Snoop Dogg debuted at #1 with Doggystyle

Doggystyle Snoop Dogg

Released: November 23, 1993 Peak: 13 US, 15 RB, 38 UK, 10 CN, 24 AU Sales (in millions): 6.96 US, 0.3 UK, 11.0 world (includes US and UK) Genre: rap

Tracks: Song Title (Writers) [time] (date of single release, chart peaks) Click for codes to charts. Bathtub G Funk (Intro) Gin & Juice (1/18/94, 8 BB, 7 CB, 28 RR, 13 RB, 39 UK) Tha Shiznit Lodi Dodi (2/12/94, 63 BA) Murder Was the Case (12/17/94, 67 BA) Serial Killa Who Am I (What’s My Name)? (11/5/93, 8 BB, 8 CB, 20 RR, 8 RB, 20 UK) For All My Niggaz & Bitches Ain’t No Fun (If the Homies Can’t Have None) Doggy Dogg World (4/14/94, 46 BA, 25a RB, 32 UK) GZ and Hustlas Pump Pump Total Running Time: 54:44

Rating: 4.405 out of 5.00 (average of 25 ratings) Quotable: -- “Gangsta rap never sounded so sweet” – About.com Awards: (Click on award to learn more).

About the Album: While Doggystyle was technically Snoop Dogg’s debut album, audiences were already familiar with him. He rapped on half the tracks on Dr. Dre’s 1992 album, The Chronic, including the hit singles. It set him up as “the biggest star in hip-hop, with legions of fans anxiously awaiting new material.” AM That set up Doggystyle as the fastest-selling debut album RD whopping first week sales exceeding 800,000. WK Fans expected a “de facto sequel to The Chronic…another round of P-Funk-inspired grooves and languid gangsta and ganja tales.” AM That’s exactly what they got – “the same production, same aesthetic and themes, and same reliance on guest rappers.” AM “The miracle is, it’s as good as that record.” AM The two albums “stand proudly together as the twin pinnacles” AM for transforming “the entire sound of West Coast rap by its development of what later became known as the ‘G-funk’ sound…[by expanding] gangsta rap with profanity, violent lyrics, basic beats, anti-authoritarian lyrics and multi-layered samples taken from 1970’s P-Funk records.” WK Speaking of P-Funk, the lead single, “the whomping What’s My Name?,” RD was “a roof-raising reworking of George Clinton’s ‘Atomic Dog’ with a hit video.” RD That song and Gin and Juice both reached the top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100. Snoop rules as “comfortably cool with the Slick Rick remake Lodi Dodi as the ragga-tinged Serial Killer and bloodcurdling Murder Was the Case.” RD There are also “legendary tracks” RD such as the title cut featuring George Clinton and the original version of Dre’s The Next Episode.” RD When it came to making Doggystyle, Dre knew “it wasn’t time to push the limits of G-funk, and instead decided to deepen it musically, creating easy-rolling productions that have more layers than they appear. They’re laid-back 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’s one of hip-hop’s greatest vocal stylists with this record…Snoop takes his time, playing with the flow of his words, giving his rhymes a nearly melodic eloquence.” AM “Snoop is something special, with unpredictable turns of phrase, evocative imagery, and a distinctive, addictive flow.” AM Time magazine noted that the lyrics “are often unnecessarily graphic; at some points they're downright obscene.” WK Indeed, they are “as luridly stupid as Darryl Daniel’s controversial cover cartoon, reaching an unpleasant peak on Ain’t No Fun. But overlook that and there is plenty to enjoy on this album.” RD Snoop raps about “adolescent urges, as he freely talks of casual sex, smoking marijuana and gunning down rival gang members.” WK “The album also covered…drug dealing and pimping.” WK In some circles “he was acclaimed for the realism in his rhymes and his harmonious flow,” WK but in other arenas he was “accused of glamorizing gang violence and black-on-black crime.” WK “Snoop Dogg…said, ‘I can’t rap about something I don't know. You’ll never hear me rapping about no bachelor’s degree. It’s only what I know and that’s that street life. It’s all everyday life, reality.’” WK Snoop Dogg was weirdly celebrated as “the first major rapper to (apparently) walk it like he talked it.” RD Prior to the album’s release, Snoop Dogg got caught up in some real-life gangsta drama when he was arrested in August. Snoop was charged for driving a vehicle from which his bodyguard, McKinley Lee, shot and killed Phillip Woldermarian, a rival gang member. The rapper claimed the victim was stalking him and it was self-defense. He went to trial in late 1995 and was cleared of all charges in February of 1996. WK Snoop wasn’t just derided for the violence of his lyrics, but the “many derogatory terms against woman, with expressions such as ‘bitches’ and ‘ho’s’ being used throughout…In certain tracks Snoop Dogg and Tha Dogg Pound casually speak of gang rape, illustrating the demeaning of women.” WK There are some who say that it is precisely because of the articulation of “the rage of the urban underclass and its sense of intense oppression and defiant rebellion” WK that gangsta rap is an important genre. In any event, Doggystyle “is regarded by many critics as one of the most significant albums of the 1990s, and one of the most important hip hop albums released to date.” WK “It is credited with defining West Coast hip hop; shifting the emphasis to more melodious, synth-driven, and funk-induced beats. About.com stated during the period the album was released, ‘Gangsta rap never sounded so sweet.” WK

Reviews: AM AllMusic.com review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine RD Robert Dimery (2006). 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die. Quintet Publishing Limited: New York, NY. Page 720. WK Wikipedia.org Related DMDB Links: First posted 8/10/2008; last updated 7/16/2025.

Dr. Dre & Snoop Dogg “Nuthin’ But a ‘G’ Thang” tops R&B chart

Nuthin’ But a ‘G’ Thang Dr. Dre & Snoop Dogg

Writer(s): Tracy Curry, Calvin Broadus, Otha Haywood (see lyrics here) Released: November 19, 1992 First Charted: January 23, 1993 Peak: 2 US, 2 CB, 24 RR, 12 RB, 31 UK, 63 AU, 24 DF (Click for codes to charts.) Sales (in millions): 1.3 US, 0.2 UK, 1.5 world (includes US + UK) Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, 79.82 video, 274.37 streaming

Awards: Click on award for more details.

About the Song: Rapper Dr. Dre (born Andre Young) started out with the World Class Wreckin’ Cru and then was part of the gangsta rap group N.W.A. before releasing his debut solo effort, The Chronic, in 1992. The album reached #3 on the Billboard album chart and sold more than five million copies, fueled by top-ten hits “Nuthin’ But a ‘G’ Thang” and “Dre Day” as well as top 40-hit “Let Me Ride.” With “Nuthin’” Dre “brought his innovative G-Funk sound to the mainstream.” TB It was “a West Coast rap classic” TC about gangster life and getting laid. It’s ultimately a “piece of misogynistic nonsense,” TC that “reads like the patter between two adolescent boys” TC which explains why “gangsta rap essentially appealed to teenage males.” TC The song is built around a sample from seventies funk artist Leon Haywood’s “I Want’a Do Something Freaky to You.” “All the hallmarks of his best work are here: the Funkadelic-inspired beats, the stop-start liquid bass, the subtle funk guitar, and the heavy-breathing backing vocals.” TB The song didn’t just establish Dr. Dre as a commercially-viable solo artist, but as “one of the most clued-up talent spotters around.” TB “Nuthin’” introduced Snoop Dogg (then known as Snoop Doggy Dogg) to the mainstream; in fact, Snoop actually does most of the rapping on the song. TC The pair previously collaborated on “Deep Cover” in 1992, a #46 R&B hit from the soundtrack of the same name. Snoop’s Dr. Dre-produced debut solo album, Doggystyle, dropped the next year. It hit #1 on the Billboard album chart, sold nearly seven million copies in the United States, and produced two top-ten hits. With those two albums, Dre “developed a sound that was so funky and fat that he quickly became one of the most inventive and powerful of rap producers; ” TC in fact, “the most important hip-hop producer of the 1990s.” TB He produced and guested on Blackstreet’s chart-topping hit “No Diggity” and would also work with Tupac Shakur, Eminem, and Mary J. Blige. Resources: DMDB encyclopedia entry for Dr. Dre DMDB encyclopedia entry for Snoop Dogg TC Toby Creswell (2005). 1001 Songs: The Great Songs of All Time. Thunder’s Mouth Press: New York, NY. Page 717. TB Thunder Bay Press (2006). Singles: Six Decades of Hot Hits & Classic Cuts. Outline Press Ltd.: San Diego, CA. Page 260. Related Links: First posted 6/18/2023.

 

N.W.A. released Straight Outta Compton

Straight Outta Compton N.W.A.

Released: January 10, 1989 Peak: 6 US, 9 RB, 35 UK, 8 AU Sales (in millions): 3.0 US, 0.3 UK, 3.3 world (includes US and UK) Genre: rap

Tracks: Song Title (date of single release, chart peaks) Click for codes to singles charts. Straight Outta Compton Fuck tha Police Gangsta Gangsta (3/25/89, 91 RB, 70 UK) If It Ain’t Ruff Parental Sicretion Iz Advised 8 ball Something Like That Express Yourself (8/5/89, 45 RB, 26 UK) Compton’s in the House I Ain’t tha 1 Dopeman Quiet on tha Set Something 2 Dance 2 Total Running Time: 60:16

Rating: 4.053 out of 5.00 (average of 16 ratings) Quotable: “Virtually all gangsta rap remains a response to or an elaboration of this one album” – Josh Tyrangiel and Alan Light, Time Magazine Awards: (Click on award to learn more).

About the Album: Straight Outta Compton “is one of the most seminal albums in the history of rap and greatly influenced countless gangsta rappers.” AMG “N.W.A didn’t invent gangsta rap – Ice-T and Schooly D had already embraced first-person narratives focusing on the harsh realities of ghetto life – but the L.A. group made it even more violent.” AMG As a result, N.W.A’s “unapologetically frightening” AMG Straight Outta Compton “was the hip-hop shot heard ‘round the world.” TL “N.W.A’s name – that’s short for ‘Niggaz with Attitude,’ in case you forgot – was the first sign that this was no ordinary group.” TL They “took listeners on an arresting journey through L.A.’s tough Compton ghetto. Critics of this highly controversial album contended that N.W.A was glamorizing Black-on-Black crime – the rappers countered that they weren’t encouraging violence, but rather were presenting an audio documentary of life as they knew it growing up in Compton.” AMG The album is awash with “wicked rhymes by Ice Cube” AZ with his “unflinching ghetto reportage.” TL There’s also the “jittery, cinematic production” TL “courtesy Dr. Dre,” AZ “group founder Eazy-E’s oddly menacing high-pitched snarl, and support from MC Ren and DJ Yella.” TL “It made for a true gang-bangin’ all-star team.” TL It all comes “barreling into your face, just daring you to ignore the streets of Compton (or any American city) even one day longer.” AZ “From Fuck tha Police (which earned them a warning letter from the FBI),” TL “to the angry, unflinching realism of Gangsta Gangsta, to the pro-free speech Express Yourself, this is slammin’ and ruthless.” AZ “Almost twenty years later, virtually all gangsta rap remains a response to or an elaboration of this one album.” TL Unfortunately, the genre would “subsequently…be plagued by numerous soundalike MCs who lacked even a fraction of N.W.A or Ice-T’s originality. But in the innovative hands of N.W.A., it was bold, inspired and arresting.” AMG Notes: “Straight Outta Compton was released in an edited version with all of the profanity removed, and instead changed around so that the album became a parody of edited albums by using hilariously silly replacements for swears and graphic descriptions.” AMG

Resources and Related Links: DMDB encyclopedia entry for N.W.A. AMG All Music Guide review by Alex Henderson AZ Amazon.com review by David Cantwell TL Time magazine (11/13/2006). “All-TIME 100 Albums” by Josh Tyrangiel and Alan Light Last updated 4/19/2022.