After 17 years in the game, Snoop has released his eleventh studio album Malice N Wonderland. One thing that fans will notice is that the MC often known for his G-Funk cool and swagger seems to be missing the laid back swag that Snoop has been known to bring to the game. Malice N Wonderland overall isn’t the sound that you would expect from a 17 year veteran in the game of Hip-Hop. Snoop Dogg, who is known for going against the grain, has seemed to bow down to mass appeal and radio hits with Malice N Wonderland.
It seems that instead of sticking with the formula of soul inspired gangsta beats mixed with the laid back flow that we have all grown to know and love, that he has decided to switch the style to harder beats and more “jerkin/swagtastic” tracks fit the trends and sounds of the younger generation.
You can bet that “I Wanna Rock,” which samples Rob Base and DJ E-Z Rock’s classic party joint “It Takes Two” and twists it into a modern Hip-Hop anthem, which seemed tailored especially for the well-known L.A. dance style, jerkin’, will be in heavy rotation. “I Wanna Rock “appears to be taking notes from the Doggystyle era by giving the new generation a Hip-Hop lesson by revisiting classic tracks.
The other hot joint that will be predominately played in Hip-Hop spots across America is the Dirty South inspired tracks “That’s Tha Homie,” which really seems like a reach for Snoop to keep tracks playing on the radio versus being creative. The high energy beat is cool, but it sounds like something that laid back MC would be featured on, not actually spit 16 bars over. His delivery was cool, but overall the track was reminiscent of “Turn My Swag On” by Soulja Boy minus the drawn out hook.
Normally when Snoop collaborates he seems to bring his A game, and with the R. Kelly R&B infused track “Pimpin’ Ain’t EZ,” it was no different. While R. Kelly’s over-intense delivery had me ready to hit skip, Snoop’s rhymes and beat production by Nottz make it somewhat hot.
The best track on the album which is somewhat reminiscent of the West Coast fire that once burned hot in 1994, is the track “Upside Down which features Problem and Nipsey Hussle with beat production from longtime producer Terrace Martin. This track is an absolute banger that will have every one from gangstas to gents bobbing their heads.
With versus like…
“Lil’ mamma trying to show the Dogg her G-string, while she sing it ain’t nuttin’ but a g thang/ Her man throwing up signs letting me know that he bang, like I really give a muthFawk what he claim./ You ni**a betta chill doggy, before I treat ‘em like an old Beyotch. menopause him. I’ll stop ya a*s right there and have the homies all up on your head like hair.”
it’s definitely reminiscent of the Snoop lyrical flow that made him an OG in the game.
Overall, although Snoop has been a trendsetter for many years, it seems that with this album he has finally decided to start following a few. Not that the album doesn’t have bangers, but it is far from the days of hard core lyrics, soulful and gangsta inspired beats (both during and post Dre) and amusing skits.
Long time Snoop Dizzle fans will be reluctant to hear what seems to be a younger twist on the same sound Snoop has had for the past few years. This album, creatively, is one Snoop’s weaker ones to date. He has been known for so many years as MC that can not only set trends and create slang, but make it cool to be a grown up gangsta’.
This album proved that even ice cold playas in the game sometime fall off. I hope with his next album he will stick to the creative and ever evolving style that we have grown to love
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