XXl rates "Paid the cost"...

[PLANT]

Snoop Dogg:  Paid Tha Cost to be Da Boss  
Rating:  XL

"With no intention of igniting yet another hip-hop squable, it has to be said:  Snoop Dogg no longer needs Dr. Dre.  The velvet-voiced Long Beach, CA rhymer has emerged from the enveloping shadow of his longtime producer and artistic mentor behind the landmark 1993 debut Doggstyle.  Sans, Andre Young, a swaggering Snoop Dogg trudges ahead, knee-deep in the funk on the monumental MC's sixth studio album, PAID THA COST TO BE DA BOSS.
   A lively gansgat joyride, Paid Tha Cost is all about control.  And as the title suggests, Snoop Dogg - who personafied the west coasts early 90's rap dominence - bears the scars of an artist who has lived to tell the tale.  Anyone who has survived a 1996 murder trial, withstood 1998's critical abomination of the No Limit era, Da Game is to be Sold, Not to be Told, and engaged in a public rumble with former boss Suge Knight has the undeniable right to talk shit.  And talk shit he does, on the Neptunes-conducted "From the Chuuuch, to da Palace," where D-O-Dizzle schools: "But you can roll up on a G, but thats not thinking wisely/ these bullets are contagious just like Ron Isely."
   The Lp then goes on to arguable rival some of Snoop Dogg's most potent work, as underrated west coast producers Fred Wreck and Battlecat provide the laid-back Cali HipHop Icon with a handfull of undeniable groves.  The Latin-jazz piano mack strut of "Ballin", which reunites Snoop with 70\2 soul outfit The Dramatics, attemps to join the rankings of classics like "Gin & Juice".  The DJ Premier anchored "The one and Only" finds a venerable Snoop back in the lyrical zenith of his Deep Cover days.  And Snoop even shakes off his heavy-handed pimp mistique on the open love letter, "I Believe in You."
   One could have only wished that a newly focused Snoop Dogg trimmed his declaration of independence down to size.  While the blaxploitation funk of "Lollypop" (ft. JayZ) works,  the other collaborative cuts, "From Long Beach to Brick City" and "You got what I want" (which ft. Redman and Ludacris, respectively), slow down the high-flying Mothership pace of the album.  Yet when Paid the Cost reaches it's tail end, business picks back up on the sneering lyrical bang of Pimp't Slapped", a scathing diss that targets contemporaries, Ja Rule, Xzibit, Kurupt and the afformentioned Marion.  "It aint about crip or blood, it's about you being jealous of what I does," spits Snoop.
   Yes, freedom comes at a price.  But for Snoop Dogg, it's the only way.  The only way to keep coming up with funky-ass shit like every single day.

[.:Hercy Buggz:.]

18 dayz left

[LIL GUY]

DJ Premier anchored "The one and Only" finds a venerable Snoop back in the lyrical zenith of his Deep Cover days.  


ohhh yeah!!!!!!

[LIL GUY]

They really diddnt say much about a lot of songs , I knew they would take off because of jellyroll !!!!

[smartass]

never thought i'd say this about another snoop cd but i may have to pick this one up.

[.:Hercy Buggz:.]

They really diddnt say much about a lot of songs , I knew they would take off because of jellyroll !!!!

lol stop hatin on Jelly Roll Dogg he's not great but he can come wit heat sumtimes the only track I hate from him was "I cant swim"

"Wrong Idea" was tiiiiight  
and "Another day" was a cool be too
but "There comes a time" was of tha hook

[P Nelson]

I hope they're right...

[TOOTHBRUSH]

the reviewer thought "ballin" riveled "gin and juice" but thought "long beach to brick city" was wack................right there makes me not pay attention to this review i'll judge it for myself

[PLANT]

the reviewer thought "ballin" riveled "gin and juice" but thought "long beach to brick city" was wack................right there makes me not pay attention to this review i'll judge it for myself

thats what I was thinking.  The track Ive heard with Redman was hot.  And isnt Warren s'posed to be on the retail?

[lbc213]

cant wait.......

[LIL GUY]

I just saw it at the store, did you notice at the top of the page it said "SUGE KNIGHT IS A FRIEND OF OURS"  I wounder what that was all about?  Also Snoop needs to put a shirt on.