Calvin “Snoop Dogg” Broadus is a rare exception in the turbulent world of Hip-Hop. In a genre where big names come and go just as fast as hit records, Snoop Dogg has managed to stay tremendously relevant throughout his 16-plus years in the game. From music to movies, video games to clothing lines and now his own hit TV show (E!’s reality series Snoop Dogg’s Father Hood), Snoop Dogg is an all-out pop culture icon and household name.
While his longevity can easily be credited to his musical creativity, the various personalities contained within the character we know as Snoop Dogg have also played a vital role. Ego Trippin’, the Doggfather’s ninth (9th) solo studio album, deftly takes the listener on a ride through Snoop’s many faces. The result is a sonically assorted, yet thematically cohesive offering that shuns present day notions of constructing an album and instead crafts a work that marries Snoop’s many musical influences together with his array of personas.
“The album is called Ego Trippin’ because “I wanted to make something that is true to where I’m at as a musician and not just play connect the dots. It’s a record that is free of constraints. It’s just me doing me,” says Snoop.
But Snoop Dogg didn’t set out to accomplish this alone. Instead he recruited legendary producer/recording artist Teddy Riley to enhance the process. Riley and Snoop’s participation as honorees in last year’s VH1 Hip-Hop Honors was the catalyst that sparked what at first might be seen as an unusual partnership. “We got to talking at the show and I told him how much I admired his work,” remembers Snoop about the fateful evening. “Come to find out that he was just as big of a fan of my music. I told him that we had to work together.”
The resulting sessions birthed an unimaginable amount of high quality music. Next the duo added the musical mind of renowned producer/rapper DJ Quik into the fold. “Quik always has had this incredibly trained studio ear,” says Snoop of his fellow West Coast Hip-Hop OG. “I knew with the type of music that me and Teddy was making, he would be the perfect fit.”
The trio would form what Snoop coined the “QDT Music Group” behind a very effective song making process. “I would come up with the idea for the song conceptually,” says Snoop. “Then Teddy would come in and act as the musical filter—basically taking my idea and setting it to music. Then Quik would act as the finisher. He would maybe add a few musical elements to certain songs. He also mixed every song!”
Flashing his trademark sly smile it’s obvious that Snoop knew this alliance would amount to a musical jackpot. “This album is really produced—and I mean ‘produced’ in the traditional sense,” adds Snoop who also injected the instrumental prowess of burgeoning producer Terrace Martin. “Every song is layered and sonically just right. It’s like a meeting of top notch musical minds and it allowed me to take chances.”
Already Ego Trippin’ has produced a smash. “Sensual Seduction,” the album’s first single, is proof positive of the musical leaps that Snoop is willing to take. The song’s Roger Troutman influenced hook and accompanying early 80s nostalgia inducing video impacted radio rotations, video play lists and most importantly, Snoop’s fans immediately. “My fans have been with me for so long that I can take them wherever I want to go and they are comfortable,” he assures.
The gangsta rap that Snoop initially made his name off is also at full strength. Bay Area beatsmith Rick Rock’s “Staxxx In My Jeans” and a newly debuted double time flow on “Ridin’ In My Chevy” offer the album’s most menacing moments and shows Snoop can still get down on the street level. And as always, Snoop demonstrates his allegiance to the West Coast with the hyphy driven “Life Of The Party” alongside Oakland’s Mr. Fab and Too Short.
The fun loving Dogg is here as well. Snoop’s “Johnny Cash,” produced by Everlast, brings to mind karaoke night at a cowboy bar. It’s easy to imagine the smile on Snoop’s face as he gracefully bounces of the country western inspired romp. And over the lively track of “Hollywood Nights,” Snoop gets a chance to revel in his A-List fame on a ride down the Sunset Strip.
But what has rarely been witnessed throughout Snoop’s years in the record business is his home life. But with the wildly popular Snoop Dogg’s Father Hood emerging as one of the season’s top programs, Ego Trippin’ doesn’t shy away from Snoop the family guy.
“It was important for me to give the audience another side of me,” explains Snoop. “It can’t be all gangsta, all the time.” This theme is touched on throughout the album leaving the family talk of “Been Around The World,” “Make It Good”—a song dedicated to his wife Shante, the autobiographical “Neva Have 2 Worry” and the Teddy Riley produced, orchestra and choir filled “Say Goodbye” some of the most genuine offerings in Snoop’s entire catalog.
While Ego Trippin’ can easily be labeled a redefinition for Snoop Dogg, in many ways it’s more of a blossoming. It took years of grind time and dedication for Snoop to reach this point in his illustrious career. And with Ego Trippin’, Snoop is comfortable enough with his music and his audience to let all his sides shine and again show why he has become one of the top artists of his generation, a living legend indeed.