I've been listening to lots of Snoop albums recently. In commemoration of this, I'm compiling a list of Snoop Dogg/Snoop Doggy Dogg albums that are being ranked from worst to best, in my opinion. Some unreleased material albums will be included and there may be some studio albums I had to ignore entirely (there's only so much shit I can take).
12.
Malice N Wonderland (2009)
After listening to this one I wanted to never listen to Snoop Dogg again. It was painful. I hated the production, I hated almost all the songs, and I hated that Soulja Boy Tell Em was featured. After this album I couldn't bring myself to listen to
Ego Tripping or
Doggumentary.
Top cuts: "Secrets"
11.
Da Game is to be Sold, Not to be Told (1998)
When I first started listening to this one I thought all the hate it gets might be unwarranted. That's just because the first track, "Snoop World" is actually alright. There's too much No Limit influence on the track though, and on the whole album, which keeps it down. Very far down.
Top cuts: "Snoop World"
10.
R&G (Rhythm & Gangsta): the Masterpiece (2004)
This
album was another polarizing one for me (barely though). I absolutely loathed sections
of it, with "Can U Control Yo Hoe" being an all-time low for Snoop Dogg.
It wasn't just the blatant (and violent) misogyny on that one- it's also
just a really bad song. That being said there were some cuts that I sort of enjoyed.
Top cuts: "Pass It Pass It," "Oh No, Perfect"
9.
Paid Tha Cost to be Da Boss (2002)
All around it's
quite decent, not fluctuating that much to either bad or good. At this
point Snoop's albums are feeling a bit contrived and uninspired
in places. There are some decent cuts here, but on the whole definitely
a bit unmemorable. That being said it's not really all that bad.
Deserving of a listen (at least one) if one is a Snoop fan.
Top cuts: "From Long Beach 2 Brick City," "Pimp Slapp'd," "Da Bo$$ Would Like to See You"
8.
Dead Man Walkin (2000)
This album was released by Suge Knight at the same time as Snoop's
Tha Last Meal. The purpose of this was to hamper sales and attack Snoop. Suge Knight claimed at the time that this was "Snoop at his best.
"
This was a blatant lie, especially in terms of the production (which
isn't terrible, but is hardly all that praise-worthy). Snoop's rapping here is very
focused and the few guest appearances are all solid in their own right
(Nate Dogg, Tha Dogg Pound, etc.). This album is proof that Snoop has a
decent back catalog of unreleased material.
Top cuts: "Head Doctor," "I Will Survive"
7.
Tha Blue Carpet Treatment (2006)
Good, not great, this
release is one of the more consistent in Snoop's library. It does start
to sag starting two thirds of the way through and before that there were
a couple tracks I really didn't enjoy. On the whole this is a decent
release for the dedicated Snoop fan to sink their teeth into, especially
if they are modern production-inclined.
Top cuts: "I Wanna Fuck You," "Get a Light," "Imagine"
6.
No Limit Top Dogg (1999)
I have to admit that I had
significantly lower expectations for this album than I did for every
other Snoop release I've listened to recently. It's not
quite as memorable as Tha Doggfather and it doesn't have the heights of Tha Last Meal. It also still has a fair bit of No Limit influence (albeit significantly less than
Da Game) and that is one of the reasons it
doesn't stand quite as tall.
Top cuts: "Bitch Please," "Ghetto Symphony"
5.
Death Row: the Lost Sessions Vol. 1 (2009)
This is a
compilation album of outtakes and unreleased material from Snoop Dogg's
"Doggy Dogg" era (as is prominently displayed on the cover). I still
attest that what would have been the best choice for Snoop would have
been to spend some time recording a lot of great material, throw out
some of the bad cuts and make a solid double album. That being said this
Death Row/WIDEawake cash grab is still a great way to fill Snoop's
repertoire with more of his earlier work.
Top cuts: "Doggystyle," "Put it in Ya Mouth," "Life's Hard"
4.
Tha Last Meal (2000)
I'm actually very conflicted
about this album. It has jumped around as high as third on this list,
and has dropped as low as seventh. One of the Snoop albums that has some
genuine personality (especially in its production). While there are
some genuine heights on this one there are also some disappointing lows.
I am not a fan of the last third of the album at all- this one goes out
with a whimper instead of a bang.
Top cuts: "Hennessy n Buddah," "Lay Low," "Issues"
3.
The Hard Life (2004)
This is an album by a reformed 213, the Snoop Doggy
Dogg/Nate Dogg/Warren G trio from before
The Chronic was being recorded. Unlike
The Chronic
this album doesn't just feature Snoop. Snoop doesn't overpower Nate
Dogg or Warren G either. This is one of the strongest albums in any of
their respective catalogs, and hearing them in top form matching Snoop
line for line is a real treat (especially considering that this is the
same year we were dropped the highly disappointing R&G). Every track
is at the very least good. It's a shame that not every Snoop album hits
this hard. Bonus points for the European release with its one great
bonus track "Whistle While you Hustle."
Top cuts: "Gotta Find a Way," "Absolutely," "So Fly"
2.
Tha Doggfather (1996)
Snoop's last album as Snoop Doggy Dogg. The overall sound is very different from
Doggystyle and may take a little while to warm up to (
I initially hated it). However this is Snoop Dogg's most consistent album after
Doggysytle.
It doesn't sound as disorganized and filler filled as some of his later
albums. The biggest faults with this album are the lack of 2Pac
features and some of the production choices (the album should have been a
bit more bass heavy, it's best played by maxing out the quality-
iTunes, or turning up the bass- everything else).
Top cuts: "Gold Rush," "Doggfather," "Doggyland"
1.
Doggystyle (1993)
Snoop's best album is also his first. This album is a great sequel to
The Chronic,
which is another place to hear early Snoop Doggy Dogg, especially since
he appears on 11/16 tracks. This album is a certified hip hop classic
(as is
The Chronic). Every single track is a banger, and it is highly recommended for all hip hop fans who haven't yet listened to it (are you kidding me?). Like all of Snoop's material, there is an
excess of violence and misogyny (although it's largely there for a laugh). Listener discretion is advised in
regards to the content.
Top cuts: "Ain't No Fun (If the Homies Can't Have None)," "Gz and Hustlaz," "Gin & Juice," ALL
