doggy style

[Pittsey]

I have given several reasons why this album is a classic.

Let me break it down.


Beats - We'll start with the beats. Compare the beats of 1993 to the beats that appear on the Chronic and Doggystyle, (as they are essentially very similar to each other). Those 2 albums wouldn't sound out of place if released today. Can we say that about S4MN by 2pac? What about Wutang, and the 36 chambers? Down with the King by Run DMC? I'm not taking anything away from these albums, but simply looking at the beats which were on these albums. Do any of these albums sound modern now? Are they as fresh now as they were then. Both Chronic and Doggystyle are timeless. The beats are laid-back and funky, continuing to resonate after many listens, but their greatest strength is that they never overshadow the laconic drawl of Snoop, who confirms that he has one of hip-hop's greatest vocal stylists with this record.

Flow - Other gangsta rappers were all about aggression and anger but Snoop takes his time, playing with the flow of his words, giving his rhymes a nearly melodic eloquence. On this album noop is something special, with unpredictable turns of phrase, evocative imagery, and a distinctive, addictive flow. Snoop doesn't just ride the beat, he helps create it, he is an instrument himself.

Lyrics - You say that they are too simple and boring. They are repetitive. I don't agree. I think that Snoop, with Dre's help, presents this album with an imaginative and a narrative thrust.
An example of this can be heard on the 1st verse of "Murder was the case", (I listened to it this morning, ) ...


As I look up at the sky
My mind starts trippin, a tear drops my eye
My body temperature falls
I'm shakin and they breakin tryin to save the Dogg
Pumpin on my chest and I'm screamin
I stop breathin, damn I see deamons
Dear God, I wonder can ya save me
I can't die my Boo-Boo's bout to have my baby
I think it's too late for prayin, hold up
A voice spoke to me and it slowly started sayin
"Bring your lifestyle to me I'll make it better"
How long will I live?
"Eternal life and forever"
And will I be, the G that I was?
"I'll make your life better than you can imagine or even dreamed of
So relax your soul, let me take control
Close your eyes my son"
My eyes are closed



Using wordplay doesn't always improve an album. As I said before it's the delivery, the imagery and the story telling that is what makes the songs interesting. Adding tricks wouldn't enhance it in my opinion.



It may not have had the shock of the new like Chronic did, but it built on top of what Dre created with Chronic.

If you didn't hear it in 1994 though that may be 1 of the reasons why you don't label it a classic. Over the years, the pervasive influence of Chronic and Doggystyle and its countless ripoffs has dulled its innovations, so it doesn't have the appeal that it did at the time of it's launch. At the time the albums were completely different to the other albums being released. But now it seems every album tries to emulate what Dre and Snoop achieved, but without quite understanding that a breakthrough album cannot be achieved by copying someone else's ideas.

 

[Devious]

I have given several reasons why this album is a classic.

Let me break it down.


Beats - We'll start with the beats. Compare the beats of 1993 to the beats that appear on the Chronic and Doggystyle, (as they are essentially very similar to each other). Those 2 albums wouldn't sound out of place if released today. Can we say that about S4MN by 2pac? What about Wutang, and the 36 chambers? Down with the King by Run DMC? I'm not taking anything away from these albums, but simply looking at the beats which were on these albums. Do any of these albums sound modern now? Are they as fresh now as they were then. Both Chronic and Doggystyle are timeless. The beats are laid-back and funky, continuing to resonate after many listens, but their greatest strength is that they never overshadow the laconic drawl of Snoop, who confirms that he has one of hip-hop's greatest vocal stylists with this record.

Flow - Other gangsta rappers were all about aggression and anger but Snoop takes his time, playing with the flow of his words, giving his rhymes a nearly melodic eloquence. On this album noop is something special, with unpredictable turns of phrase, evocative imagery, and a distinctive, addictive flow. Snoop doesn't just ride the beat, he helps create it, he is an instrument himself.

Lyrics - You say that they are too simple and boring. They are repetitive. I don't agree. I think that Snoop, with Dre's help, presents this album with an imaginative and a narrative thrust.
An example of this can be heard on the 1st verse of "Murder was the case", (I listened to it this morning, ) ...


As I look up at the sky
My mind starts trippin, a tear drops my eye
My body temperature falls
I'm shakin and they breakin tryin to save the Dogg
Pumpin on my chest and I'm screamin
I stop breathin, damn I see deamons
Dear God, I wonder can ya save me
I can't die my Boo-Boo's bout to have my baby
I think it's too late for prayin, hold up
A voice spoke to me and it slowly started sayin
"Bring your lifestyle to me I'll make it better"
How long will I live?
"Eternal life and forever"
And will I be, the G that I was?
"I'll make your life better than you can imagine or even dreamed of
So relax your soul, let me take control
Close your eyes my son"
My eyes are closed



Using wordplay doesn't always improve an album. As I said before it's the delivery, the imagery and the story telling that is what makes the songs interesting. Adding tricks wouldn't enhance it in my opinion.



It may not have had the shock of the new like Chronic did, but it built on top of what Dre created with Chronic.

If you didn't hear it in 1994 though that may be 1 of the reasons why you don't label it a classic. Over the years, the pervasive influence of Chronic and Doggystyle and its countless ripoffs has dulled its innovations, so it doesn't have the appeal that it did at the time of it's launch. At the time the albums were completely different to the other albums being released. But now it seems every album tries to emulate what Dre and Snoop achieved, but without quite understanding that a breakthrough album cannot be achieved by copying someone else's ideas.

100% truth right there. I find most people who don't think DS is a classic are the people who didn't hear it when it first came out, too young or whatever. That's because those albums became the blueprint to a classic, and every west coast rapper has tried to copy the formula of these albums with little or no success. So the album doesn't sound so special to those people who heard all the copycats first.

 

[jasedwads]

100% truth right there. I find most people who don't think DS is a classic are the people who didn't hear it when it first came out, too young or whatever. That's because those albums became the blueprint to a classic, and every west coast rapper has tried to copy the formula of these albums with little or no success. So the album doesn't sound so special to those people who heard all the copycats first.

I heard it when it came out way back. Infact i had a tape cassette of it, i was only young, i did like the album, but when i call something a classic i judge it on the actual album, and not on 'because its a land mark' or 'just agreeing with the majority'.

Ihave listened to this album so many times when i was younger. I listened to it recently but before that, i never really bothered with it.

Maybe my taste in rap music changed. I accept the fact that it is a good album, snoop flows alrite, but the lyrics aint brilliant, i just dont call it a classic. I snoop as a rapper is based on lyrical greatness, but his lyrics in Doggfather are better.

I understand that manny rappers tried to base their albums, on this album. But like i said earlier, its the first of its kind. Theres many more albums way better than this. And snoop has in my eyes a better album and thats ThaDoggfather.

Just because i have my own opinon does not mean, i have to read stupid posts like 'I should ban you for having a stupid thread' or 'saying i am dumb'.

Its my opinion, and nobody has not yet really gave me a good post.


@Pittsey, thats a good post, I read what you typed, and maybe I was being too harsh. I dont change my opinion , but i guess its just my taste. Also I look at it differently, I think the beats are good, but too repetitive.

But how you feel about this album, is how I feel about Doggfather.

pz

 

[Pittsey]

Its my opinion, and nobody has not yet really gave me a good post.

You are entitled to your opinion.

But I think you have dismissed my posts (which were good) twice. I have listed the points as to why they are classic. Maybe you need to redefine your understanding of Classic.

A breakthrough album that influenced every WestCoast album that has been released since cannot be classified in any other way than classic.

 

[LAZARU$]

I am sorry but this is not snoops best album, it only gets labeled a classics is because its the first of its kind.

When you look at this album closely, you will see that this album is very average.

The beats are way too repetitive, snoops subject matter is the same, also he says dre's name so much i just laff. I might even count up the number of times he mentions dre's name.

but yer, the lyrics aint too good.

Dont get me wrong its an alrite album, but it aint that great.

nah playa dat shit is pressed a classic.an album you can clean da crib 2 yaddamean :thumb:

 

[Duke]

You are entitled to your opinion.

But I think you have dismissed my posts (which were good) twice. I have listed the points as to why they are classic. Maybe you need to redefine your understanding of Classic.

A breakthrough album that influenced every WestCoast album that has been released since cannot be classified in any other way than classic.

He judges the album purely on what he hears (nothing wrong with that by the way) and you and me, and the majority, feels that the impact of the album, the innovative new shit at the time, is a heavier criterium.

 

[Pittsey]

He judges the album purely on what he hears (nothing wrong with that by the way) and you and me, and the majority, feels that the impact of the album, the innovative new shit at the time, is a heavier criterium.

Which is fair. But I would also classify this classic on the listening alone. It's by far my favourite album.

But our opnions all differ. Which is cool.

 

[Preach]

i agree with all of what pittsey has said but i'll add some thoughts.

i love any post-98 death row track. that is the kind of music i like. that is what unleashes the notorious rizzle dance-foot. that is what makes me want to bob my head. the beats alone make the album a classic because they're so musical. g-funk is indeed an ingenious genre within hiphop, and this album is part of where it began. the beats are so damn nice. the dope saw and sine basslines, the guitars. it sounds played, rather than sampled and chopped. it was a completely new turn in mainstream hiphop. i'd say this is when hiphop was on its peak. that is my personal opinion and may or may not be true based on facts, but to me, this is when hiphop artists made some of the music i will always love.

as far as lyrics go, remember that at the time, and in that genre, what was considered hot differ from today, and from other genres within hiphop. i have an unreleased studio session recording from death row which has dre talking for 2 minutes, then the lady of rage, daz and kurupt rap each their verse, then dre talks for another two minutes, then the instrumental plays for three minutes. the beat in itself is dope, and in each of the two audio channels in the stereo recording, there is a recording which is just as long as the track (some 13 minutes) which sounds like someone held a recorder inside a studio where everybody's drunk and singing to the beat and screaming, sounds like a party. the bassline is raw and psychadelic, and in the verses, all they talk about is how gangsta they are and how they'll bust a cap in your ass if you try to step up. all dre does is talk shit, like, "eazy-e, you's a punk ass biiiiitch... BIATCH!" and stuff like that. kinda reminds me of how snoop goes in the intro to the chronic. the point with all this is that this kind of rap isn't neccesarily about being real and about having word play. if you can't appreciate the music made in this era as a part of hip hop history, and reckognize it for its greatness at the present time, no wonder you can't label this a classic album.


with that being said, the lyrics pittsey used as an example are good to use for an example. i think this album is classic because of the impact it had on the rap game when it dropped, because of the role it played in hiphop at the present time, and because the hiphop productions and the mastering that was done to the album sound even more modern than some of todays beats (drop it like it's hot?) this album is always gonna be considered a classic album by me because this was made at the peak of hiphop music (once again, imo), and it represents what i love the most about hiphop.