L-B-C!
Granted, Dr. Dre only produced three tracks on Tha Last Meal, but his influence is all over this record. The album's promising young producers -- Scott Storch, Jelly Roll, Meech Wells, Battlecat, and Soopafly -- all lay down Dre-like beats full of fat bass lines and cosmic synth that are just as effective, if not more inspired, than Dre's. Furthermore, half the songs feature Kokane's P-funkesque vocal hooks, one of the most important changes in Snoop's sound; as quirky as his voice might be, the old-school L.A. rapper brings soulful melody, a quality that only enhances itself on successive listens. In addition, the Doggfather lets the beats ride out a bit, sparsely ad-libbing rather than smothering them with rhymes and guest rappers -- another welcome decision. Yet calling this album a masterpiece is a bit erroneous. Master P lets Snoop do what he wants for the most part but does manage to include one blatant No Limit-flavored track, "Back Up Off Me." Also, Timbaland produces two tracks here -- "Snoop Dogg (What's My Name Pt. 2)" and "Set It Off" -- which are great songs, yet the beats are slightly inconsistent with the rest of the album. Overall though, these are minor flaws that do little to scar this otherwise impressive album. Tha Last Meal foreshadows a West Coast rap renaissance driven not so much by rappers but rather by a generation of young funk-obsessed producers weaned on The Chronic.
OVERALL RATING: 5/5
REVIEWED BY: LilŽJustice
ADDED: 2002-05-10
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