Long Beach, California rapper Snoop Dogg has dropped his new album The Algorithm. HipHopDX breaks down Snoop Dogg’s The Algorithm album.
Months after Snoop Dogg’s The Algorithm came out, Snoop was in the news for a business move. Move over, Snoop Dogg the cash cow, and welcome, Snoop Dogg the mogul. The legendary Long Beach rapper purchased Death Row Records just days before he performed at the Super Bowl.
This is rare air for Snoop. He’s always been one of the more famous rappers in history, someone who was polarizing early in his career, but soon became one of the most marketable and meme’d rappers of all time. After defeating a murder charge in 1993, he was known as the boogeyman and considered everything wrong with Black America and the culture it derives from. When he started making cooking videos with Martha Stewart over 20 years later, he became America’s most charming rap figure.
Snoop Dogg’s latest album, The Algorithm, thinks of him as a corporate creative executive like DJ Khaled has become. On those records, you have contemporary stars being matched together based on who would shoot up the stream charts. This time, Snoop does that, but with a bent for seniority.
Old friends drop by but don’t come correct. “Big Subwoofer” is a function of doddering old gangster rappers, E-40 and Too $hort phoning it in for a cash grab with Snoop. Nostalgia creeps into this album and often renders it a retirement party. Method Man and Redman show up on “Alright” to try and recapture their previous magic but fail to deliver. While it isn’t a bad song, it doesn’t aim to be anything but music for men who bought the Jay-Z Vol 2. Backstage video. On “New Oldie,” Usher sounds tired, like he wishes he was some place else.
The best song on this record is the Mary J. Blige-assisted “Diamond Life.” It’s a feel-good track that sounds like two old friends kicking it at a barbecue. “Go to War ” with Blxst sounds like standard music that belongs in a show like Bel-Air, but it isn’t significant enough to be anything more than soundtrack fodder. Blxst is a hometown hero, another Southern California bred artist but he and Snoop fail to muster up anything other than mediocrity. “Murder Music” is strong too, giving listeners a look at the new solemnness that has made Benny the Butcher a household name.
There need to be revitalizations of Hip Hop from legends but Def Jam and Snoop didn’t do the veterans justice. It’s telegraphed and boring. The marketing of Snoop Dogg joining the label is not as important as his legacy. Snoop has had success with albums like Neva Left, which prioritizes him as an arbiter of West Coast gangster rap – allowing him to be everyone’s OG and telling stories about his days as a gang member.
What this album could do well is give listeners some of Snoop’s traditional charisma to it, where every bar sounds like a Dolomite. Instead, The Algorithm is a passable album but not dynamic enough to be more than a footnote in one of the most unique careers in rap history.
Not sure where the reviewer got his info about E-40 being retired, but you couldn’t be more wrong. Do you idiots fact check at all before submitting articles and/or reviews or do you just say fuck it, just publish it. Gotdamn this site has turned to trash.
RIGHT!
This review is to be expected, if it’s not glossy music that sounds identical to everything else put out they don’t want to hear it. Legends never die, new rappers die out as soon as they get put on
I really enjoyed this album. Snoop is a legend.
How old is the person who wrote this review? What are his credentials?? This is literally the worst music review I’ve ever read. Trent needs to stop letting interns get next to keyboards unsupervised.
Like Jim jones says…. Who’s encharge of this ridiculous review, who wrote this?Show some respect for the O.G
Jayson Buford is who wrote this review btw- and I actually agree with the album rating but the stupid insults he added in show he is way out of touch. E40 is “coming out of retirement for a cash grab”?? Mfer drops albums literally every year in addition to his liquor and food companies.. oh and also being featured on every fucking album that comes out. What a weirdo- you guys let 10 year olds write reviews now?
I didn’t like the album but this dude has terrible arguments against it. Many times I have read reviews that actually praise the music, at times saying that tracks were brilliant but then criticize for not having enough women or some other non-music related reasons. Also, this album came out months ago. I’m not disappointed that it took so long to get a review, but I am disappointed that they don’t let more albums breathe before they get reviewed. This site just goes with whatever the most popular opinions are online without actually listening to and judging the music itself.
To be fair I like his newest album “Back on Death Row” more than this compilation here. The review is still trash though.
Fire the reviewer. Str fire.
With the rights and unreleased Death Row material, we were able to get Nate Dogg and beats that makes this album a good project.
It’s almost time to wonder if snoop is heavily overrated. Like 12 albums all are trash besides 2 singles on each. Has maybe 3 good albums.. he’s made a whole career off nothing but a g thang.
wack asf
Lol this album is ⛽⛽⛽⛽