Reader Review: Tha Eastsidaz - Snoop Dogg Presents Tha Eastsidaz (February 1, 2000)

(For today’s Reader Review, we return to the West Coast with BrianL, who gives his thoughts (and uses all of the words) on the first album from Snoop Dogg’s group Tha Eastsidaz, the creatively-titled Snoop Dogg Presents Tha Eastsidaz. This also happened to be the first project released by Snoop’s own label, which was called Dogghouse Records at the time. Leave your thoughts for BrianL below.)

In the halcyon days of 1999, beloved hip hop icon Snoop Dogg found himself at a momentous crossroads in his rather bumpy career as a rapper. His tenure at Master P’s No Limit Records, where he had happily and thankfully fled to after being released from Suge Knight’s Death Row Records, was nearly at its end with only one album left to go in his contract, and he envisioned himself as the CEO of his own label, specifically in the fashion of both his former mentor, the producer/rapper Dr. Dre, and his then-current boss. He’d already played that role during his last few years at Death Row, where he was gifted his own vanity imprint, Doggystyle Records, but now he wanted a build a label of his own from scratch. Tainted as he was by his tenure in the South, of which critics had not been very kind, it was important to him that its output be West Coast to the fullest.

So in Snoop Dogg founded Dogghouse Records (the name Doggystyle was still owned by Suge Knight at the time and would not become available for him to use independently for a few more years) and looked into signing a bunch of artists. Quite a few takers happened to be previous associates of Snoop, confident that they would thrive due to affiliation, if not because of his leadership. Others weren’t interested in joining the fledgling label, but were perfectly content to hanging out with the crew (and get paid for it, one would imagine). The list of artists Snoop got to sign was impressive enough, including several of his Death Row labelmates and hangers-on such as Soopafly, Tray Deee, Bad Azz, Butch Cassidy and CPO, plus a few who had joined forces with others to form group acts (RBX with CPO as The Dogghouse Heavyweights; Daz and Kurupt as DPG); some affiliates from back in the day in Lil’ 1/2 Dead and Kokane; as well as new acts in LaToiya Williams, Goldie Loc and Doggy’s Angels. In addition to all of that, the likes of Xzibit, Warren G., Suga Free, and The Lady of Rage were a phone call away, Dr. Dre could be persuaded to chip in now and then, and Snoop had both the clout and the financial resources to purchase whatever other writing and/or production assistance he required.

In order to introduce this new label powerhouse to the masses, Snoop decided to form a trio alongside two of his artists: his old homey from back in the day, Tray Deee, and newbie Goldie Loc. Of the two, Tray Deee was the known quantity, having appeared on several Death Row Records projects: Goldie Loc was the relative unknown. However, Snoop counting himself as a member of the group was the move of a corporate player trying to stack the deck. Calling themselves Tha Eastsidaz, their aim was to set the perfect tone for what Dogghouse Records was supposed to be about: funked-out, hard-hitting gangsta party music, with any and all similarities to Dr. Dre’s The Chronic likely intentional.

Not showing too much originality, Snoop released the group’s self-titled debut, Snoop Dogg Presents Tha Eastsidaz, in February of 2000. As tends to happen when a rapper tries to play the part of label head, Dogghouse Records fell apart fairly quickly, mostly because Snoop happened to be just plain bad at looking out for any artist other than himself. But that’s a story for another time. His failures as a CEO are perceptible in the creative decisions made during the conception, production, and release of this album, beginning with the mere fact that Tha Eastsidaz had not been properly introduced to the mainstream before the first single from Snoop Dogg Presents Tha Eastsidaz was released. (They would appear later on Snoop's own hit single "Lay Low", but that was after this project had already been sitting on store shelves for the majority of 2000.) We’ll encounter many more as we proceed.

Let’s have a look at what this album (a favorite of many a Snoop fan, I should add) is like.

1. INTRO 2 INDO (FEAT. DR. DRE)

Wow, Dr. Dre found Snoop’s side project worthy enough to make an appearance? Yes he did, and that’s about it, because this is a very short intro in which he smokes a bit with Snoop and they each speak about three words each. The most notable aspect here is the included excerpt of “The Gangsta In Me”, a track from what would be Dogghouse’s second release, Pleezbaleevit! by the Doggy’s Angels, performed by LaToiya Williams. Who has a great voice, I should add. Did I mention Snoop’s multiple ill-advised creative decisions during my introduction? Here’s the first: not including two of your main acts on the album/compilation that is essentially your label sampler. That’s right, neither the Angels nor Miss Williams properly appear on Snoop Dogg Presents Tha Eastsidaz. The second? Crediting Dr. Dre with a guest appearance, which presumably attracted buyers, but likely left many of them pissed off from the get-go.

2. NOW WE LAY ‘EM DOWN (FEAT. KOKANE)

The first actual song sets the mood perfectly  ̶  Meech Wells’ beat is extremely funky and supremely West Coast. Snoop leads off lackadaisically but effectively, passing the mic to his associates who spit hungrily (and fairly lyrically) about machismo and gang violence, a description that more or less sums up the entire album. Kokane is not actually credited on here, marking another bizarre marketing decision, but he appears all over this track and adds a lot to the proceedings with his Funkadelic interpolations. This song is “so high you can’t get over it”, “so low you can’t get under it”, and “colder than penguin pussy and seal dick”, indeed.

3. THA EASTSIDAZ

I’ve always seriously disliked this one, despite it being produced by Meech Wells (with an assist from Def Jef), whose work I tend to appreciate (see: “Now We Lay ‘Em Down”). Why? It starts with Goldie shocking you by immediately growling in your ear, and it only grows more boring from there on. Thankfully, it’s fairly short, but as this is the first track where Snoop doesn’t appear to back up his teammates, this is worrisome.

4. DOGGHOUSE (FEAT. RAPPIN’ 4-TAY & THE TWINZ)

Ah, a song called “Dogghouse” on an album meant to introduce the eponymous label. Obviously this is a posse cut that features some of the label’s artists and was released as a single, right? Wrong on both counts. Funky and laidback though Goldie Loc’s beat is, I doubt it would have worked well as a single, so fair enough. But why on earth are Tha Eastsidaz accompanied by guests who weren’t part of their label? Why? Rappin’ 4-Tay and the Twinz (actually going by their ill-advised latter-day alias Tha Loccs here, but fuck that) all do well enough, but that song title sets expectations that are nowhere near met. All three Eastsidaz sound great on here and this song sounds good overall, but the executive decisions on display here, seriously?

5. GIVE IT 2 ‘EM DOGG (FEAT. BUGSY SEIGAL)

I hate it when rappers shout. I hate it when rappers open a track by immediately spitting a verse before the beat comes in. And I especially despise it when this happens simultaneously. So you can probably guess how much I appreciate Goldie immediately barking at me, again, but this time in an even louder volume. What follows is another slow and boring jam that sounds a lot like “Tha Eastsidaz” did, although Goldie Loc produces this time around, aided by guest Bugsy Seigal who, I guess, does hook duty here? I can’t really tell since Snoop appears to take over for him immediately. Did Meech Wells and Goldie Loc each decide to do a pleasant, funky beat first and an unimaginative, boring-as-hell one co-produced by someone else immediately afterwards? Did Snoop not want either of them to shine that much after having produced a good track? Inquiring minds would have wanted to know if they cared enough.

6. GOT BEEF (FEAT. JAYO FELONY & SYLK E. FYNE)

At least we end up back on the “good song” side of the net with “Got Beef”, which I believe was also the second single from Snoop Dogg Presents Tha Eastsidaz. So, how about another one of those bad marketing decisions? Neither of the guests here were actually signed to the label, so we would have had another “Dogghouse” situation here, had the single edit not course-corrected by replacing Sylk with Goldie Loc. Yes, that’s correct, Goldie Loc doesn't appear on the album version of the second single. Sylk E. Fyne adds nothing of note to the proceedings while Goldie’s appended verse was much better, so it could have only helped the cause. Having James Savage (a much better rap name than Jayo Felony) spit the first verse on the single when neither he nor the non-Snoop Eastsidaz were well-known artists seems a bit questionable to me. Stupid hook aside, producer L.T. Hutton delivers and, save for Sylk’s, the verses are good too. Including Jayo’s. I think the guy has skills, sue me. One last note: Tray Deee’s line, “See my name is just like a dick in yo mouth / so watch the way you’re on my nuts when you’re spitting it out,” never fails to amuse me.

7. REAL TALK (INTERLUDE)

Skip.

8. BALLS OF STEEL

It may yet another weird decision for Snoop to have a solo song here (just add it to the pile), but damned it if it isn’t a good one: his confident flow is on point as he effortlessly flexes over Battlecat’s smooth, funked-out beat. There’s no hook here, as Tha Doggfather keeps spitting to great effect. The lyrics consist of the usual ridiculous machismo, but what else were you expecting from Snoop?

9. NIGGA 4 LIFE (FEAT. BAD AZZ)

Holy fuck, now we’re talking. Over the fastest instrumental on the project so far (courtesy of Blaqthoven) guest Bad Azz opens the track by dropping a great verse, in terms of both lyricism and delivery, and Goldie and Tray each follow suit, taking no prisoners. “We love Martin Luther King but respectin’ Malcolm / ‘Cause he didn’t give a fuck about the outcome!” might be the best bar here. The only downside is Snoop’s hook, but I can look past that.

10. G’D UP (FEAT. BUTCH CASSIDY)

The first single, produced by Battlecat, puts us back into slow jam territory. Luckily, this song fares much better than the album’s first two treks, but I’ve still never really liked this track. Judging from forums and the like, D.P.G.C. fans seem to love this track to death, but I personally don’t see it as anything beyond “okay”. All three Eastsidaz get a chance to shine and tell us how tough they are, both individually and as a collective, while Butch Cassidy performs the bridge. His vocals contrast nicely with the gravely rhymes of Tray and Goldie, and they fit the beat well enough, but it’s all a bit superfluous. His better-known cousin Nate Dogg would have been a far better choice in this instance, I’m sure. All in all, I wouldn’t have picked this as the single, but what do I know? It apparently inspired lots of nostalgic West Coast fans as this album sold pretty well, and I suppose I can see how “G’d Up” was effective in providing some musical TLC to those folks.

11. ANOTHER DAY (FEAT. BUTCH CASSIDY)

Producer Jelly Roll pops in with his contribution to this project and, lo and behold, it’s another slow jam with a fairly nondescript instrumental. This is strange, since whether you like Jelly Roll or not, the man usually brings bounciness and creativity to the table. I would have appreciated bold experimentation over this paint-by-the-numbers concoction. The same goes for Tray Deee and Goldie Loc, who add nothing of note here, no matter how technically proficient their rapping is. Butch Cassidy’s apathetically delivered hook includes the line, “I sleep with my gun, my problems weigh a ton,” which describes gangsta rap distilled to its barest essentials. This track is too uninspired to be considered generic.

12. THA MAC TEN COMMANDMENTS (SKIT) (FEAT. MAC MINISTA)

Please, gangsta rappers, do not attempt to make “humorous” skits. Thank you.

13. GHETTO (FEATT. KAM, KOKANE. & NATE DOGG)

Battlecat shows up again to produce, yep, you guessed it, a slow jam. However, that’s what the man excels at (in my world, at least), so this is the type of track he’s capable of knocking out of the park. He doesn’t quite manage to do so on “Ghetto”, but this was entertaining enough. KAM is always a treat to hear, as few spit as confidently as he does, and each Eastsida sounds fine, even if Goldie Loc nearly overdoes his sorta-shouting halfway through his contribution. Kokane is something of an acquired taste: if you don’t like him, his lengthy hook (and especially his outro) will be grating to your ears, I’m afraid, but I think he’s effective enough. Oh, Nate Dogg appears on here too? Yes, but you might easily miss him as he’s relegated to back-up hook duties here, adding nothing more than the song’s own title. Yet another weird (and somewhat misleading) marketing decision.

14. BIG BANG THEORY (FEAT. KURUPT, PINKY, CPO, & XZIBIT)

In which a bunch of hardcore West Coast gangsta rappers gather to discuss the theoretical foundation, actual properties, and wide range of implications raised by the Big Bang Theory. Which is a lie: as was to be expected, the “banging” discussed here is the “gang-“ variety, and the execution of such differs in no appreciable way from all the examples of same that happened on the previous tracks. However, in common with the actual Big Bang Theory referenced, this song does make me ponder all sorts of philosophical questions:

- As this track is clearly meant to be a ‘banger’ in execution as well as in name, why is it produced by Warren G., who is mostly known for producing smooth, laidback G-funk? While he manages to deliver something close to what the job description requires, the beat is definitely missing some oomph.

- Why invite Xzibit, someone who tends to do very well on this type of track, to only have him deliver an awkward hook, something he is not known for at all?

- Why is there only one Eastsida rapping on what is supposed to be a posse cut from their own album? What’s more, Tray Deee’s verse comes last of the four. (Technically Snoop appears too, but his contribution is limited to a single line of the hook.)

- As a direct consequence of the former two conundrums, why was Goldie Loc or even Xzibit overlooked in favor of a verse from the no-name Pinky? The mind boggles.

- Why does Kurupt sound focused and effective here? Were there actual freaky physics involved in the production of this track, allowing the Kurupt from 1995 to drop a verse?

- Perhaps that tear in the fabric of the space-time continuum also explains CPO’s appearance? Sorry, that’s just mean  ̶  the man continued to do occasional appearances throughout the 2000s, and I’d have liked him to do more.

“Big Bang Theory” in general though? Well, this isn’t bad at all, enigmatic choices aside. All of the rappers (except Pinky) deliver on their verses and there’s enough heat here for it to succeed.

15. BE THANKFUL (FEAT. WARREN G., KAM, & PRETTY TONY)

Hey! A Warren G. feature. So we must also have another Warren G. production, right? Nope! Nothing of the sort: this one is once again handled by Battlecat. Why anyone would ask Warren drop a verse when you aren’t more or less strong-armed or guilt-tripped into it by him already having produced your song is a mystery for the ages, but here we are. As expected, Mr. Griffin sounds like his usual nice-guy self as he tells us about everything he’s thankful for, which by itself makes for a welcome change to the hardcore boasts and threats we’ve been exposed to so far. KAM and Tha Eastsidaz do the same, but better, as hey, they’re actually really good at this rapping stuff. That being said, this is yet another slow-paced number that quickly grows boring, one which isn’t offset by the appearance of Snoop’s brother Pretty Tony who, judging from his contribution here, has about half of his skills and none of his charisma. Brother Bore’s hook is annoying, too. Is this one bad? I can’t say it is, but overall I’m very meh about it.

16. HOW YOU LIVIN’ (FEAT. BUTCH CASSIDY)

Snoop having two solo efforts on a project that’s ostensibly meant to introduce his partners-in-rhyme to the masses is questionable, but like “Balls of Steel,” this one is just a good song. It appears the mere presence of Tray Deee and Goldie Loc has inspired Snoop not to fool around with his lyrics and delivery, which is always a win, as is most any appearance of his fictional radio station WBALLS, with Xzibit and an unknown woman going by the name of “Seelow” (I guess?) calling in this time around. (Her contribution is completely ignored on every lyric transcription site.) Butch Cassidy is on hook duty again, but adds little of note.

17. TAKE IT BACK TO ’85 (FEAT. KURUPT & BUTCH CASSIDY)

Producer/rapper/singer Soopafly was another Dogghouse signee who wasn’t offered the opportunity to grace this album with a rapping or singing appearance (bad marketing decision? *makes checkmark motion in the air*), but luckily he was at least able to get one of his beats on here for what ended up being “Take It Back to ’85”). Surprisingly, given that he’s better known for slick and creative G-funk, he delivers an old-school throwback, which is just as well because, I mean, just look at the song title. Snoop, Kurupt, and Butch Cassidy (neither Goldie Loc nor Tray Deee have anything to do with this one) reminisce about their lives back in 1985 with absolutely zero embellishment, untruthful braggadocio, or unlikely achievements inserted for good measure, no, really, you can trust these guys. Let’s just say there’s no discussion of teenage angst or pimples on here  ̶  the closest we get is Kurupt more or less admitting to having once been lovesick, which may have been what eventually caused his infamous “bitch bitch make me rich” lyrics and mindstate. A nice, fairly up-tempo track that everyone involved seemingly had fun recording.

18. THA G IN DEEE

Have I mentioned yet I tend to appreciate Meech Wells’ production work? This track is further proof as to why. As implied in the title, this is a near-solo effort for Tray Deee (don’t worry, Snoop is around to hold his hand by performing the hook) and he shines, so much so that his verses could appear in an educational video about the art of rapping. That’s if you focus on his delivery and voice, anyway  ̶  the actual lyrical content would earn him a spot on a list of possible violent sex offenders (or a spot in the Trump administration) instead.

19. MAC BIBLE: CHAPTER 2:11 VERSE 187 (SKIT)

Gangsta rappers still shouldn’t try to record humorous skits.

20. PUSSY SELLS (FEAT. SUGA FREE)

In recent years I have grown more sensitive and troubled by the misogyny prevalent in hip hop, as a result I’ve become more and more uncomfortable with guest star Suga Free, whose entire rapping avatar (and, more importantly, his possible real life persona) is that of a violent pimp. Skills-wise, however, I believe the man is one of the most entertaining and capable emcees out, even if he’s unlikely to show up on many lists as such. On top of that, the man’s bars (when decipherable, which is not always a given) are often very funny to boot, making the filth palatable. I still haven’t decided where I stand on this, but I’d be lying if I didn’t say that his opening line, “Ho must have said, ‘ Suga Free, wash your hands’ / I said, ‘bitch, my name is Suga Free, I wash my hands before I touch my dick!” crack me up. It’s quite obvious that Suga Free’s (indirect) fingerprints are all over this track, with the song title and subject matter (pimping, how did you guess?) only being the most obvious examples. Taking his lead, all of the Eastsidaz spit fast and dynamically while heaping on the misogyny even thicker than throughout the rest of the album combined. Snoop and Goldie even manage to mimic Suga Free’s demeanor by making their verses halfway humorous. Tray Deee, however, doesn’t add anything to soften his lyrical aggression against women, leaving only vile menace that seriously distracts from the entertainment value. Producer L.T. Hutton’s addition of countless bells to his instrumental here is either a nice touch or corny as hell, take your pick.

21. LBC THANG (FEAT. BUTCH CASSIDY)

No. You can’t go around wishing gang culture didn’t exist when you have just glorified it for the length of an entire album, hypocrites. Battlecat can give you a nice beat, Butch Cassidy can sound as smooth as he can manage, and you three can all put some effort into your lyrics and delivery, Eastsidaz, but that shit does not fly with me.

22. LIFE GOES ON (FEAT. KOKANE)

Another Snoop solo (not counting Kokane’s simple-but-effective hook), this time performed over a Meech Wells instrumental, one that deals with deceased friends and family members (some of whom could have still been with us had they not been directly or indirectly a part of the lifestyle promoted throughout this album). My earlier remarks about Snoop meaning business on his solo efforts here still apply. A nice way to end the album.

FINAL THOUGHTS: As was likely obvious when looking at the tracklist and checking the word count of this very review, Snoop Dogg Presents Tha Eastsidaz is far too long (as are most Snoop Dogg albums, really). And like most Snoop Dogg albums (and I’ll count this one as such, as it is pretty obvious who was in charge here), it’s also uneven. Rabid D.P.G.C. fanatics will tell you this album is great and fantastic and all that, but I’d say that it struggles under its own weight, and needlessly at that, since half of its content could have been trimmed to leave us with a tighter and much more entertaining project. A definite strength of this album is the delivery of its hosts: Goldie Loc and Tray Deee are highly skilled rappers who can usually either keep pace with or outshine their guests. Snoop, too, shines when inspired to prove to the listener what it is he’s made of, which his fellow Eastsidaz consistently manage to do. And yet there are only so many ways to rap about gangbanging and sex: just about any verse here could easily have been shifted from one track to another and it would not have made a difference at all. Clearly, the album’s many, many guests help to keep things varied, but that only makes it difficult for the hosts to stand out on their own album, especially considering that there are multiple tracks on which at least one of the three Eastsidaz fails to appear, which leaves Snoop Dogg Presents Tha Eastsidaz sounding more like a relatively effective label sampler than it is a group album.

BUY OR BURN: Burn this one and leave quite a few tracks off. There are one or two songs that are actually pretty great, along with quite a few good ones, too, though.

BEST TRACKS: “Now We Lay ‘Em Down”; “Dogghouse”; “Balls of Steel”; “Nigga 4 Life”; “Big Bang Theory”; “How You Livin’”; “Take it back to ’85”; “Tha G in Deee”

- BrianL

(Questions? Concerns? Complaints? Make yourself known in the comments below.)