Snoop Dogg's fourth studio album, second in his new home, No Limit. For the first time, the artist puts a clear reference to the Crips on the cover of his album, wearing a blue jacket. After the remarkable sales result of his debut on the Master P label, the manager gives the Long Beach rapper more leeway for his next LP. Snoop returns to work with Dr. Dre several years after his exit from Death Row: the producer creates three rhythms, all immediately recognizable even without looking at the tracklist, you can understand that either they're made by him or they're well-made imitations of his beats. The set is completed by the work of DJ Quik, Budda, Meech Wells, Ant Banks, KLC, Def Jeff, G-One, Jelly Roll and Goldie Loc. Guests are Jewell, Dr. Dre, Warren G, Xzibit, Suga Free, Goldie Loc, Sticky Fingers, Sylk E. Fine, Magic, C-Murder, Silkk the Shocker, Mystikal, Fiend, Mia X, Mauseburg and Raphael Saadiq.
It's one of Snoop Dogg's products that comes closest to the unrivaled debut of six years earlier. The overall soundscape mimics the sound of that album with mixed results, it's syrupy modern g-funk, with melodic icing and sugary dragees. Lyrically, the rapper takes up the same themes already addressed in '93, with a much less inspired pen and interpreting them with a bastardized and heavy style, in its lightness. The many years, difficult, unnerving, brutal, spent in the music industry, are felt all in this album: the boy has a chance to invent a new masterpiece, he has enough creative freedom, he has some good rhythms, he has some guests, he has some lyrics, he has a bit of everything and it's still not enough. He manages to cover two thirds of his project with quality material or material that in any case entertains the listener worthily, the last third is left to itself.
Most of the guests add nothing to the record: "Ghetto Symphony" pays homage to the iconic Juice Crew song, without ever feeling at that level. Warren G, Nate Dogg and Xzibit do a good job, while Jewell gives value to his song by singing the outro. From a musical point of view, no one manages to match the production offered by Dre and only the numerous ballads come close to it: the samples sound better, the drum is sharper, dry and hard but still accessible, the bass is deeper, the synths whine and the sound is dark. On this kind of sound carpet, Snoop seems capable of churning out classics again: "Buck' Em", "Bitch Please" and "Just Dippin'" are the best songs on the album. Meech Meels makes six productions and his work is barely decent. DJ Quik rhythms sound worse than they are, because they're placed before and after Dr. Dre's: "Don't Tell" is a solid beat that offers lounge vibes for the rap of Warren G, Snoop, Nate Dogg and Mauseburg, but it's preceded by "Just Dippin'", which boasts one of the best productions of the disc.
In five months, the album is certified platinum and reaches the top of the rap chart, however, for the first time in his career, Snoop Dogg doesn't reach the top spot on the Billboard 200, stopping one box behind. The album, irregular and excessive, with 78 minutes that has more highs than lows, gives up the typical aesthetics of No Limit, even on the cover, and becomes one of the best to come out of the label in the late 1990s and one of Snoop Dogg's best albums ever.
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