Doggystyle

by Snoop Dogg

Overview

If Snoop Dogg's debut, Doggystyle, doesn't seem like a debut, it's because in many ways it's not. Snoop had already debuted as a featured rapper on Dr. Dre's 1992 album, The Chronic, rapping on half of the 16 tracks, including all the hit singles, so it wasn't like he was an unknown force when Doggystyle was released in late 1993. If anything, he was the biggest star in hip-hop, with legions of fans anxiously awaiting new material, and they were the ones who snapped up the album, making it the first debut album to enter the Billboard charts at number one. It wasn't like they were buying an unknown quantity. They knew that the album would essentially be the de facto sequel to The Chronic, providing another round of P-Funk-inspired grooves and languid gangsta and ganja tales, just like Dre's album. Which is exactly what Doggystyle is -- a continuation of The Chronic, with the same production, same aesthetic and themes, and same reliance on guest rappers. The miracle is, it's as good as that record. There are two keys to its success, one belonging to Dre, the other to Snoop. Dre realized that it wasn't time to push the limits of G-funk, and instead decided to deepen it musically, creating easy-rolling productions that have more layers than they appear. They're laid-back funky, continuing to resonate after many listens, but their greatest strength is that they never overshadow the laconic drawl of Snoop, who confirms that he's one of hip-hop's greatest vocal stylists with this record. Other gangsta rappers were all about aggression and anger -- even Dre, as a rapper, is as blunt as a thug -- but Snoop takes his time, playing with the flow of his words, giving his rhymes a nearly melodic eloquence. Compare his delivery to many guest rappers here: Nate Dogg, Kurupt, and Dat Nigga Daz are all good rappers, but they're good in a conventional sense, where Snoop is something special, with unpredictable turns of phrase, evocative imagery, and a distinctive, addictive flow. If Doggystyle doesn't surprise or offer anything that wasn't already on The Chronic, it nevertheless is the best showcase for Snoop's prodigious talents, not just because he's given the room to run wild, but because he knows what to do with that freedom and Dre presents it all with imagination and a narrative thrust. If it doesn't have the shock of the new, the way that The Chronic did, so be it: Over the years, the pervasive influence of that record and its countless ripoffs has dulled its innovations, so it doesn't have the shock of the new either. Now, Doggystyle and The Chronic stand proudly together as the twin pinnacles of West Coast G-funk hip-hop of the early '90s. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Product Details

Release Date:	03/28/2025
Label:	DRR/GAMMA.
UPC:	0762184090320

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Snoop Dogg   Primary Artist,Vocals,Lead Vocals,Spoken Word
Nanci Fletcher   Primary Artist,Featured Artist,Vocals,Vocals (Background)
Tha Dogg Pound   Primary Artist,Guest Artist,Featured Artist,Vocals
Dat Nigga Daz   Primary Artist,Featured Artist,Vocals
The Lady of Rage   Primary Artist,Guest Artist,Featured Artist,Vocals,Lead Vocals
Kurupt   Primary Artist,Featured Artist,Guest Artist
The D.O.C.   Primary Artist,Guest Artist,Featured Artist,Vocals
Warren G   Primary Artist,Guest Artist,Featured Artist,Spoken Word
RBX   Primary Artist,Guest Artist,Featured Artist
Nate Dogg   Primary Artist,Featured Artist,Guest Artist
Lil Malik   Primary Artist,Guest Artist,Featured Artist,Vocals
The Dramatics   Primary Artist,Guest Artist,Featured Artist,Vocals
Dr. Dre   Guest Artist,Vocals,Featured Artist
Lil Hershey Loc   Featured Artist
D.D.C.   Featured Artist
Jewel Usain   Featured Artist
Tony Green   Featured Artist,Vocals
Jewell   Vocals
George Clinton   Spoken Word

Technical Credits

Richard Finch   Composer
Suge Knight   Executive Producer
Calvin Broadus   Composer
Malik Edwards   Composer
Chicu Modu   Photography
Jamal Phillips   Composer
Hachidai Nakamura   Composer
Nathaniel Hale   Composer
David Spradley   Composer
Kimberly Holt   Artwork
Robin Allen   Composer
Ricardo Brown   Composer
Delmar Arnaud   Composer
Rokusuke Ei   Composer
Dan Winters   Photography
Snoop Dogg   Composer
Andre Young   Composer
Bernie Grundman   Mastering
Douglas Davis   Composer
Kurupt   Composer,Performer
Kimberly Brown   Project Coordinator
The Lady of Rage   Performer
Larry Blackmon   Composer
Bootsy Collins   Composer
Terry Lewis   Composer
The Dramatics   Performer
Ricky Walters   Composer
Chris "The Glove" Taylor   Mixing,Producer,Songwriter
Nate Dogg   Composer,Performer
George Clinton   Composer
Harry Wayne "K.C." Casey   Composer
Dat Nigga Daz   Composer,Performer
William Griffin   Composer
Tha Dogg Pound   Performer
James Harris III   Composer
Don Blackman   Composer
Garry Shider   Composer
Dr. Dre   Composer,Producer
Warren G   Composer,Performer
Richard "Dimples" Fields   Composer