It’s the D-O-Double G. Yes, after experimenting with his Jamaican roots and starting anew with a new stage name ‘Snoop Lion’, Snoop Dogg is finally back on the scene. With his classic name and classic flow, he has produced BUSH, a brand new addition to his timeless catalogue. It has been around 2 years since Snoop’s last offering Reincarnation was released, where Snoop went Lion and proved to his audience that he can deliver gold, no matter what genre he delves into. With help from Drake, Miley Cyrus, Rita Ora and many other names including his daughter, he managed to land a place in the top 40.
However, two years have passed since the Lion roared out and now Snoop has gone back to his original roots and let the ‘Dogg’ out. This album has been his first fully hip-hop album since the 2011 album Doggumentary, and he was planning to come back with a bang. He enlisted the help of a frequent collaborator and everyone’s favourite ‘Happy’ hit-maker Pharrell Williams. The first offering from the album was ‘Peaches N Cream’ featuring vocals from American soul vocalist Charlie Wilson, who also appears quite frequently uncredited throughout the album. The track is as funky as funky gets, with the classic Pharrell throwback edge and Snoop’s chilled out flow praising the ladies and their… behinds.
Does the album live up to the groovy hype the first single left? Yes, yes it does. The album consists of 10 tracks, short and sweet. It opens up with the summer breezy guitar tune ‘California Roll’ featuring the legend Stevie Wonder playing the harmonica and delivers harmonious backing vocals, as well as an appearance by Pharrell singing the hook: “Baby you could be a movie star, hey / get yourself a medical card, yeah / cause that’s how California rolls”
The album has a whole has many stand out tracks, such as the jamming ‘So Many Pros’, ‘I Knew That’ and ‘Run Away’ featuring icon Gwen Stefani. The album itself has a lot of big names on the record. As well as Pharrell and Charlie Wilson appearing frequently, there are also appearances from T.I., Rick Ross and the current hip-hop king Kendrick Lamar, who lays down a the classic word play he’s known for on ‘I’m Ya Dogg’ referencing various dog breeds “I got, Rottweiler in tube sock / Pitbull, lock on your neck, kiss it and you’ll die / Boxer, you take mine’s off then hallelujah”
The only fault that can be picked with this album is that the record can become a tad repetitive with the production side of things. That being said, Snoop is on top of his game with this record, a strong return to the hip-hop game and proving to his peers that the Dogg’s still got it.
Rating: 7/10
Words by Connor Brown