March 19: Snoop Dogg, "Doggystyle"

Artist: Snoop Dogg
Album: Doggystyle
Year: 1993
Label: Death Row


In every great story, the student eventually becomes the teacher. After making a bit of a name for himself on Dr. Dre's The Chronic, Snoop Doggy Dogg was ready to take the world by storm. Whether the world was ready or not, in one fell swoop, he went from a nobody to one of the most successful and well respected rappers ever. When he dropped his 1993 debut, Doggystyle, the world was forever changed. The album still stands today as one of the most iconic albums not only in rap, but in music in general.

The production on Doggystyle is where its brilliance as a record begins. Much like on The Chronic, Dr. Dre unleashes some of the most original, catchy, and now classic beats and riffs. In many ways, Doggystyle is a continuation of The Chronic as the production, the beats, and the cast on the record itself are all nearly identical. The albums as a pair still stand today as the pinnacle of everything that is "West Coast" rap. However, Doggystyle is far from a "copy" of The Chronic. Snoop seamlessly moves into the spotlight, and while the sounds are similar, the mood of the two records are quite different. Taking Dre's P-Funk inspired sounds and pulling and pushing them with his voice, his vocal tracks become an instrument onto itself. Where Dre's record is more aggressive and angry, Snoop's is more laid back, presenting the true "G Funk" style.

Snoop Dogg has made his name in the rap world with his clear, casual, tongue-twisting delivery. In an age when rappers were trying to cram as many words as they could into a phrase, Snoop took an almost "blues" approach and preferred to make the words smoother and more laid back. Snoop still has the uncanny ability to deliver forceful, even angry lyrics while still keeping his loose, smooth style. Not enough can be said about Snoop's lyrical prowess; he flips phrases like no other rapper and it gives his rhymes a bit of a feeling of mystery. The manner in which he arranges his rhymes are second to none and enjoyable unpredictable. His ability to create vivid images and convey emotions, from intense to relaxed, are strong and clear even on this, his first album. Simply put, Snoop Dogg is everything that rappers aspire to be; original, powerful, and XXXXXXXX

As a record, Doggystyle was legendary in many ways beyond it's lyrics and sound. First and foremost, upon its release, it became the first debut album to ever enter the Billboard charts in the top spot. Taking the usual ideas of parties, women, and a bit of street life, Doggystyle was still pioneering, as it was graphic in ways that were taboo until that point. Tracks like "Lodi Dodi" and "Murder Was The Case" brought subjects to the spotlight that no rapper had dared discuss previously, and in great detail. With the content of Doggystyle, Snoop Dogg opened the floodgates of lyrical content and nothing was "off limits" from that point. Of course, the album also introduced a new words with the still used, "biatch" and adding an "iz" into nearly anything.

These days, Snoop Dogg is a rap superstar, a style icon, a film-maker, and a reality TV star. In general, the public loves him and finds no "harm" in him or his image. However, when he released his blockbuster debut record, Doggystyle, he had parents calling for his imprisonment and for his album to be banned from record store shelves. Taking the same formula that made The Chronic a huge success, Snoop takes the torch of hip of and officially begins a new era in rap music. Beyond iconic, every song on Doggystyle is a hip-hop classic and the record as a whole is undeniably one of the most important albums in the history of music.



Standout tracks: "Gin n Juice," "Lodi Dodi," and "Tha Shiznit."