WOOD  |  April 22, 2008
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Talking trash

The loopy world of Lupe Fiasco
For a smart guy, Lupe Fiasco has an unusual propensity for spewing verbal garbage.
By BEN WESTHOFF  |  January 14, 2008
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Skell of the year

Sports crime: 2007 in review
Much less funny than usual, was 2007.
By MATT TAIBBI  |  December 18, 2007
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Can't drive 55

Sports blotter: "Sammy Hagar" edition
This past week, we snared an early candidate for the next Justin Miller Award, given to the athlete who most bollockses up his professional-draft status with an avoidable pre-draft arrest.
By MATT TAIBBI  |  December 12, 2007
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Do mess with Texas

Sports blotter: "Houston has a problem" edition
The Houston Texans are like the soy cheese of the sporting world.
By MATT TAIBBI  |  December 05, 2007
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Bob's your uncle

Sports blotter: "Across the pond" edition
When was the last time England was relevant at all in the sporting world?
By MATT TAIBBI  |  November 28, 2007
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Bonds away

Sports blotter: "Barry's indictment" edition
This Barry Bonds thing is going to be a big story, no doubt, but trust me: even bigger news is probably coming.
By MATT TAIBBI  |  November 19, 2007
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Tennessee two-step

Sports blotter: "All offensive linemen" edition
Tough week for the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, where two football players were busted within a span of three days.
By MATT TAIBBI  |  November 14, 2007
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Pure idiocy

Sports blotter: "Genius of the year" edition
We’ve had some real winners light up the crime blotter this year.
By MATT TAIBBI  |  November 07, 2007
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A leafy, green substance

Sports blotter: "Copious amounts of pot" edition
Just when you thought the “supernaturally large quantity of marijuana” sports bust was a thing of the past.
By MATT TAIBBI  |  October 31, 2007
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Illegal Art

On the cutting edge of mash-up culture
Shrouded in mystery and allied with those subversive, copyright-infringing folks in Negativland, the Illegal Art label has been flaunting its liberal interpretation of “fair use” since 1998.
By MATT ASHARE  |  October 30, 2007
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Off point

Sports blotter: "Celtics fans still hate this guy" edition
Lots of class being shown this year by New York–area point guards.
By MATT TAIBBI  |  October 24, 2007
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Chairmen of the boards

Our critics pick the 14 producers with the fattest, meanest beats
Not unlike Swedish, Tagalog, and Esperanto, music is a language, with its own conjugations and (lewdly) dangling participles.
By PHOENIX MUSIC STAFF  |  October 18, 2007
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Surely you can't be serious

Sports blotter: "Don't call me Shirley!" edition
Early nomination for collegiate crime-dweeb of the year goes to Fresno State defensive lineman Jason Shirley.
By MATT TAIBBI  |  October 17, 2007

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