Snoop Dogg is less of a rapper today than he is a brand. From his music to his film career to his reality show on the E! Network, the idea of Snoop is more accessible than the actual person. The weed-smoking pimp persona is what sells records. From his collaboration with Fifty Cent that popularized the Pimp Cup, to the Pharrell Williams masterminded mainstream hit, "Drop It Like It's Hot," if you think you know what Dogg is all about, then he's got you right where he wants you. He's kind of a lazy hip-hop chameleon, switching up his sound just enough to produce a hit while exerting the least amount of effort possible. Snoop's ninth album, Ego Trippin is, ironically enough, probably his most down to earth album yet. However, even the most emotional and heartfelt moments are completely overshadowed and then stomped into the ground by the classic Snoop misogyny. If you've ever talked to someone who refuses to acknowledge hip-hop as music, citing it as nothing more than "bitches, blunts and money," it's probably because most of their exposure came from the D-O-double-G.
Ego Trippin was masterminded by QDT Muzic, a production team of DJ Quik, Dogg, and former Blackstreet frontman, Teddy Riley. Their 1980s synth influence is undeniable, cemented with a note-for-note cover of Morris Day and the Time's "Cool," which was great when Day did it, better when fellow pimp-hopper Suga Free sampled it, and unnecessary by the time Snoop gets around to it. "Press Play," has an old-school soul beat with sharp horns, reminiscent to Jay-Z's "Roc Boys."
Elsewhere on the album, there are signs of production brilliance. On "Deez Hollywood Nights," a ragtime piano line provides most of the beat as Snoop throws down rhymes about women piling into his SUV. Also on the album, Snoop goes south on "My Medicine," where Everlast throws down country guitar and Snoop dedicates it to Johnny Cash, who he calls a "true American gangster," though I'm not sure how he would have felt about a dealing song considering his pill addiction nearly killed him on more than one occasion. Both of these songs are surreal, probably better suited for his short-lived sketch comedy show than an LP.
