With the success that Snoop Dogg [click to read] has gained in the last decade and a half, he could easily walk away from the game now and be counted among other legendary rappers. Having said that, the Long Beach-native has plans to release his tenth solo album Malice In Wonderland later this year, and Bacc To Tha Chuuch Vol. 1 is its precursor. Similar to Welcome To Tha Chuuch: Tha Album [click to read], Snoop takes the opportunity to give his lesser constituents a taste of the limelight. Featuring Tha Twinz, Hustle Boyz, The Raw Doggz, and entirely produced by Niggerachi (Snoop Dogg and Terrace Martin, respectively), Bacc To Tha Chuuch provides the listener with a sound deeply rooted in the west coast, something Snoop has honed over the years.
Opening with “Action,” a G-Funk inspired melody that features Tha Twinz being the life of the party, Snoop goes on to complement their sentiment through the chorus; “When I walk up in the club, I be getting action / All the girls be on my nuts, they think they got action / When I pull up in my car, grape swisher sweet cigar / I’m a star so by far, I get crazy action.” Then on “Shut You Down,” The TC‘s make good with Snoop, flaunting their status as bona fide gangbangers. The strongest effort of the compilation though comes on “Don’t Bother Me.” With piano keys ringing out and driven by a heavy bass line, the Hustle Boyz recount their experiences on the left side while doing the beat justice.
Though Snoop has gone from the daily grind on the streets of Long Beach to lavish Hollywood nights, he still hasn’t forgotten his roots. On “Blue’d Up,” he pays homage to his set, while with “I Got Homiez,” Snoop makes it clear that if you’re loyal to the Doggfather, he can change your life. Bacc To Tha Chuuch isn’t all hood-certified material though, as evidenced by a handful of R&B jams. Flipping an Eddie Kendricks sample on “Makin’ Love,” Niggerachi lays a grooving melody down for singer Uncle Chucc to shine on. Similarly, “Bacc Seat Lovin'” has Chris Starr setting the tone for the Hustle Boyz, who provide play-by-play commentary from the back seat.
While at times Niggerachi hits the mark with a beat such as “6 A.M.” or the aforementioned “Don’t Bother Me,” more often than not their execution is passing at best. Take “Hip Hop Hogz” for instance, where the only noticeable trait it warrants is the boom of a bass line, and nothing else. Then on “We Be European,” Niggerachi play with a House-style sample and merely throw drums under the melody for a lukewarm reception.
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Given the circumstances that Bacc To Tha Chuuch Vol. 1 was a digitally-packaged compilation album, the quality from Snoop‘s crew isn’t up to par with previous releases, which indirectly represents his own success. Still, it’s nice to hear some new material from him since his last album, Ego Trippin’ [click to read], was released over a year ago. With that said, fans of Snoop Dogg shouldn’t lose sleep knowing they missed out on this project.
