Is Revenge Retaliation And Get Back the most under-rated West Coast album ever?

[TraceOneInfinite Flat Earther 96']

It's been 13 years, I always bump this album this time of year when winter leaves and Spring time comes in... because it was released in March of 1998.

How did this album not go platinum?  In fact... I don't think it even went gold.  Last I remember it only did 300,000.  And according to a Snoop interview it didn't even do that because most of those sales were bought by the label!!

That was so much bullshit, because it had everything it needed to be a hit record and a classic West Coast album.  It had a stellar, unreleased track from 2pac, which was huge in those days- "Initiated".  It had a great lead single with "In California" that was damn near to the level of a "California Love".

The album had a classic Nate Dogg and Snoop joint with "O.G"'s that has been remixed a million times and been released in many forms, but is still to this day a West Coast/Nate Dogg classic joint.

For people that wanted more of that double-platinum Dogg Food/DPG sound, you had plenty of it, with Kurupt being featured on like 4 of the first 5 tracks.  And the songs bumped with damn near the same intensity as the Dogg Food album.

This album had that signature Death Row sound that was gold in the mid 90's.  Daz had not lost a step, and in fact much of the album was probably recorded in when Death Row was still on top.  Yet by 1998, wasn't nobody checking for it I guess.  Even though Daz had feature articles in the major magazines like the Source and he had some juice still on BET.  

...but for whatever reason I feel this album never got the respect it deserved.  It had all the classic features, classic beats, lyrics, sounds of the West Coast mid-90's golden era, just without the props it deserved.

[samutahjazz]

best daz album. best dpg album after doggystyle and doggfood.  i bump this shit all the time. it took me like two years to hear one of the dopest songs on the album cause i thought that the intro gang meeting was just a long ass intro. i let it run long one time and i was like what the fuc !!!! lol it was so dope.

[Okka]

Classic album, not my favorite album from Daz though.

[TraceOneInfinite Flat Earther 96']

best daz album. best dpg album after doggystyle and doggfood.  i bump this shit all the time. it took me like two years to hear one of the dopest songs on the album cause i thought that the intro gang meeting was just a long ass intro. i let it run long one time and i was like what the fuc !!!! lol it was so dope.

LOL.. I know what you mean.. that song is fucking blazing... but a lot of people missed it at first because that intro is so fucking long

[TraceOneInfinite Flat Earther 96']

Classic album, not my favorite album from Daz though.

I think Daz put more into that album than any of his other albums.  All his albums after that one felt rushed... but that album was probably like 3-5 years in the making

[Jimmy H.]

Not my favorite Daz album either.  I just don't get a lot of the love. I like it but I think "Initated" is average for the artists involved.

[samutahjazz]

after dogg food and this daz went pretty much independant, retaliation had a lil more focus, but his other albums are jsut as entertaining.

[MOON KNIGHT]

Good pick but I'd say these are even more underrated and probably influenced your choice...

Above The Law - Black Mafia Life
Kokane - Funk Upon A Rhyme
King T - Tha Triflin' Album
Penthouse Players Clique - Paid The Cost
Low Profile - We're In This Together

[GangstaBoogy]

I never got into this album. There's more underrated choices tho...

Mitchy slick - urban survival syndrome

Nate dogg - music and me

Hell eve, Daz - this is the life I lead

Etc etc etc

[MistaNova]

I say that at the time everyone's focus on Death Row was shifting to the next thing in hip hop, which is why this and several other post Pac's death releases on DR were overlooked (Doggfather, Necessary Roughness, Hung Jury, Gang Related OST, Gridlock'd OST etc...), Daz's RRAGB being no exception.

No matter how dope the line-up was there were just too many features which is possibly one reason why everyone didn't give this album love. It's not like Daz couldn't carry his own on his songs, Way Too Major is proof of it (the reason why it wasn't on RRAGB is beyond me). But the album was just like many hip hop albums, a few great songs here and there but the album as a whole isn't quite all that.

As for the most under-rated West Coast release I'd give that title to an album that wasn't released on Death Row and wasn't recorded by an artist hailing from California state.

[Triple OG Rapsodie]

No. The most underrated west coast album from 1998 is Steal This Album from The Coup.

[kuruptlon]

Most underrated? Probably not, but certainly is a great album that I just rediscovered recently.

I mean when i used to listen to this back in the day it was on some garbage headphones so I didn't know what I was missing.


I randomly put it on in my car a while back, and The Ultimate Come Up almost blew my speakers. That song is amazing on a good system.

[bouli77]

This album is a classic. I prefer R.A.W. though. Ultimately, it underscored that Daz was not meant to be a frontman and his unability to become a successful solo act.

But yeah I agree, Daz put more effort in this album than in any other solo release (maybe DPGC U Know What I'm Throwin Up too), and he had all the needed facilities, as far as big studios and musicians, engineers etc. R.A.W. was quickly put together with Death Row material and Daz aimed at a quick cash grab for this album (the musical content is still classic nonetheless).

Some of the productions are unreal on this album IMO, Daz & Soopa were at their best. many different vibes I especially liked introspective songs like Baby Mama Drama and Only 4 U, reminds me of Reality on Dogg Food.

There are 3 types of songs on this album to me : 1) mid 90's gangsta songs like It's Goin Down, Our Daily Bread, OG, The Ultimate Come-Up, Ridin' High, Initiated, Thank God For My Life 2) Daz's new imprint with his camp of the day The Gang and the bay features and a renewed sound (productions like Oh No, Playa Partners, RR&GB sounded very modern for the day) 3) Personal songs where Daz shifts from the usual gangsta subject matter.

Overall I think these 3 types of songs mesh well on the album and in the end the result is both versatile and cohesive, there's a particular sound on this album that I don't hear on any other Daz/DPG release, kinda like Dillinger & Young Gotti.

By the way, does anybody know who Ran Dogg (who produced Baby Mama Drama) is ?? Is it the same Ran Dogg who did the guitar on Let Me Ride extended version ??

[Episcop Cruel Cvrle]

Mitchy slick - urban survival syndrome

true classic homie. one of the best albums in last decade.

RRGB is a great album, my favorite Daz album, classic for sure.

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/W-NqA6CKf9Q?fs=1&amp;amp;hl=en_US&amp;amp;rel=0" target="_blank" class="new_win">http://www.youtube.com/v/W-NqA6CKf9Q?fs=1&amp;amp;hl=en_US&amp;amp;rel=0</a>

[Will_B]

I don't know about underrated but it's still a classic, even tough it's not on the very top tier of stuff form that era (due to marginally weaker lyrics/content).


Doggstyle, The Chronic <--------------10/10
Necessary Roughness, Murder Was The Case <-----------9.5/10
Revenge Retailation.. <----------------9/10