Calvin “Snoop Dogg” Broadus
is a rare exception in the
turbulent world of Hip-Hop. In a genre where big names come and go just as fast
as hit records, Snoop Dogg has managed to stay tremendously relevant throughout
his 16-plus years in the game. From
music to movies, video games to clothing lines and now his own hit TV show
(E!’s reality series
Snoop Dogg’s Father Hood
)
, Snoop Dogg is an
all-out pop culture icon and household name.
While his longevity can easily be credited to his musical
creativity, the various personalities contained within the character we know as
Snoop Dogg
have also played a vital role.
Ego Trippin’
,
the Doggfather’s ninth (9
th
) solo studio album, deftly takes the
listener on a ride through Snoop’s many faces. The result is a sonically
assorted, yet thematically cohesive offering that shuns present day notions of
constructing an album and instead crafts a work that marries Snoop’s many
musical influences together with his array of personas.
“The album is called
Ego Trippin’
because “I
wanted to make something that is true to where I’m at as a musician and not
just play connect the dots. It’s a record that is free of constraints. It’s just me doing me,” says Snoop.
But
Snoop Dogg
didn’t set out to accomplish this
alone. Instead he recruited legendary producer/recording artist
Teddy Riley
to enhance the process. Riley and Snoop’s participation as honorees in last
year’s VH1
Hip-Hop Honors
was the catalyst that sparked what at first
might be seen as an unusual partnership. “We got to talking at the show and I
told him how much I admired his work,” remembers Snoop about the fateful
evening. “Come to find out that he was just as big of a fan of my music. I told
him that we had to work together.”
The resulting sessions birthed an unimaginable amount of
high quality music. Next the duo added the musical mind of renowned
producer/rapper
DJ Quik
into the fold. “Quik always has had this
incredibly trained studio ear,” says Snoop of his fellow West Coast Hip-Hop OG.
“I knew with the type of music that me and Teddy was making, he would be the
perfect fit.”
The trio would form what
Snoop
coined the “
QDT
Music Group
” behind a very effective song making process. “I would come up with
the idea for the song conceptually,” says Snoop. “Then Teddy would come in and
act as the musical filter?basically taking my idea and setting it to music.
Then Quik would act as the finisher. He would maybe add a few musical elements
to certain songs. He also mixed every song!”
Flashing his trademark sly smile it’s obvious that
Snoop
knew this alliance would amount to a musical jackpot. “This album is really
produced?and I mean ‘produced’ in the traditional sense,” adds Snoop who also
injected the instrumental prowess of burgeoning producer Terrace Martin. “Every
song is layered and sonically just right. It’s like a meeting of top notch
musical minds and it allowed me to take chances.”
Already
Ego Trippin’
has produced a smash. “
Sensual
Seduction,
” the album’s first single, is proof positive of the musical
leaps that Snoop is willing to take. The song’s
Roger Troutman
influenced hook and accompanying early 80s nostalgia inducing video impacted
radio rotations, video play lists and most importantly, Snoop’s fans
immediately. “My fans have been with me for so long that I can take them
wherever I want to go and they are comfortable,” he assures.
The gangsta rap that
Snoop
initially made his name
off is also at full strength. Bay Area beatsmith
Rick Rock’s
“
Staxxx
In My Jeans
” and a newly debuted double time flow on “
Ridin’ In My Chevy
”
offer the album’s most menacing moments and shows Snoop can still get down on
the street level. And as always, Snoop demonstrates his allegiance to the West
Coast with the hyphy driven “
Life Of The Party
” alongside Oakland’s
Mr.
Fab
and
Too Short
.
The fun loving Dogg is here as well.
Snoop
’s “
Johnny
Cash,
” produced by
Everlast
, brings to mind karaoke night at a
cowboy bar. It’s easy to imagine the smile on Snoop’s face as he gracefully
bounces of the country western inspired romp. And over the lively track of “
Hollywood
Nights
,” Snoop gets a chance to revel in his A-List fame on a ride down the
Sunset Strip.
But what has rarely been witnessed throughout
Snoop
’s
years in the record business is his home life. But with the wildly popular
Snoop
Dogg’s Father Hood
emerging as one of the season’s top programs,
Ego
Trippin’
doesn’t shy away from Snoop the family guy.
“It was important for me to give the audience another side
of me,” explains Snoop. “It can’t be all gangsta, all the time.” This theme is
touched on throughout the album leaving the family talk of “
Been Around The
World
,” “
Make It Good
”?a song dedicated to his wife Shante, the
autobiographical “
Neva Have 2 Worry
” and the Teddy Riley produced,
orchestra and choir filled “
Say Goodbye
” some of the most genuine
offerings in Snoop’s entire catalog.
While
Ego Trippin’
can easily be
labeled a redefinition for
Snoop Dogg
, in many ways it’s more of a
blossoming. It took years of grind time and dedication for Snoop to reach this
point in his illustrious career. And with
Ego Trippin’
, Snoop is
comfortable enough with his music and his audience to let all his sides shine
and again show why he has become one of the top artists of his generation, a
living legend indeed.