Various Artists - Suge Knight Represents: Chronic 2000

When labels get desperate (3 and 1/2 stars)

After Tupac died and Snoop left Deathrow, most people thought it was over for the record label. In 1999 they dropped this album. The thing is they have these two clones by the name of The Realest and Topp Dogg who kind of make listening to this album somewhat difficult. Top Dogg is a Snoop clone without the swagger and soul of Snoop Dogg. The Realest is the most dispicable Pac clone there is. I almost fell for his impression until I realized that he had a problem rapping on beat(something Pac never had a problem with). Despite these flaws the album is not that bad. Disc 1: Chronic 2000 feat Treach is okay. It has some female rapper by the name of VK who sounds like a cross between Yukmouth and The Lady Of Rage. Who Do You Believe In is that vintage 2pac track that brings you back to the 2pacalypse Now days. I Thought You Knew feat Mac-Shawn, E-40 and Daz Dillinger is tight. Mac-Shawn and Daz also shows up on It Goin Down also feat The Realest. Swoop G takes a shot at Snoop Dogg on Dont Forget Where You Came From. Soopafly's Like It Or Not is cool. Easy To Be A Soldier When There Aint No War features The Realest, Swoop G and Lil C-Style dissing Snoop and No Limit. Top Dogg's We Dont Love Em is passable because of the dope beat by DJ Quik and The Dogg Pound saved the track Because Of You Girl also featuring The Realest. The flaws of Disc 1: I hate Gotta Love Gangsta's feat Scarface and Richie Rich(both of there verses were tight) The Realest's Pac biting makes this song unbearrable. Top Dogg Cindafella is boring. Stand Strong has nice vocals by Danny Boy and Jewell but once again Tha Realest pac impersonation is almost painful to listen too. I almost threw up when I heard Stand Strong. Disc 2: Daz's Roll Wit Us is tight. 2pac's Late Night feat Kadafi and Fatal Hussein is a classic. Og To Bg by The Dogg Pound feat Soopafly is a vintage Dogg Poun track that reminds you of the Dogg Food days. Michel'le's Wanna Be Loved feat VK is not bad and Ride Or Get Rode On by Bad Habitz is dope. Flaws of Disc 2: Drinks On Me by Ant Banks and Captain Save'em is garbage. They Wanna Be Like Us is laughable because it features Tha Realest and Top Dogg blasting wannabes(LOL). Im Comin Home by Tha Realest is just as painful to listen to as Stand Strong. Im Country by Doobie is so wack its funny. Presenting Miilkbone by Miilkbone is a wack diss record aimed at Eminem with a beat that sounds like My Name Is jazzed up. Vk's The Things Your Man Wont Do is a story about Vk finding out her man is gay but the song fails miserably. Now What by Capricorn has a nice beat but Capricorn cant rap. Mr Officer by Michel'le, Captain Save'em and El Dorado is wack but its the last song so its excusable. In closing Chronic 2000 is not a bad double CD even though the clones might get on your nerves and the vast amounts of filler make it a chore to listen too. Its still one of the better Deathrow releases. Standout Tracks on Disc 1: CHRONIC 2000, WHO DO YOU BELIEVE IN, I THOUGHT YOU KNEW, ITS GOIN DOWN, DONT FORGET WHERE YOU CAME FROM, EASY TO BE A SOLDIER WHEN THERE AINT NO WAR, BEAUTIFUL LADY and BECAUSE OF YOU GIRL. Standouts on Disc 2: ROLL WIT US, LATE NIGHT, OG TO BG, WANNA BE LOVED and RIDE OR GET RODE ON. March 12, 2008

So-so.. 3.5 stars

Was trying to get my hands on this one for a while and when I finally did, I was kinda disappointed. Mainly because I was expecting two discs of nothing but gangsta rap. However, this cd has a few R&B tracks, which can't be helped because this cd is really about Suge putting out his soldiers from the Deathrow roster, which includes a few R&b artists.

Yes, there are two rappers on Deathrow called Tha Realist, who sounds exactly like a robotic version of the late Tupac, and Topp Dogg, who take a wild guess, sounds almost exactly like Snoop Dogg lol. I would be mad at Suge for this but, I find that both these rappers are actually not that bad on the mic. It's too bad that Crooked I ain't on here, as he hadn't yet joined Death Row.

I would recommend this to hardcore fans of Deathrow, otherwise pick up "Too Gangsta For Radio Instead".

December 10, 2007

3.5 Stars

Now first off yes i do agree most of the rappers brought in to do this project are fake and Tha Realest does sound alot like Pac but thats not what im rating this by, i'm rating just by how good it is atleast in my mind but overall this actually isnt that bad of a cd although Death Row is dead and buried right now and are just trying to sign anybody to try and build their name back up(i.e. Petey Pablo) but this is the last release from ThaRow that you should have anything else is just garbage. June 26, 2005

Your NOT 2Pac, Your NOT Snoop

Tha row has always had great rappers come and go, but what happens when they run out of rappers? Hmmmm..... get fakes that think they are the original great death row rappers. Enter Tha Realest and Top Dogg. Neither of them are Pac or Snoop, but both sound exactly like them. Tha Realest even looks a lot like Pac (haven't seen Top Dogg). Then Top Dogg decides since he can't write his own rhymes (**he thinks hes Puff too**) he'll just try to copy one of Snoop's songs. Why not? He took everything else. I'm not sayin these rappers don't have skills, maybe they do, but, if you can help it, dont try to sound like legends in tha game is what I say, ok? I can't say that that's not there natural voice, but if it isnt, I got no respect for em. I just wanna know why they didnt throw Guerilla Black in the mix. What the hell? He claims west too. January 8, 2005

Great Death Row compilation - 4.5 stars

Three years after he lost every big name on his label, Suge Knight seems to have found new inmates to run the west coast. With artists like Crooked I, Tha Realest, Swoop G, & Top Dogg as the main artists on here, although some may never have heard of them - it is still a great album. Production is top notch as you'd exprect from Death Row, and the guests are top notch as well. Has a few R&B songs on here but some gangsta sh*+ too as well as great disses that tha Row always has. As for the other reviewer, Tha Realest has been around since at least 1996 (check the Gang Related soundtrack he's listed as Tenkamenin) and is not an imposter (he can't help his voice sounds like 2Pac) and for Top Dogg - yes he is an imposter but still a good rapper. A must have rap album for fans of rap.

DISC 1
#1 - 7.5 (VK f/ Treach)
#2 - 8.5 (Tha Realest, Richie Rich, Scarface)
#3 - 9.5 (great song by: Top Dogg - almost the same song as Snoop's "Top Dogg Cindafella" off his "No Limit Top Dogg' album - definitely made to try and piss off Snoop)
#4 - 8 (2Pac {R.I.P.} f/ Kadafi {R.I.P.} - also put on 2Pac's "Better Dayz" album)
#5 - 7.5 (e-40, Mac-Shawn f/ Daz Dillinger)
#6 - 4 (VK)
#7 - 7 (Mac-Shawn, Daz Dillinger, Tha Realest)
#8 - 9.5 (great song by: Swoop G - dissin' Snoop Dogg)
#9 - 10 (classic dis song by: Tha Realest, Swoop G, Lil C-Style (also the same verse he has on Swoop G's 1998 album from the song "Bustas" - disses Snoop Dogg, No Limit, Master P, Tha Dogg Pound)
#10 - 10 (Classic by Soopafly)
#11 - 3 (Danny Boy & K-Ci)
#12 - 6 (Tha Realest, Danny Boy, Jewell)
#13 - 9.5 (great song by Top Dogg)
#14 - 7.5 (Daz Dillinger, Kurupt (Tha Dogg Pound), Tha Realest)

DISC 2
#1 - 8.5 (Daz Dillinger f/ Kevin KV Varnado)
#2 - 9.5 (great song by: Ant BAnks & Captain Save Em)
#3 - 8 (2Pac {R.I.P.} f/ Kadafi {R.I.P.} & Hussein Fatal - also put on Pac's "Better Dayz" album)
#4 - 9 (Tha Realest, Doobie, Top Dogg - about how other labels are trying to imitate Death Row)
#5 - 9 (laid back song by Tha Dogg Pound (Daz & Kurupt) & Soopafly)
#7 - 4 (Michel'le & VK)
#8 - 7 (Realest & jewell)
#9 - 8 (doobie)
#10 - 8.5 (Millkbone f/ Naji - dissin' eminem - has Ice Cube's "I Ain't Tha 1" beat)
#11 - 7 (VK - great beat)
#12 - 4 (Capricorn)
#13 - 8 (bad Habitz)
#14 - 8 (Michel'le, Captain Save Em & El Dorado)

check all my reviews November 19, 2004

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