Music Review "Snoop Dogg Presents West Coast Blueprint"

Music Review

"Snoop Dogg Presents West Coast Blueprint"

By our guest blogger, Megan O'Malley

“Snoop Dogg Presents West Coast Blueprint” is not an album of Snoop Dogg tracks. Instead, it’s more like a personalized mix tape from the Original Gangster (O.G.) to you. The songs are in order historically from 1985 on, with Snoop coming in every so often to tell listeners what’s up. The interludes make this album sound like you are listening to Snoop Dogg the radio deejay.

Tracks range from artists like Eazy-E to Ice Cube. The first song after Snoop’s introduction to the album is "Eazy-Does-it.” The baseline for this song comes straight out of the Temptations' “Ball of Confusion.” They even use the same style of singing as their Motown predecessors do. Sampling is a standard move in the hip-hop world and the use of the Temptations is a great way to honor those who came before. “No One Can Do It Better” has a great beat and is something you can just bop your head to as you listen. Kidd Frost has loads of Latin flair in his track “La Raza,” but the line “they just look at your ass and call you a poolbutt” really kind of ruined the song.

Every few songs Snoop comes in to give listeners the low down on what they just heard and what’s coming up next. I like the interludes mainly because Snoop has such a cool voice--he would make a good deejay if he ever gets sick of being an O.G.

The last section of songs was the best. Yo-Yo, the one female rapper of the album gets featured here. Even though Ice-Cube is on the song as well, “You Can’t Play With My Yo-Yo” is very much Yo-Yo’s song. In the midst of a very male-centric album, it’s nice to hear a chick that can hold her own in this man’s world. “The Evil that Men Do” is a great if not sorrowful song, and after listening to one about splitting a sack it's a good chance of pace to hear something with a bit of depth. “Gangstas Make the World Go Round” might be my personal favorite just because of the title--the beat was good and it was just an all round fun song.

Snoop raps on the last three tracks of the album, but I would have liked to hear more of him--it is his album after all. He raps like he talks soulful and cool. The best Snoop song was his remix of “Check Yo Self” by Ice-Cube. Snoop made a pretty cool cover of a classic hip-hop song.

The one downfall of the album is the very last interlude before “Check Yo Self.” There is no need for ads on the end of the album; don’t tell us to look for more stuff by you Snoop, we already know and love you. “Snoop Dog Presents West Coast Blue Print” showcases the best that has come out in the last twenty years. For West Coast hip-hop fans this is something definitely worth a listen.