Hip Hop fans know that the mix tape has long been a staple in our communities. Entrepreneurial DJs pull together freestyles, remixes and unreleased tracks of the hottest artists in the game or the best-kept secrets. What y’all on the East Coast may not know is that the only thang more rare than the West Coast mix tape is the West Coast winter. Slowly but surely, DJs not named Clue, Green Lantern or Funk Flex are makin’ a name for themselves here in California.
Snoop Dogg and his crew have put together their own entry in the mix tape market. In fact, it’s been movin’ so well at the mom and pop spots, barbershops and street corners, that Snoop has decided to make it free to download. Is it worth the effort (such as it is)? Please believe it…most of the time.
Snoop jumps right back into his ongoing beef with former label Death Row Records on the opening track Hater In You. The beat is ridiculous, but the D-O-double G rambles on and on after the first minute or so and doesn’t have anything new to add to his usual Suge Knight disses. A few tracks later, behind more hot-to-death production, Snoop isn’t as over the top with the shots at Death Row and is a million times more effective on All I Want.
One of the primary tasks of the mix tape is to build anticipation for forthcoming releases. This album is definitely a success in that area. The long-awaited 213 full-length collabo has been teased for a hot one. And if Run Up On You is any indication, there still might be life left in the careers of Warren G and Nate Dogg. Speakin’ of the King of Hooks, Nate is also featured on two more blazin’ tracks: the haunting Half Past Five and the Roc-A-Fella laced LBC It Up.
Another taste of a future album comes from the underrated Eastsidaz. Their two past releases have quietly gone platinum and gold, respectively. After a recent fallin’ out, they’re back with Snoop’s label. Bacc On Tha Blocc shows how well the duo works with their mentor. An even more surprising reunion takes place on What You Desire as Xzibit (who’s been in a real slump lately and is jus’ aiight here) squashes his beef with Snoop.
The mix tape tradition of new lyrics over the beats of current hits is represented here, too. Let’s jus’ say the results are a little, uh…mixed. We Smoke Pounds riffs on the 50 Cent/Lil Kim joint Magic Stick. Unfortunately, the played-out over sexed subject matter has become synonymous with anything Daz Dillinger is on. Oddly enough, the raunch works on Succ Me Off, Snoop Dogg’s take on The Roots’ Break You Off. However, both Gave Em A Few and Don’t Look… feature familiar Dirty South production that fails in every way, except as an unpleasant reminder of Snoop’s first No Limit album.
Fortunately, these are examples of the exception rather than the rule. Other highlights include the work of female spitter Crystal on Fa Real, RBX on DPG Life and the Snoop/Redman freestyle on Play, Playa.
