snoop dogg

Snoop lets us know early on in Tha Blue Carpet Treatment that this record is "deep" to him. There are no dancefloor candy collaborations with Justin Timberlake here (though we do have Jamie Foxx, George Clinton and Stevie Wonder). Instead Snoop takes us on another laidback drive from Long Beach to Compton, doing things that will probably blow the collective mind of his suburban white boy fanbase. It's Snoop reveling in all things Snoop.

"Crazy" brings it all together-just Snoop and his boys rolling down "these streets" to a Dre beat and rhyming like they don't know the meaning of doubt. The scene later changes to the club with the VIP-safe "That's That S-," which features our resident playa waxing about the joys of picking up Midwestern girls in between the most effortlessly laid-back and catchy chorus this side of the Watts Towers.

But that's not to say Snoop has ignored his gangland roots. Between the amazing and terrifying "Vato" and the sociological observations of "10 Lil' Grips," the specter of the streets is always present, giving Doggy Dogg cred and the record the grit that was lacking on R&G, his previous effort.

There are a couple of profound missteps here. Nothing can save "Psst!" from the repulsive idea of letting Jamie Foxx impersonate Prince for no reason at all. This is immediately followed by "Beat Up on Yo Pads," in which Snoop dishes rhymes about Pop Warner football in the most inane manner possible, just before another description of the "warzone."

But in the end, this is all one could possibly ask for from Snoop Doggy Dogg-a 77-minute celebration of his legend.