Review: Snoop Dogg – Bush

Snoop Dogg has seen such great success in his many incarnations as an artist, business mogul and all around family guy. He’s been the front man of a number of reality TV franchises. He’s been on the sideline as Coach Snoop seeing many young student athletes through high school sports and supporting his son Cordell all the way to a state championship. It seems that Snoop Dogg is all over the place, with guest appearances on shows like the daytime soap opera One Life To Live, popular game show The Price Is Right, and hilarious appearances on Comedy Central Roasts. He’s even jumped in the wrestling ring as part of a tag team with legendary wrestler Hulk Hogan, presumably a childhood dream come true. As a music artist, he’s recorded several genres from gangsta rap to funk to reggae, releasing his last album, Reincarnated, under the moniker Snoop Lion. A hustler in the truest sense, the Doggfather has masterfully branded himself in countless ventures which he is at the helm, making sure that prosperity stays within his reach. Snoop Doggy Dogg has come a long way since being featured on Dr. Dre’s The Chronic and his own debut album Doggystyle, released twenty-two years ago.

This year, Snoop Dogg releases his thirteenth studio album, Bush, a project entirely produced by Pharrell Williams. Snoop and Pharrell have collaborated many times over the years, but this is the first with Williams having a part in each track, though his Neptunes partner, Chad Hugo, also joins the team of producers. The album is in line with Snoop the laid-back funkmaster, and while it’s not his best work as a musical artist, it has a place in the Doggystyle cannon. “California Roll” features soul legend Stevie Wonder on harmonica and Pharrell’s melodic voice on the chorus. The song does feel a bit like a jingle for state tourism, highlighting your favorite things about living in proximity to the City of Angels: becoming a movie star and holding a medical marijuana card. But since we’re dealing with Snoop here, don’t be surprised if the song ends up officially repping Cali this summer. “The City” starts with fictional radio station BUSH69 sending a shout out to L.A. while Snoop sings about holding a key to the city and rolling to Vegas. This is the first of many times we hear Charlie Wilson on vocals while the chorus sings Snoop’s name in a catchy melody. “R U A Freak” may be a little too classic Pharrell style as it feels like an outtake to Daft Punk’s “Get Lucky”. “Awake” is a feel-good song that aims to be inspirational and mantra-like where Snoop sings via autotune about being from Planet Krypton, home of the Freaks.

“So Many Pros” falls completely flat as a party anthem, though “Peaches N Cream” has a bit more potential in getting folks in the vibe to chill at the backyard cookout. On the album are also collabos with rapper T.I. on “Edibles” and pop artist Gwen Stefani on “Run Away”. However, it’s on “I’m Ya Dogg” featuring Rick Ross and Kendrick Lamar, that we get the real jewel of this album. It’s easy to immediately get into this slow groove tempo which makes your head bop as Uncle Charlie croons “I’ll come running…” throughout the song. Snoop sings the verse while Ross spits his obligatory Maybach Music status flow. K-Dot, on the other hand, lays down the most complex verse on the album which is likely due to that Long Beach/Compton connection between him and Snoop. At the end of the day, be thankful the album is only ten tracks long, as I’m not sure how many more Snoop Dogg/Pharrell Williams cuts would have really enhanced the overall project. But, all things cannabis considered, Snoop is on a high with life right now, and I’m sure Bush is far from his last musical project.

 
Written by Mai Perkins

Originally from Los Angeles, Mai Perkins is living a genuine bona fide love affair with NYC and the music that keeps its spirit moving. While spending the majority of the last decade in Brooklyn, many of her adventures around the globe are documented on her blog: Mai On The Move! www.MaiOnTheMove.com

 
Author’s rating for Bush

Pop Magazine’s official rating for Bush

Rating key
MASTERPIECE a must-have
SUPERB for heavy rotation
EXCELLENT a great achievement
VERY GOOD a respectable result
GOOD worth checking out
FAIR an average outcome
WEAK not convincing stuff
BAD an underwhelming effort
VERY BAD quite a waste
FAIL a total failure