SNOOP DOGG - Ego Trippin' | Review By: Conan Milne


Release Date : March 11 2008

Label : Doggystyle/Geffen

Rating: 4/5

Dub Quotable: Some will continue to criticize, but Ego Trippin’ is the closest Calvin Broadus has come to unifying his fan base since they all agreed on a certain 1993 debut.

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It’s impossible to please everyone. For a considerable amount of time, however, it seemed like Snoop Dogg would never realize that. With a diverse fanbase that spans gangsters and grandparents alike, Snoop has often tried too hard to appease these contrasting audiences. On his previous set, 2006’s stretched Tha Blue Carpet Treatment, he did his best to give his core fans what they wanted – raw, unadulterated Snoop Doggy Dogg. Still, the album lacked direction and failed to connect with as many listeners as relatively tame success R&G: The Masterpiece did. On Ego Trippin’, Snoop rolls the dice and delivers the album that he wants to hear – hence the title. Confidently strutting the line between Hip-Hop OG and Pop icon, this is his strongest outing since 2000’s seminal Tha Last Meal.

Trippin’ begins with the triumphant “Press Play.” Finally reunited with the wonderfully passionate DJ Quik, Tha Doggfather sounds rejuvenated over Quiksta’s rousing horns medley. As bluesy saxophones warble and trumpets surge, Snoop drops lyrics about whatever the Hell he wants – whether dominating the streets (“fo’ five toting - leave a niggas brain broken”) or keeping his ladies in check (“bitch get outta line, I put my Chucks on her throat.”), he’s still got it covered. As organic as Dogg sounds over Quik’s funk concoction, Kurupt comes seriously close to stealing the show. Sensing that the trio of producer, MC, and hypeman have struck audible gold, a knowing Young Gotti bellows, “Kick us out and we come right back in. Push us out this time, punk!”

The album then breezes towards lead single “Sexual Eruption.” If the thought of Snoop using a vocoder conjures image of T-Pain gone worse, relax. The track is surprisingly listenable – you get the impression that Snoop’s robotic harmonizing is the only fit for producer Shawty Redd’s wispy flute and escalating synthesizer. Even the obligatory club jam – “Life Of Da Party” – fares well, thanks to a perfectly recruited Too $hort. He tag teams with Snoop over a sleazy siren and shuddering hi-hats, as Tha Doggfather preaches about, “Snapping my fingers, and cracking at some hoes!”

It’s a shame, then, that the album would fall victim to a predictable flaw – an overindulgent running time. At twenty-one tracks, it’s debatable if we really needed to hear Snoop attempt country and western, or provide Hip-Hop another insubstantial, screwed track about money making in “Staxxx In My Jeans.” You can’t condemn Snoop for these efforts, though. By taking the Sinatra route and making material for himself, Ego Trippin’ offers us a more relaxed, comfortable artist. This is an obvious bonus, as any casual fan knows D-O-Double creates his best material when laid-back. Some will continue to criticize, but Ego Trippin’ is the closest Calvin Broadus has come to unifying his fan base since they all agreed on a certain 1993 debut.






 

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