Snoop Dogg:
Rhythm & Gangsta - The Masterpiece

Release Date: 22 November 2004

Reviewed By: Melisa Tang

1. Intro - I Love To Give You Light

2. Bang Out

3. Drop It Like It's Hot - ft. Pharell Williams

4. Can I Get A Flicc Witchu - ft, Bootsy Collins

5. Ups & Downs - ft. The Bee Gees

6. The Bidness

7. Snoop D.O. Double G

8. Let's Get Blown

9. Step Yo Game Up - ft. Lil Jon, Trina

10. Perfect - ft. Charlie Wilson

11. WBALLZ (interlude)

12. Fresh Pair Of Panties On

13. Promis I

14. Oh No - ft. 50 Cent

15. Can You Control Yo Hoe - ft. Soopafly

16. Sign - ft. Charlie Wilson, Justin Timberlake

17. I'm Threw Witchu - ft. Soopafly

18. Pass It Pass It

19. Girl Like U - ft. Nelly

20. No Thang On Me - ft. Bootsy Collins

Nelly - Sweat
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The big Snoop D-O-double-G is back, and this dog means business. The title of his ninth LP, ‘Rhythm & Gangsta: The Masterpiece’ doesn’t even try to keep it modest. Instead, Snoop lets you know from the jump off that he’s going for the big one, ‘The Masterpiece’, and that’s a tall order by any standards. Don’t forget though, that this is the Dogg with twelve eventful years in the rap game, the one who brought us the classic ‘Doggystyle’ LP in 1993. I’ve always been of the opinion that Snoop has found difficulty in topping the popularity of that early Nineties hit, but with the release of his latest album, could Snoop be on course to score another five mic classic?

The first track to be lifted from the album is the scorching new single ‘Drop It Like It’s Hot’ featuring the one and only Pharrell Williams. The song has been on constant rotation since the end of summer, and it’s been banging in clubs across the country. The Neptunes have certainly hit the jackpot with this one, with its simple but catchy beat. The single does well in following up their last collaboration, the 2002 summer jam ‘Beautiful’, and seeing as it’s taken the No.1 spot in the US Billboard Charts, it’s guaranteed to be a huge hit for the Long Beach native on this side of the Atlantic.

With 20 tracks on the album, there are plenty of heavy tracks to blast out of your stereo; from the first few cuts on the LP, just take a listen to ‘Bang Out’, a warning for all the cheaters out there, or ‘Can I Get A Flicc Witchu’, which sees Snoop half singing, half rapping on the hook: ‘I loved your movies, you’re awesome Snoop/ Can I get a flicc witchu?’

On ‘The Bidness’, Snoop lets everyone know who’s the boss, ‘the major player’, warning haters to keep their mouths shut: ‘Close your chops/ I knows your spots/ Keep talkin’ n*gga/ I’ll expose your knots’. Snoop reaffirms his status on ‘Snoop D.O. Double G’, a track produced by Sha Money, where Snoop even shouts out his allies: ‘G-Unit! You know I’m down with them boys/ I clown with them boys, so don’t f*** around with them boys.’

Lil’ Jon makes a welcome appearance on ‘Step Yo Game Up’, which also sees Queen of the Dirty South, Trina, telling the guys how to step their sex game up, whilst Snoop rides Lil’ Jon’s beat so smoothly, showing how versatile his flow can be.

Serving as co-executive producers with Da Big Boss Dogg, The Neptunes produce four more cuts on the album, including the stunning ‘Perfect’ featuring Charlie Wilson. This is kind of like a rendition of ‘Beautiful’, with Snoop, Pharrell and the legendary Mr Wilson paying compliments to a ‘perfect’ woman. This track marks the start of a brief run of beats directed at the ladies, in what is becoming a staple in hip hop nowadays.

More guest appearances come in the second half of the LP, with 50 Cent making a credible appearance on the gangsta ‘Oh No’, the Queens rapper seemingly back to his best. Justin Timberlake’s association with The Neptunes appears to have gained him a spot on ‘Signs’, alongside Charlie Wilson on this 70s Disco-inspired beat. Timberlake does a decent job on the hook, and Snoop even joins in with his soulful vocals on the bridge, something I never thought I’d see! Nelly also joins the D-O-double-Gizzle for ‘Girl Like U’, another cut for the ladies, with Snoop and his nephew working their pimp game on the honeyz over a chilled out beat from L.T. Hutton (long-time producer for Da Brat). Finally, a collabo with Bootsy Collins on ‘No Thang On Me’ rounds up the album, with Snoop expressing his gratitude for all that he’s got and all that he’s been through to get where he is today.

‘Rhythm & Gangsta: The Masterpiece’ is exactly as the title states. Snoop manages to balance the street beats with the ladies anthems, and is even able to squeeze in a couple of club bangers in the process. Snoop’s taken hip hop to another level with this LP; he’s created what could possibly be one of the biggest albums of the year, without having to bring in too many big-name producers or flesh out the album with fillers. It may have taken a couple of years to put together, but this time around, Snoop Dogg really has come up with a masterpiece.

Rating: 5/5

Top 3 tracks:
3) Drop It Like It’s Hot (feat. Pharrell Williams)
10) Perfect (feat. Charlie Wilson)
16) Signs (feat. Charlie Wilson and Justin Timberlake)

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