Street life - it’s the only life he knows. Or at least that’s how it appears on Snoop Dogg’s eighth solo album, Tha Blue Carpet Treatment. Until now, it seemed like Long Beach’s favorite son has matured and mellowed more and more with each successive album. Well, that trend’s definitely reversed with Tha Blue Carpet Treatment. This is probably his most gangsta album since the late 1990s. And not coincidentally, it’s also one of his best.
King of the West?
Others may make more noise, but the truth is, when it comes to rap music, Snoop Dogg is king of the West Coast. Has been for well over a decade, and probably will be for the foreseeable future. But rather than constantly thump his chest in his rhymes like Jay-Z or some other top rappers, The D-O-Double G keeps it real by talking more about the world around him than himself.
Snoop’s always given props to the streets, but practically everything about this album, including its title and cover art, pay homage to the Crips. One obvious example is the anthemic “Gang Bangin’ 101,” in which the ex-Crip Snoop trades verses with Blood-affiliated The Game. Another case is the Neptunes-produced banger “10 Lil’ Crips,” a warning to wannabes to keep clear: “If your money is low, there’s only one way to go, jack a rapper at a local rap radio show/So mean, so clean crip back to the block, then brag to the homies, show ‘em what you got.”
Street Ties
More murder and mayhem are manifest on the songs “Crazy,” featuring Nate Dogg; “Vato,” featuring Cypress Hill’s B-Real; and a Dr. Dre-produced melancholy track called “Round Here.” So after mellowing for years, Snoop appears to be trying to prove he hasn’t gone Hollywood. And he does a good job of it; many of the songs are filled with the lyrical imagery that could only come from someone with close ties to the streets.
Food for Thought
Of the few non-street tracks, the salacious sex song “That’s That,” (featuring the always on-point R. Kelly) and “Imagine,” featuring (and produced by) Dr. Dre, are highlights. In fact, “Imagine” provides some of the album’s more poignant moments, as the reunited Snoop and Dre (along with singer D’Angelo on the hook) ask the listener to imagine what the world would have been like if hip-hop hadn’t existed.
An Overdose
There are a whopping 21 tracks on Tha Blue Carpet Treatment, and little more than halfway in, the album loses its strength somewhat. It gets bogged down not only by the volume of tracks, but also the number of guest appearances: 24 different guest artists appear on Blue Carpet, and unfortunately, the majority of these are entirely unnecessary. In fact, the appearances by several of the artists, especially West Coast rappers like E-40, Goldie Loc, MC Eiht and yes, even Ice Cube, are completely gratuitous.
Another drawback is the rampant misogyny of Snoop and his comrades, which gets monotonous and tiresome pretty quickly. After all, you can only call a woman a “b*tch” so many times before the term starts to lose its impact and power.
The Bottom Line on Blue Carpet Treatment
Despite its flaws, the high-quality outweighs the second-rate on Tha Blue Carpet Treatment, and Snoop shows that he hasn’t lost a step rhyme-wise. And his pen definitely hasn’t gotten sloppy.
Top Tracks from Tha Blue Carpet Treatment
- "Think About It"
- "Boss' Life"
- "Imagine"
- "I Need a Light"
- "Conversations"
