Snoop Dogg

Tha Blue Carpet Treatment | Geffen

By MATTHEW GASTEIER | December 11, 2006

3.0 Stars

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.

Topics: CD Reviews , Timbaland, Celebrity News, Entertainment, More

| More

Most Popular

The Current Issue

Table of Contents

Cover Archive

Masthead | Authors | Contact us

Blogs

Where To Follow Me
Talking Politics | March 24, 2013 at 11:09 AM

Mo Takes His Turn
March 21, 2013 at 12:59 PM

[Q&A] KMFDM's Sascha Konietzko on art, Columbine and having balls
On The Download | March 18, 2013 at 3:22 PM

See this film series: The Belmont World Film Series @ Studio Cinema in Belmont
Outside The Frame | March 18, 2013 at 11:00 AM

See this film: This is Spinal Tap [with post-film talk by expert from Acoustical Society of America] @ the Coolidge
March 17, 2013 at 12:00 PM

ARTICLES BY MATTHEW GASTEIER

UGK | September 18, 2007
Underground Kingz is not quite an instant classic, but it would be hard to deny that UGK have reclaimed their throne.

TALIB KWELI | August 20, 2007
Ear Drum doesn’t reach the highs of that far more ambitious and sprawling album, but it’s a welcome return to form.

SKILL RIDE | July 17, 2007
All it took was a Godzilla sample and a simple, forceful “Simon says get the fuck up” for Pharoahe Monch to leave his mark on hip-hop history.

THE HATE-LOVE-HATE CYCLE | June 18, 2007
The field is already packed with newcomers and veterans alike, all aiming to knock down my standards of good taste and respectability . . .