Paid Tha Cost To Be Tha Boss [PA] - Snoop Dogg

In 2002 Snoop Dogg’s music underwent a dramatic shift as the year saw him move on after years working on Master P’s No Limit Records, so that the West Coast Rap artist could finally get back on track and do something much more like himself and away from the restrictive attempts at trying out the Louisiana style of his southern work with them. The album prior to this acted as a transitional phase as it displayed him moving on a little with the music ...
...show just what had built up other the years with “Paid Tha Cost To Be Da Bo$$ (his sixth album).

1. “Don Dogg” (Intro)

2. “Da Boss Would Like To See You” (Lude)

3. “Stoplight”

Getting this thing underway you have a track which has him driving forward the sound of his new music as he shows that here he is back to show that despite it being ten years since commercially blowing up, G-Funk could ... more

In 2002 Snoop Dogg’s music underwent a dramatic shift as the year saw him move on after years working on Master P’s No Limit Records, so that the West Coast Rap artist could finally get back on track and do something much more like himself and away from the restrictive attempts at trying out the Louisiana style of his southern work with them. The album prior to this acted as a transitional phase as it displayed him moving on a little with the music he came up with, and this was where he could show just what had built up other the years with “Paid Tha Cost To Be Da Bo$$ (his sixth album).

1. “Don Dogg” (Intro)

2. “Da Boss Would Like To See You” (Lude)

3. “Stoplight”

Getting this thing underway you have a track which has him driving forward the sound of his new music as he shows that here he is back to show that despite it being ten years since commercially blowing up, G-Funk could still be used effectively in 2002, and with Jelly Roll on his side, he shoed just how strong his production is to remind you of this Golden Age for West Coast Rap.

**Five Stars**

4. “From Tha Chuuuch To Da Palace”

This was one of the big singles from the album, and one which really stands out on the album, but I can’t realise why it didn’t make as much of an impact as it deserved as you see that this one has him working in the way which has seen to bring out his biggest hits as he raps on beats by The Neptunes and has Pharrell of the duo backing him up vocally.

**Five Stars**

5. “I Believe In You”

This is a track on the album which doesn’t really have that much in the way of rapping from Snoop as it is a gentle little joint from him which has him just kicking back and essentially letting the featured guest, LaToiya Williams, lead it and allow the material to really focus in on the direction which contrasts from many other tracks on here as it is one dedicated to his wide and brings out something new form him.

6. “Lollipop”

Here you get one where you see that you get a massive collaborative project in which New York Roc-A-0Fella take control and see that with their lead producer, Just Blaze they are able to come up with something appealing to match the tastes of both Snoop and Jay-Z, who comes to show love here on a heavy jam form the record.

**Five Stars**

7. “Ballin’”

Just as was seen on his debut, you see that The Dramatics come to link up with the artist in order to give things a throwback Soul vibe running through it as he attempts to bring this sound up to the modern times by having himself and Lil’ ½ Dead rap about how ballin’ today contrasts to that sort of time.

**Four Stars**

8. “Beautiful”

This was the stand-out single from the album and the single recording which made the biggest impact upon the game. It was the track which had Snoop break back into the mainstream after years taking on a more underground style and saw him do so through a collaboration alongside Pharrell Williams to show that he can get down with the lighter commercial rap too.

**Five Stars**

9. “Paper’d Up”

This one is just too much; it kills off the album. Here, just as with “Doggystyle”, Snoop choose to cover a classic Hip Hop track, in ’93 it was Doug E. Fresh & The Get Fresh Crew’s “La Di Da Di”, and this time it is Eric B. & Rakim’s “Paid In Full”. He just tears it apart whilst having Fredwreck make the “Don’t Look Any Further” sample much more prominent in order to drive through the Funk sound to show how this West coast variant differs from the original. Nothing else on the album lives up to the standard of this.

**Five Stars**

10. “Wasn’t Your Fault”

Off a monster track fro the record, you see that with this one you have the artist getting down with more of the funky work as with beats from L.T. Hutten, he gets into his Bootsy Collins mode to take us back to the days which influenced his music (aside from Hip hop from others) and it shows how well he is able to integrate it into his work in the way that he would do with his 2008 album.

**Five Stars**

11. “Boss Playa”

With Don “Magic” Juan on his side for the added extra bit of drive, this one has Snoop talk the listeners through his pimping game, and just how well he can integrate this into his music. It is a fly jam from him ad has him showing off the classier side of the material as he gets to the two-stepping and just does things in a very relaxed manner. It fits in with expectations and sounds to be well-rounded.

**Four Stars**

12. “Hourglass”

Although the track prior to this wasn’t weak, it creates some sort of contrast for when this one works its way in as this has Snoop unleash a straight club banger as once again he works with Jelly Roll and shows tha he is just as capable of doing hot joints for this setting as any of the up-and-comers.

**Five Stars**

13. “The One And Only”

This is a pretty significant and finds Snoop officially listed as a Hip Hop legend as it sees him able to perform a track produced by DJ Premier. It has Primo do what he does best as he constructs a hook based upon classic Snoop tunes and allows Snoop to really show why he is so highly rated in the game. He performed with Primo on the past on a 1998 album with Jermaine Dupri, but this one is really a dedication to Snoop’s contribution to the game over the years.

**Five Stars**

14. “I Miss That B***h”

I saw this one as a typical track from Snoop as it find him getting down to a track which we immediately would associate with his style of performing and what topics often come up in the material he performs. You get more of this new experimental work as he works on beats from Hi-Tek, and it appears to bring out new things from him as he does something which fits in with expectations.

**Four Stars**

15. “From Long Beach 2 Brick City”

I saw this as one of the best offerings from the album as it sees the rapper working with some of the funkiest production you will hear anywhere. It is something that you can’t help to get down to as it finds Fredwreck coming up with something taken directly from the seventies sound and brought up to modern times as Warren G and Nate Dogg assists in creating a contrast with Redman who represents New Jersey on this one.

**Five Stars**

16. “Suited N Booted”

Meech Wells is behind this and you see that with it comes him flowing in a manner which reflects the fact that here is just winding things down and so he just wishes to concentrate on things such of commenting upon just how fresh he stays and how exactly this is seen in the clothes his rocks each day. It is another on here designed to bring back those classic days which introduced him into this game.

**Five Stars**

17. “You Got What I Want”

Here you have some grungy, experimental production from Jelly Roll which utilises some hardcore synth in a manner which isn’t that far from the kind of thing which was seen in material in the 1992/1993 G-Funk years, but brought p to modern times through the darker approach. This has him working not only with Goldie Loc, and Charlie Wilson on the hook, but also Ludacris, who offers something completely new for this record.

**Five Stars**

18. “Batman & Robin”

This is one which has DJ Primer coming back to show that it wasn’t just a simple one-off from earlier on the album as with this one he gets into some of his typical East Coast—sounding production o back up Snoop as he takes on the role of Batman, and partners up with RBX, as Robin. You get a little assistance from Lady of Rage too to really bring back the sound of “Doggystyle”.

**Five Stars**

19. “Message 2 Fat Cuzz” (Lude)

20. “Pimp Slapped”

The final track on the album is a straight killer tune form the artist as it finds him taking the opportunity at the end of the release to just let loose and say exactly what is on his mind as he goes hard on Suge Knight in this long cut and shows that he’s not likely to find any love for him in any time in the future. It is just the way to end it and bring out the best in the album.

**Five Stars**

I saw this as a hugely significant album from Snoop and it sees him free from No Limit, to get things back on track by recording an album which appears to take on many of the characteristics of his debut “Doggystyle”, and has them made to utilise what he had taken on during the time spent there. I also saw it as the best album since his ’93 breakthrough as it made such a big impact on the game and re-launched his career.  

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