Snoop Dogg - No Limit Top Dogg

Snoop's second album for the No Limit label finds him in fine form--maybe the finest since Doggystyle. On Top Dogg, Snoop has taken control of his own album; in working with a number of producers (Dr. Dre, Ant Banks, Raphael Saadiq, DJ Quick, and the Beats by the Pound team), he takes the best each has to offer and forces them to play to his own strengths. Though there are a few gangsta tracks on Top Dogg ("My Heat Goes Boom," with its "boom boom boom" chorus, is one of the album's best), the strongest songs here are the ones on which Snoop gets creative. There are a pair of tributes to Slick Rick--"Snoopafella," a Cinderella story on which Snoop aces Rickey's flow, and "G Bedtime Stories," which opens with a little kid asking "Uncle Snoop Dogg" to read him a bedtime story--and a few tracks built around classic samples (of George Clinton's "Black Hole Theme," Earth, Wind & Fire's "Shining Star," and even Brick's "Dazz"). There may not be anything here as transcendent as "Gin and Juice," but that's a minor complaint; Top Dogg is Snoop's best album in years. --Randy Silver Amazon.com

Top Dogg 4eva - check out his homie Devin the Dude's Latest

if you love Snoop, check out his homie Devin the Dude Smoke Sessions, Vol. 1- track 3 getting high is something to smoke to - whoah - this is the first album of Devin's to hit the Billboard Charts - Congrats April 18, 2008

An Excellent Effort By Snoop Dogg, His Best Work Besides 'Doggystyle'

Snoop Dogg's catalog is not the most consistent (he has good, decent, and awful albums), but we can all agree that 'Doggystyle' is a good release. 'No Limit Top Dogg' is probably his best work besides that classic album, and despite being on No Limit, this doesn't contain the cheesy production of 'Da Game Is To Be Sold...'.

The raw, dark production on some tracks like 'Buck 'Em', '. In Love With A Thug', and the excellent single 'Down 4 My N's' (which brings back good memories of better times for me) are just what the doctor ordered, and the funky 'Snoopfella' is a top-notch return to form for Snoop. Most of the album is good, especially the laid back classic 'Gangsta Ride' and the creative 'Ghetto Symphony'. Even No Limit's goons do a great job as special guests here, and Dr. Dre provides production for tracks like 'B*tch Please' which features well-known guests Xzibit and Nate Dogg. Is this Snoop's best work? Possibly. His rhymes are great here, the beats are inspired, and even the guests are great (even though certain ones drag the album down a bit). Even if you lost faith in Snoop and someone skipped over this one, check it out. It's still worth bangin' today.
June 10, 2007

Solid 4th Album From Tha Doggfatha (4.25 stars)

As a proud owner of all Snoop's solos, 2 Eastsidaz albums and the 213 album from 2004, I can easily say this one is one of his better albums. The production on this album rocks with some dope latter day (1999) G-Funk from a bevy of dope producers. "Snoopafella" gets his story tellin' on over a sick Ant Banks (he rarely if ever dissapoints!) sampling "Dazz." "Gangsta Ride" feat Silkk The Shocker is a hot rider anthem over a bouncy Meech Wells westcoastin beat. DJ Quik heats up the boards with his melodic funk on "Buss'n Rocks" and the silky "Don't Tell" (f/ Mausberg, Nate Dogg, and Warren G). "My Heat Goes Boom" is a nice Gangsta track with Snoop kickin some real game. Snoop seems at ease and comfortable and his rhymes reflect that. A couple tracks are weak, such as the boring "Ghetto Symphony" with the No Limit homies and the overly slow "Somethin' Bout Yo Bidness," but Snoop makes up for them with tracks like the Dr. Dre banger "Just Dippin'" a nice way to bring the 2 back together over a nice laidback rider beat and the fast paced "20 Minutes" with Goldie Loc; both kick in some fast paced gangsta rhymes over a bouncy beat that could only come outta Long Beach; it was produced by Goldie Loc too. "I Love My Momma" is really self-explanatory with a nice older sounding G-Funk beat from Meech Wells. Overall, a good album by S.N. dubble O. P. May 5, 2007

Best since Doggystyle

In my opinion this is Snoop's second best album even today, behind you guessed it, Doggystyle. That said it isn't even close to being as good as Doggystyle, but it is still a good album and after Da Game... and the slightly dissapointing Doggfather this can be viewed as a comeback almost.

Da Game.... featured No Limit production and loads of appearances by No Limit rappers, and as a result was wack, both have been cut back here. Snoop must have put his foot down and asked to bring in his own producers for No Limit Top Dogg, including of course Dre, for the first time since Doggystyle. There are also less No Limit rappers (any is too many though) featured, but surprisingly few appearances by his old West Coast homies. Anyway best track is easily B*tch Please, which is a classic in any era, Snoop's verses are tight but Xzibit is really the star of this track, as he makes what was really his mainstream breakthrough. My other top tracks are Buck Em, Just Dippin (both Dre produced unsuprisingly), Betta Days, Down 4 my Nig*az and Trust Me. Snoop also displays his impressive storytelling abilities on Snoopafella, where he basically re-tells Cinderella from his perspective. Most of the other tracks are at least good, and the production for the most part is tight, though the album is not without filler (Gangsta Ride, In Love With A Thug).

Overall this is an impressive album from Snoop, yes it is not Doggystyle, I don't think there ever will be another one. People have the tendency to mark Snoop albums against Doggystyle, rather than on their own merit unfortunately though. I'd give it 4 stars, recommended. January 5, 2006

Brought the West Coast back!

B Please!

That's all I have to type to let you know how great and important this album in hip-hop was. I've since blasted Snoop for his waste of talent (and he is INCREDIBLY talented...let's not forget that!), but this CD is him and Master P actually working together to release a product that they were, no doubt, pleased with. It's good, but not the greatest thing since "Me Against the World." If you're looking for a solid Snoop album (pre his "Britney Spears years") this is one you need to add your repetoire! September 30, 2005

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