Snoop Dogg - Paid Tha Cost To Be Da Bo$$ - 2002 - Doggystyle
After his stint on No Limit, Snoop returns with a celebratory album. Now I must note that I hate that he used "tha" and "da" in the same title, but all that aside, this is a pretty decent record. The major problem with this album - and ultimately with many of Snoop's albums - is that it's just too much. Clocking in at 19 tracks, it's tough to keep the momentum and quality top-notch throughout. Luckily, there's more hits than misses here. And be assured that this is a total party record. Snoop provides several party anthem throwbacks: "Stoplight" jacks Parliament's classic "Flashlight," "Ballin'" revamps The Dramatics' "Fallin'" (and features The Dramatics!), "Paper'd Up" is actually a really faithful cover of Eric B & Rakim's "Paid In Full," (which you may have seen performed in the movie Old School). But it's not all remakes, and a lot of the fresh originals are the real standouts. There's no denying just how awesome The Neptunes-produced cuts are. "From The Chuuuch To The Palace," is Snoop in top form, while "Beautiful" lets Pharrell get some crooning spotlight. These are reminders of just how great a team Snoop and The Neptunes really are. While Paid Tha Cost definitely runs on longer than it needs to, it also doesn't exactly overstay its welcome. And while many tracks are less compelling than the really excellent gems peppered throughout, nothing here is really a throwaway either. The worst material here is mostly just Snoop on autopilot, which isn't totally terrible either.