Tag: Mount Westmore

Snoop Dogg – “Iz It a Crime?” review

Here we have the 21st studio LP from Long Beach emcee, songwriter, media personality, actor, entrepreneur, record executive & WWE Hall of Famer Snoop Dogg. His 1993 debut Doggystyle produced his mentor Dr. Dre is widely regarded as a west coast essential, but his output since has been hit or miss whether it be Tha Last Meal & Tha Blue Carpet Treatment almost reaching the same caliber of his debut or Da Game is to be Sold, Not to be Told & Bible of Love falling flat on their faces. He purchased Death Row Records from MNRK Music Group days ahead of the Super Bowl LVI halftime person hence why he’s B.o.D.R. (Bacc on Death Row) since. Missionary last winter drew mixed reception because of some delusional fans expecting it to be another Doggystyle, coming off the Altar Call compilation to ask Iz It a Crime?.

After the intro, the title track featuring October London on the hook samples “Is It a Crime?” by Sade asking how many out there are still living by the code whereas “Joy” crosses over soul & boom bap to talk about it being that time for him to fuck up the streets making a feast out of the crumbs he was given. “Unsung Heroes” works in some cool organ melodies responding to people criticizing him for his half hour DJ Snoopadelic set at the Crypto Ball in January when even I myself found that odd due to the video he shared on Instagram in 2017, but then “Sophisticated Crippin’” sampling Marvin Gaye courtesy of DJ Battlecat talking about his 3+ decade legacy.

“Can’t Wait” featuring LaRussell finds the pair linking up so they can get shit poppin’ together over a g-funk instrumental from Nottz just before “Can’t Get Enough” featuring Jane Handcock cooks up a smooth R&B & west coast hip hop duet portraying 2 lovers who’re quite obsessed with being in each other’s company. “Keep It Moving” brings the g-funk vibes back in the fold thanks to Rick Rock talking about never stop pushin’ leading into “Just the Way It Iz” featuring Wiz Khalifa teaming up on top of a moody Soopafly beat to not change shit in their lives.

Akeem Ali easily delivers the worst feature on the entire album during “You Want My All” kinda sounding like a Lil Wayne knockoff when I’m sure Uncle Snoop could’ve easily got Weezy himself on there if he wanted to while Charlie Bereal takes a shot at g-funk behind the boards on “What’s Hattnin’?” giving a shoutout to everyone who’s been with Tha Doggfather from the very jump. “Spot” reunites with Pharrell for a pop rap joint reminiscent of “Beautiful”or “Perfect” with a modern twist & “ShutYoBitchAssUp” disses Suge Knight.

“Cold Summer” switches it up with a synth-pop cut & the vocal performances predominantly sung by it’s own producer mR. pOrTeR formerly of D12 while “Snoop Will Make You Dance” returns to a g-funk direction for a good old fashioned west coast party anthem. “Life’s Journey” feels like a bit of a response to his daughter Chocc fresh off dropping her debut EP Journals to Johnny last winter & becoming a mother a few months ago while “Me N O.G. Snoop” featuring Sexyy Red still remaining one of the most polarizing, controversial & popular artists in hip hop today talks about their ties to the Crips & the Bloods respectively.

Getting the final leg of Iz It a Crime? started, “Let Me Love You” heads for a bit of a delicate boom bap approach instrumentally for a tribute to his wife of almost 3 decades Shante Taylor while “West Up” slides through with a g-funk love letter to the west coast asking why the fuck should he retire when the west justifiably dominated the previous year. “My Friend” featuring mR. pOrTeR unites both of them for a passionate remembrance of Snoop’s cousin Darryl Daniel passing away 10 months ago & “Live Life” ends by talking about his only advice being to love yourself getting what’s yours.

Uncle Snoop here’s trying to understand if it’s a felony for him to do the things he’s done, to take care of people, to love them & to be there for them due some of the things that he’s done & becoming speculation. My response to those questions is absolutely not, although many including myself found it hypocritical for him to post said IG video 8 years ago with the “Lavender 2” music video literally months later only to do that Crypto Ball DJ set. Iz It a Crime? top to bottom however feels reminiscent of B.o.D.R. (Bacc on Death Row) due to the way both albums feel heavily inspired by the older days in career from gangsta rap to boom bap, g-funk & pop rap.

Score: 3.5/5

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Too $hort – “Sir Too $hort: Freaky Tales” review

Too $hort is a 58 year old MC, songwriter, producer & record executive from Oakland, California known for being a west coast pioneer within the last 4 decades. Born to Mack, Life is…Too $hort, $hort Dog’s in the House, Get In Where You Fit In & Gettin’ It (Album #10) all stick out in his extensive catalog. This fall will mark 8 years since The Pimp Tape & he’s finally returning with the 21st full-length studio LP he’s actually been teasing since roughly 2022 or so only 2 & a half years after Mount Westmore’s debut Snoop, Cube, 40, $hort.

“Still Mackin’” samples the “Dope Fiend Beat” off Born to Mack to talk about his longevity in the rap game whereas the uncanny trap-flavored title track discusses always winning in the end & all the bitches knowin’ his name. “You Don’t Know” dabbles with Mobb music thanks to Ant Banks talking about these hoes not having an idea as to what’s going on while “Pick a Side” featuring WWE Hall of Famer Snoop Dogg wants to know exactly who their partners are playing for.

BossLife Big Spence & Larry June join $hort Dog on “Pimpin’ Like Kenny Red” for a turnt-up hyphy track likening themselves to pimps leading into “Go Bitch” featuring Big Zeke, Jay Chess & Kokane serving as a g-funk club banger for the bitches out there who be doing the most. “No Feelings” featuring Bandaide & Mistah F.A.B. brings the trio together so they can live & die by the code, but then the acoustic trap hybrid “Keep It Going” featuring King George encourages everyone to continue moving.

“The Budget” pulls a bit from rap rock to spend a few bucks while “Sucka Shit” essentially calls out the people who be on their bullshit. “Got It from the Bay” represents the northern side of California that made him while “Brain Surgery” talks about people having to know how to do it to make it. And prior to the Check the Stats” outro, the self-produced “Everywhere” takes the Mobb route for the final time reflecting on the places his career has taken him.

Drawing heavily on his Bay Area roots & long-standing partnerships, the 1st installment in a new trilogy is more of a a deliberate look back as much as a statement of staying power Too $hort has ultimately bridging the classic template with new wrinkles & familiar faces. The funk-heavy, bass-driven production marks a return to the smoothness that anchored many of $hort’s most influential releases during the golden age & joins the ever-growing list of hip hop pioneers adapting decades later.

Score: 4/5

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Ice Cube – “Man Down” review

This is the 11th full-length studio LP from Los Angeles emcee, songwriter, actor, film producer, CubeVision founder & BIG3 founder Ice Cube. The cousin of Del the Funky Homosapien & Kam, he started as part of the C.I.A. gained notoriety as a member of N.W.A until departing after their historic debut Straight Outta Compton. Cube later got his own Priority Records deal as a solo artist, teaming with The Bomb Squad for his own debut AmeriKKKa’s Most Wanted & later Kill at Will. Death Certificate went on to become another west coast hip hop landmark due to some of its racially & politically charged content, with his Lench Mob Records debut The Predator mainly addressing a lot of on racial tensions in the United States at the time. Lethal Injection was more g-funk heavy and the War & Peace double-disc effort marked the end of the former Westside Connection member’s Priority contract. Laugh Now, Cry Later distributed by Virgin Music & EMI Records was a solid comeback in ‘06 after mainly focusing on acting during the first half of the 2000s & then Raw Footage had it’s highlights although it was decent as a whole. I’m the West became his most negatively received body of work & the Interscope Records-distributed Everythang’s Corrupt showed to be an improvement although still average, so hearing Man Down would be a I’m the West sequel had me hoping it would be far superior to the original.

“Rollin’ at Twilight” starts with a trap intro that Cassius Jay laced looking to make highlights with his real ones whereas “It’s My Ego” featuring Scarface on the remix takes the g-funk route instrumentally thanks to E-A-Ski talking about giving a demonstration in front of the nation. “So Sensitive” was the weakest single of the 3 decently giving Cube’s take on gender & modern etiquette, but then Mount Westmore gets together for the funky pop rap banger “She’s Sanctified” with October London on the hook discussing women.

Nottz gives “Not Like Them” more of a traditional west coast vibe to the beat feeling like the world doesn’t make sense this day in age while “5150” aggressively talks about this bitch being crazy. “No Cap” featuring Ishadon has to be one of the most underwhelming moments despite the Zaytoven beat & the theme of everyone doin’ boss moves in a cesspool just before the industrial/trap crossover “3 Lil Piggies” talks about 3 cops.

“Ghetto Story” strips the drums completely finding his glory & doing it all for the streets to get his bag while “Facts” featuring J-D of Da Lench Mob finds the 2 reuniting so they can talk about mobbin’. “Fighting for My Life in Paradise” featuring Kurupt hops over a soul sample explaining how good it feels living the lives that they do while the boisterous “Let’s Get Money Together” featuring B-Real goes back & forth with each other as they make paper.

As for “I’mma Burn Rubber”, we have Cube going from 0 to 100 over a hyphy instrumental prior to the self-produced “Especially You” hooking up some prominent synthesizers talking about needing everyone to head for the dance floors. “Break the Mirror” featuring Xzibit links up the pair for a hardcore west coast heater pointing out that nobody wants the truth anymore while “Talkin’ ‘Bout These Rappers” takes a jab at wack MCs over a Lil Jon beat.

“Scary Movie” pushes towards the end of Man Down by tapping in with Lench Mob Records in-house producers Hallway Productionz promising that breaking your shit is certain while “Take Me to Your Leader” moves like an eagle looking regal on top of a vocal sample that David Banner provides. The closer “Ego Maniacs” featuring Busta Rhymes & Killer Mike wraps it all up with an insane sequel to “It’s My Ego”.

Laugh Now, Cry Later was probably the last Ice Cube album that I enjoyed consistently top to bottom & Man Down over 18 years later as a dedication for all his Day 1s improves on his few LPs since 2008. The more consistent production than some of his past recent material eclectically ranges from g-funk to hyphy, trap & drumless enlisting a tight list of guests to help reaffirm his status as a west coast veteran.

Score: 4/5

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E-40 – “Rule of Thumb” review

Vallejo, California emcee, songwriter, entrepreneur, actor & Sick Wid It Records founder E-40 releasing his long-awaited 19th full-length solo LP only 4 years after his last one Practice Makes Paper. However: It’s his 27th album if you don’t count Revenue Retrievin’: Day Shift & Night Shift, Revenue Retrievin’: Overtime Shift & Graveyard Shift, The Block Brochure: Welcome to the Soil, Vols. 1-3 & subsequently Vols. 4-6, Sharp On All 4 Corners & The D-Boy Diaries all as individual albums. Anyway some heads like to disrespect him, but he’s been putting it down for the Bay Area for over 3 decades at this point. My favorites in his catalog include In a Major Way, The Mail Man, The Element of Surprise, Charlie Hu$tle: The Blueprint of a Self Made Millionaire, My Ghetto Report Card & The Block Brochure series to name a few. He’s also a member of The Click with 3 of his blood relatives & the supergroup Mount Westmore, the latter of whom put out their debut album last winter. However after releasing 2 Curb Commentator EPs during the pandemic, 40’s making a comeback on Rule of Thumb.

“Lift It” encourages those to lift the plastic if it’s the shit over a somber hyphy instrumental from Rick Rock to start off the album whereas “AYE!” hooks up the malicious horn melodies & finger-snaps warning that the law is coming asking if you hear him. “Does That Make Sense” gets on his mobb shit speaking the real just how he feels leading into the summery “GPS” featuring Larry June talking about how maybe it‘s the g in them.

Meanwhile, “The Game” returns to a hyphy-based sound saying maybe he’s doing exactly that prior to the woodwind/trap hybrid “Bay Warren Buffet” produced by his son Droop-E flexing his entrepreneurship for 2 & a half minutes. “High End” featuring B.G. who just got out of prison with Gucci Mane & Philthy Rich brings the 2 Bay emcees & both Atlanta representatives together over some synthesizers & hi-hats from DJ Daryl boasting their first class statuses, but then “Off Dat Mob” floats over this angelic vocal sample woven into a mobb beat explaining he grew up off this shit hence the title obviously.

“Green Light” featuring B-Legit finds the cousins returning to their hyphy roots detailing that it’s on site while “Water” featuring LaRussell goes into synth territory talking about how they’ll take their way. “Show You How to Do It” featuring G5, O.T. Genasis & Zoe Osama has some of the most underwhelming guest appearances on the LP despite the synths making their way back into the picture courtesy of ProHoeZak & the subject matter of showing y’all how it’s done while “Billionaire Dreams” expresses his desire to become a billionaire over a trunk-knocking beat.

To start off the 2nd half of the album, “Pickin’ Up What I’m Puttin’ Down” keeps it hyphy reminding that you’ll drown if you can’t swim while “Lemme Go” featuring Mistah F.A.B. & Too $hort sees the 3 Bay vets aggressively declaring that they can’t be held back. “I’m Just Spazzin’ appropriately gets a glimpse of 40 spazzin’ over a futuristically bouncy instrumental while “It’s Complicated” goes into smoother turf asking what is it that people are hooked on something getting faded.

“Pressure” featuring Bosko throws it back to the 80s sonically looking to apply pressure while “Succaz” featuring Trae tha Truth explains that it’s dark, but it’s from the heart also over a solemn hyphy beat. “Get My Life Right” featuring YoungBoy Never Broke Again gives off a melodic trap tone looking to have their lives straightened out while “Stop Actin’ Like a Weirdo” needs no further explanation over a piano-driven instrumental.

The song “The Bay” is an off-the-wall club banger laced with the help of Hallway Productionz that you might as well leave up to him to murder while the penultimate track “Lovin’ Somebody” gets on the grown man tip from the soul-heavy production to the sensual themes. “Dose of Game” ends the album by admitting that this music feel as good as the old school stuff & telling those in need of advice to play the game for what it’s worth.

I think the last time I mainly enjoyed a new album from 40 was The Block Brochure series throughout my first half of high school, as everything else since had been average or subpar since. Needless to say: Rule of Thumb is a step in the right direction. Some spotty production & guests here & there, but it makes me happy to hear him let the features they only take up 34% of the LP so he can sound more focused than he did on some of his past recent material.

Score: 3/5

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Mount Westmore – “Snoop, Cube, 40, $hort” review

Mount Westmore is a California west coast supergroup consisting Snoop Dogg, Ice Cube, E-40 & Too $hort. Each member being veterans in their hometowns of Long Beach, Inglewood, Vallejo & Oakland respectively. We never heard all 4 of them on a track together until after they formed in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic & after releasing their full-length debut Bad MFs over the summer exclusively as an NFT, they’re finally putting it on streaming services 6 months later backed by MNRK Music Group & with some new cuts sprinkled into the mix.

“California” is a hyper opener produced by Rick Rock representing their home-state whereas the bouncy “Motto” lets everyone know what the maxim exactly is. “Big Subwoofer” blends hyphy with trap thanks to Kato dropping some braggadocio leading into “Too Big” pulling from snap music interestingly enough going back & forth with each other talking about just exactly how they prefer to do shit.

However with “Activated”, we have Mt. Westmore explaining that everything’s imitated rather than calculated over a g-funk instrumental just before “Have a Nice Day (Fuck You)” has a soulful boom bap quality provided by Fredwreck & Dem Jointz basically telling everyone to kiss their asses & I actually like the latter’s hook quite a bit although my only complaint is that the first verse he delivers was redundantly short. “Ghetto Gutter” brings back the hyphy courtesy of 40 Water’s son Droop-E with co-production from Ant Banks acknowledging that it’s how you come prior to the rubbery-synth-laced “Free Game” dropping precisely that.

“I Got Pull” returns to g-funk turf advising to ask your boss if you don’t know who they’re are while “Up & Down” comes through with my least favorite track on the album personally, as it happens to be an awkward ode to all the thick bitches out there. “Do My Best” picks things back up with a smoother ballad produced by Soopafly referring to themselves as champions while “Lace You Up” has a more peppy quality to the beat giving the listeners some advise.

Meanwhile with “Tribal”, all 4 of them talk about how it takes a village to raise the real ones over more hyphy production while the song “How Many” goes back to the g-funk spitting that gangsta shit. The penultimate track “On Camera” is an eerie trap cut feeling like that they’re being watched primarily because of how quick things tend to go around on social media these days & “Mash” is menacing closer getting quite mobbish.

I know some people were quick to write off the supergroup’s debut since it was initially released exclusively as an NFT back in June, but I knew they’d have to put it up on all streaming services at some point & I gotta admit that the material that we got out of it is pretty impressive. It’s interesting to hear how all 4 MCs’ unique deliveries mesh with one another & the production representing the state of California as a whole by blending g-funk with hyphy.

Score: 3.5/5

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Snoop Dogg – “B.o.D.R. (Bacc on Death Row)” review

Snoop Dogg is a 50 year old rapper, songwriter, media personality, actor, entrepreneur & WWE Hall of Famer from Long Beach, California that any hip hop head should be familiar with. His 1993 debut album Doggystyle is widely regarded as a west coast essential, but his output since has been hit or miss whether it be Tha Last Meal & Tha Blue Carpet Treatment almost reaching the same caliber of his debut or Da Game is to be Sold, Not to be Told & Bible of Love falling flat on their faces. The last we heard from Uncle Snoop was last 4/20 when he took it back to basics for From tha Streets 2 tha Suites but in light of his Super Bowl LVI halftime show performance this weekend & him purchasing Death Row Records from MNRK Music Group a couple days ago, he’s celebrating by dropping his 19th full-length album ahead of Mount Westmore’s debut in the winter.

“Still Smokin’” is a short but sweet g-funk opener produced by DJ Battlecat talking about being back up in this motherfucker whereas “Gun Smoke” follows it up with Hi-Tek mixing that vintage west coast sound with some trap undertones kicking it off top for nearly 2-minutes. “Coming Back” featuring October London has a bit of a Parliament-Funkadelic/Zapp influence to it continuing to elaborate on his return just before “Sandwich Bag” speaks on his hustler life over a stripped-back back beat from Bink!.

Meanwhile on “Conflicted”, we have Nas joining Snoop on top of a weary Hit-Boy instrumental pondering who’s against them if God’s for them leading into “Bad Bitch” which has a rubbery bass-line & pays tribute to all the bad bitches. “Doggystylin’” finds Soopafly works in some dramatic choir vocals flexing like the old days, but then “Crip Ya Enthusiasm” awkwardly samples the Curb Ya Enthusiasm” theme song with the help of DJ Green Lantern spitting that street life.

T.I. comes into the picture for the powerful “Gotta Keep Pushing” encouraging to move forward despite all setbacks while “House I Built” jumps on top of an spacious instrumental talking about doing shit his way. “Outside the Box” returns to the g-funk sound down to the Nate Dogg hook shouting out their Day Oners & as for “Jersey in the Rafters”, he & The Game go into boom bap turf thanks to Trevor Lawrence Jr. taking shots at those who say they lost it.

I like the chipmunk soul feel of “Pop Pop” even though DaBaby’s performances are just garish in comparison to Snoop’s, but then “Catch a Vibe” comes through with a cloudy summertime anthem. “It’s in the Air” finds Nottz weaving in some gospel influences as he & Uncle Murda detail the gangsta lives while the track “We Don’t Gotta Worry No More” with Wiz Khalifa mixes a vocal sample with some hi-hats provided by Don Cannon talking about the pain they come from. The final song “Get This Dick” of course serves as a forced sex tune with some R&B undertones & “Snoopy Don’t Go” ends the album with a melodic outro.

If anyone else enjoyed From tha Streets 2 tha Suites as much as I did, then you’re gonna love B.o.D.R. (Bacc on Death Row) just as much if not even more. Much like the previous album, it’s basically Snoop taking it all back to his roots except this time he’s really getting deeper in it. Looking forward to his halftime show performance this weekend.

Score: 4/5

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Snoop Dogg – “From tha Streets 2 tha Suites” review

This is the 18th full-length album from Long Beach icon & WWE Hall of Famer Snoop Dogg. His 1993 debut Doggystyle is widely regarded as a west coast essential, but his output since has been hit or miss whether it be Tha Last Meal & Tha Blue Carpet Treatment almost reaching the same caliber of his debut or Da Game is to be Sold, Not to be Told & Bible of Love falling flat on their faces. Uncle Snoop’s previous outing I Wanna Thank Me came out a couple summers ago & that was a decent listen but after dropping a small handful of singles throughout last year, it’s only right for one of hip hop’s notorious tokers to take listeners From tha Streets 2 tha Suites on stoners’ favorite holiday.

“CEO” jumps on a hyphy beat from Rick Rock as he shows off his longevity in the rap fame while the next song “Roaches in My Ashtray” returns to his g-funk roots with lyrics about getting high of course. “Gang Signs” taps in Mozzy to reminisce on their life as Bloods & Crips respectively over a spacious, bass-heavy instrumental prior to “Talk Dat Shit to Me” responding to Eminem’s jab on “Zeus” as he goes back on the g-funk tip with the help of DJ Battlecat.

As for “Sittin’ on Blades”, we dive into boom bap territory is as Snoop is singing from beginning to end with heavy talk-box usage à la Roger Troutman while “Say It Witcha Booty” is an awkward attempt at making a strip club theme. Larry June appears on “Get Your Bread Up” for a Bay Area-influence money anthem & Tha Eastsidaz make an unexpected return on “Fetty in the Bag” to talk about being amplified over some synths & hand-claps.

“Look Around” produced by Nottz gets taken straight from Tha Blue Carpet Treatment Mixtape back in 2006 & it still sounds as gangsta as it did 15 years ago when the world had initially heard it for the very 1st time until the closer “Left My Weed” featuring Devin the Dude comes off as a more seductive cut that I find myself reluctant towards in terms of it finishing the celebratory 4/20 offering.

Regardless of some older cuts making it feel more like a mixtape due to their resurging presence, this has gotta be the best Snoop Dogg album I’ve heard since Coolaid. I like the fact that he didn’t overload it like he did on I Wanna Thank Me & how it primarily takes listeners back to the g-funk sounds that skyrocketed him from an up-&-comer signing with Tha Row to the entrepreneur he has become in light of his 50th birthday in 6 months.

Score: 3.5/5

Ice Cube – “Everythang’s Corrupt” review

Ice Cube is a 49 year old MC, songwriter, actor, film producer, CubeVision founder & BIG3 founder from Los Angeles, California who started as a member of C.I.A. in 1984 & disbanded 3 years later after gaining limited commercial success. He then became a member of the iconic N.W.A, but left after the release of their infamous debut album Straight Outta Compton to focus on his solo career. He dropped a handful of albums in the 90’s with his first 2 AmeriKKKa’s Most Wanted & Death Certificate becoming West Coast essentials. But as the 2000’s came around, he began focusing on an acting career & his musical output was shortened. However, he’s coming back from an 8 year hiatus with his 10th full-length album.

After the Super OG intro, we go into the first song “Arrest the President”. It’s no surprise that he’s going at Donald Trump on here & despite his statements being valid, the mixing on here is ass. The track “Chase Down the Bully” talks about beating up Trump supporters over a thumping instrumental while the song “Don’t Bring Me No Bag” speaks out against snitches in the drug house over a mediocre trap beat.

“Bad Dope” sees Cube comparing himself to just that over a menacing instrumental while the song “On Them Pills” is talks down on the current drug trend over a nondescript instrumental. “Fire Water” contemplates how Cube is gonna die while the song “Streets Shed Tears” talks about his respect in the hood over a churchy instrumental

The track “Ain’t Got Haters” with Too $hort sees the 2 brushing off their naysayers over a smooth instrumental from DJ Pooh while the song “Can You Dig It?” talks about being old school referencing WWE Hall of Famer Mike Tyson over a funky Hallway Productionz beat. “That New Funkadelic” serves as a pretty solid sequel to “Bop Gun (1 Nation)” off his 4th album Lethal Injection back from 1993 while the song “1 for the Money” talks about why he’s still rapping over a piano & strings.

“Still in the Kitchen” talks about drug dealing over a chaotic beat from E-A-Ski while “Non Believers” reminds the listeners to bow down to him over a thunderous beat with a sitar. The title track touches down on the political system over a bustling rap rock instrumental from Fredwreck & “Good Cop Bad Cop” advises all of the officers who do their jobs correctly to stand up for those who abuse their badge over a somewhat funky beat with some triumphant horns.

It’s been a long 8 years & while it’s not perfect, it’s a solid comeback for the West Coast icon & certainly more of a consistent listen than his previous & worst LP I’m the West was. It’s the most lyrically conscious that I’ve heard him in a while addressing the current state of politics, society & culture even if I feel like the production could’ve been better at certain points.

Score: 3.5/5