Tag: "Snoop Dogg"

As the end of summer approaches, so does the last of the hot summer music from hip hop’s finest.  The latest batch of all-male mash-ups are comprised of some surprising pair-ups and lots of old school favorites. Here’s what we’ll be bumping ‘til the weather cools off.

Chris Brown ft. Kevin McCall: “Strip”:  The first single from Breezy’s hip hop mixtape, Boy In Detention (due out this week) features a fantasy world starring Chris and a stripper, with McCall providing the rap over Brown’s sexy crooning “Take it off / I want to love ya / Everybody, want to touch ya / Your movin’ right / I want to see what’s up under / You can back it up / Beep, Beep / Like a trucker”.  The up-tempo track was produced by Tha Bizness.

Game ft. Wiz Khalifa & B.o.B: “Standin’ On A Corner”: This trio was a bit unexpected, but managed to deliver a delicious dose of Cali swagger.  More melodic than most Game records, this single gives each of emcee equal time to shine over the unique beat.

Gucci Mane ft. Waka Flocka Flame & Rocko: “In My Business” The second Rocko-tinged single from Ferrari Boyz features Waka Flocka in full effect over the heart-pounding, hard-hitting beat of this street style track that can’t help but make you feel ballsy.

Wale ft. J. Cole: “Bad Girls Club”: The duo dropped this track in July sending the ladies into a frenzy with their sexy ode to their ideal “perfect 10”.  In his signature style, Wale kicks off the track by commanding “Bad bit*hes get low right now” followed by Cole’s sensual delivery of loving lyrics.

Timbaland ft. Pitbull and David Guetta: “Pass At Me”: This sexy single took a second to grow on me, but now that it has, I can’t get the sassy song out of my head.  While the sound is a twist for Timbaland’s usual club-banging style, Pitbull’s command of the latin sound shines through; resulting in a unique ditty you can’t help but salsa to.

Pusha T ft. Tyler The Creator: “Trouble On My Mind”: Pusha goes hard in this mash up with Odd Future’s Tyler the Creator, who delivers a particularly appealing verse, proving his ability to stand out from the Wolfpack.  He and Virginia-bred T (who took the opportunity to congratulate Obama on off-ing Bin Laden) served up a big budget video starring the do as a pair of comical criminals.

Continue reading ‘Soundcheck: Hot Summer Collabos’

Rappers are cool. There’s no denying that. Money, cars, girls, notoriety; what’s not to love? It’s all very gangster, very Scarface. It used to be that all these things were the aspirations of the boys from the hood, born from the dreams of those who came from nothing. But what happens when kids from a—shall we say, more gifted background—try to break into the rap game? There seems to be a growing trend of rappers that have come from less “hood” backgrounds that are trying to break into the game.

We’re not talking about Drake here, who may have been a child star but who has had his share of hardships growing up. Speaking of which, Draco Malfoy has been mulling a rap career. But all kidding aside, these are the children of celebrities, A-listers, that are trying to become rap stars.

First up, Chet Haze. Haze first came to prominence in 2010 with a remix of Wiz Khalifa’s “Black & Yellow” redone in honor of his alma mater, Northwestern University, “White & Purple” which you can hear below.

Outside of the school spirit, there’s not much to distinguish the young rapper from similar artists. Does he like smoking marijuana? Yes. Does he love the ladies? Oh yes indeed. So what distinguishes this young emcee?  Do you see any resemblance to his famous father, Tom Hanks? Yes, the star of the Da Vinci Code, the Toy Story franchise and Forrest Gump has rapper for a son. One would think that the progeny of Hanks would go into movies. After all, brother Colin has had a successful, varied entertainment career of his own so far.

Rich Hil certainly looks more authenic then Haze, covered in ink with a scraggly, thuggish fashion sense to boot. A fashion sense that seems no way influenced by the work of his father, designer Tommy Hilfiger. Rich’s connection with the hip hop world might seem as strange as Haze’s, but he does have a certain pedigree. Don’t forget that Hilfiger was worn very frequently by rappers in the 90s, from Snoop Dogg to Aaliyah. Who knows, maybe a young Rich Hilfiger was palling around with his father at the end of a fashion shoot and was approached by a rap impresario like Puff Daddy or an icon like Coolio and thought, “Why not me?” Well, while Chet Haze may seem more at home with the hashtag rap and good time vibes akin to the likes of Khalifa, Curren$y and Rick Ross, Hil is seemingly a bit more serious about his craft. He recently announced that he has been officially been signed to Warner Records after spending time on Swizz Beats‘ Full Surface imprint. He even has a rap sheet. In the authenticity contest, it sounds like Rich has the advantage over Chet. But more importantly, how does he stack up musically? Check out the clip for “Cookies and Apple Juice” below and see for yourself.

Sonny and Cher. Britney and Justin. Meg and Jack White. Nothing lasts forever. Well, almost. There’s one inseparable pair that’s likely to survive until the end of time: sunny summer weather and pop music. What would these dog days be without the perfect soundtrack? Possibly, over and done with. Hello, autumn!

“California Gurls” by Katy Perry featuring Snoop Dogg ruled both the airwaves and the charts last Memorial Day to Labor Day, refusing to go down until the temperature did. This year’s girl of summer: Adele, thanks to her No. 1 hit “Rolling in the Deep.” But even if Adele isn’t quite your thing (nor Lady Gaga, nor Perry, who’s once again making heat waves in 2011), ’tis the season for musical memories that will last a lifetime—or at least until next year when beach weather once again rolls around.

What are the biggest summer of ’11 pop trends? Keep reading…

Sisters are doing it for themselves—again. Last year’s Top 10 list in Billboard magazine’s Songs of the Summer 1985-2010 featured only three female artists, and each one, Katy Perry, Rihanna and Hayley Williams, had a boy on the side (Snoop Dogg, Eminem and B.o.B., respectively). Though so many of pop’s leading ladies recently had been standing by their men or whatever last-minute remix cohort could get them a shot at No. 1, this season, the most successful ones are going it alone. Rihanna and Beyoncé may be struggling with their latest pair of solo efforts, but Lady Gaga already has had three Top 10 solo hits from the Born This Way album, including the summer-anthem contender “The Edge of Glory,” and Adele didn’t need any guest rappers to keep “Rolling in the Deep” at No. 1 for seven weeks (as of Billboard’s Hot 100 dated July 2).

Meanwhile, Nicki Minaj, who apparently has never met an artist with whom she wouldn’t collaborate, finally has scored a Top 10 single of her own with “Your Love.” And after enlisting Kanye West to help lift “E.T.” all the way to the top, Perry is carrying the weight of “Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.),” hit No. 5 from the Teenage Dream album, all on her slender shoulders. Deborah Gibson, Corey Feldman, Kenny G, Hanson, Rebecca Black and two guys from Glee all pop up in the video, but the song itself is a one-woman show.

It takes two (or three or four) to make a hit go right. The women on top may be spending the summer alone (at least on record), but they are pretty much the only ones. Last year, more than half of Billboard’s top summer songs paired singers with rappers. This year, if two’s company, three and four is, too. Pitbull is getting by with a little help from three friends (Ne-Yo, Afrojack and Nayer) on his current hit, “Give Me Everything.” The duo LMFAO’s “Party Rock Anthem” has Lauren Bennett and GoonRock on the guest list. Jennifer Lopez had Pitbull and Katy Perry had Kanye West on their respective spring holdovers, “On the Floor” and the already mentioned “E.T.”, while the Black Eyed Peas have each other on “Just Can’t Get Enough.”

If you want to be a boy of summer, learn how to rap. Bruno Mars might get by on hit after hit by swinging sweetly (which he does once again on “Lazy Song,” his latest Top 5 single), but Chris Brown, one of contemporary R&B’s strongest male singers, spent all of his recent Top 10 comeback single, “Look at Me Now,” rapping alongside Busta Rhymes and Lil Wayne. And even before he performed with Ludacris on the CMT Awards, Jason Aldean already had a hit with “Dirt Road Anthem,” on which he performed the rap himself. Now the remix featuring Ludacris doing the rap is in danger of becoming the first country-rap collaboration to top Billboard’s Hot 100. Maybe Coldplay’s “Every Teardrop Is a Waterfall” would have had more staying power if Chris Martin had broken into a rap. It’s not too late for the currently ubiquitous Lil Wayne to give a brother a helping hand.

Groove is in the heart (and all over the charts). So you think you can dance? Then you’re in luck. Nearly every song in the Top 20 of the Hot 100 works just as well under the strobe lights as on the radio. The aformentioned LMFAO has a huge international hit with “Party Rock Anthem,” a track whose video features shuffling, a dance that originated in, of all places, Melbourne, Australia. Meanwhile, after escorting Jennifer Lopez into the Top 10 with “On the Floor,” rapper Pitbull, still on the floor, has gone even higher with “Give Me Everything.” This time his dance partners are Afrojack, Nayer and Ne-Yo, an artist previously best known for silky soul singing, but if you can’t beat ‘em, get down with ‘em.

Teenage dreams are still coming true. Last year when “California Gurls” was topping the charts, who would have guessed that Perry still would be putting out the hits from Teenage Dream one year later? As party rock anthems go, “Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)” is my pick for the summer of 2011, but musical hangovers can be just as brutal as alcohol-related ones. Will we remember “Last Friday Night” in the morning? Definitely. But come autumn, “Last Friday Night” already might be a distant non-memory, Perry will be on to the sixth hit single from Teenage Dream (Peacock?), and we’ll probably all still be “Rolling in the Deep.”

A few weeks ago, Melbourne hosted the TV WEEK Logie Awards, which is like Australia’s Emmys, only with more reality TV, more cooking shows and music. Katy Perry and Maroon 5 represented American pop, and then there was rising UK star Jessie J, representing… well, I’m still not 100 percent sure. As she stalked the stage, decked out in glam-Goth basic black, performing her No. 1 UK hit “Price Tag,” my friend peeled his eyes away from the television, turned to me and announced, “Her look is cool and alternative, but her music is so lame and poppy. They don’t match at all!”

It’s a discordancy that’s starting to take over. Pop and rock and hip hop used to hang out on different sides of the playground, barely acknowledging each other, with the rare, revolutionary exception (think Run-D.M.C.‘s 1985 smash cover of Aerosmith‘s “Walk this Way,” featuring the vintage rock band on vocals and in the song’s video). If your music was too mainstream, strictly middle-of-the-road (a condition that afflicted neither Run-D.M.C.’s nor Aerosmith’s tunes at the time, which perhaps is why the hit sounded so effortless), there was no changing lanes. You could dress as wild as ’80s fashion would let you, but you would always be a pop star. Chart-toppers had little chance of drumming up street cred or working with artists whose tunes dangled from the cutting edge. Why do you think Duran Duran, one of the most influential bands of the Reagan era, still hasn’t been nominated for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and is only now, more than two decades past its prime, publicly earning the respect of well-respected men like David Lynch, who directed the band’s recent American Express online concert?

Suddenly its cool to be alternative and pop. We’ve got Katy Perry mingling with Snoop Dogg and Kanye West on record and with bad-boy British comic Russell Brand in holy matrimony, and Ke$ha singing some of the poppiest songs on the charts and casting James van der Beek, one of Hollywood’s most white-bread actors, in her video but tarting it up just enough to come across as one of the coolest girls in school. (Ever the trendsetter, in the ’80s, Madonna had the good sense to tousle her image by marrying bad boy Sean Penn.) Meanwhile, Rihanna—a pop princess if ever there was one—holds court with Eminem and sings about how she’s “Hard” (as Young Jeezy raps in her defense).

Lady Gaga dresses like a freak and breaks every sartorial rule while singing what is basically the rave music of every ’90s teenage dream. Her former video costar Beyoncé alternates between straight-up pop (“Halo,” “Sweet Dreams”) and darker hip hop (“Diva” and current single “Run the World [Girls]“), while A Rocket to the Moon and Wilco singer Jeff Tweedy are among those who have covered “Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It).” Try This (her 2003 flop that, in my opinion, is her best album) aside, Pink‘s ultra-commercial music has never mirrored her rock-chick attitude. Even Coldplay, one of the biggest rock bands on the planet, second perhaps only to U2, collaborated with, of all people, Kylie Minogue on the 2008 World AID’s Day charity single “Lhuna.”

As with so many recent musical trends, the current shift toward the mainstream and the cutting edge making strange bedfellows began with hip hop. If a roguish rapper like Eminem could rhyme alongside pop singers (first Dido on “Stan,” then Elton John at the 2001 GRAMMYs, and most recently, Pink and Rihanna on Recovery), couldn’t all musicians, regardless of genre, get along? Sure they can, but the commercial results have been mixed. There’ve been huge hits—the Katy Perry singles “California Gurls” and “E.T.” returned her rapper costars, Snoop Dogg and Kanye West, respectively, to No. 1 for the first time in eons—but when Alicia Keys met Jack White for “Another Way to Die,” the theme for the last James Bond flick, 2008′s Quantum of Solace, it was a one-week wonder on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at No. 81.

Perhaps Keys’ R&B and pop fans and White’s alternative ones didn’t know what to do with the meeting of their musical minds, which was nonethess one of the best singles of 2008. Of course, there are artists who resist, too. Remember when Ryan Adams used to go off on fans who requested Bryan Adams‘ “Summer of ’69″ because he was fed up with being compared to the ’80s and ’90s pop superstar with the almost-identical name? (He once had a fan tossed out of a Nashville concert for daring to do the unthinkable!)

Kanye West vs. Taylor Swift at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards probably was as much about the cutting edge (hip hop) vs. the mainstream (country-pop) as it was about the visual supremacy of Beyoncé’s “Single Ladies” video. In February, I read a Billboard.com interview where empress of ’80s cool Chrissie Hynde talked about her upcoming Super Bowl weekend performance on CMT Crossroads with country diva Faith Hill, and she said she was unfamiliar with Hill’s music and admitted, “I don’t know much about country music, period.” Then there’s Kings of Leon, best known in the US for the Top 5 hit “Use Somebody”. Although the band would hardly be considered alternative in its recent hit-making incarnation, the guys  nonetheless refused to allow Glee to use “Somebody.” (I bet South Park or Dexter or Weeds would have gotten their blessing.)

But if Jay-Z can let the Glee kids turn “Empire State of Mind” into a show tune, if Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler can sit beside Jennifer Lopez at the American Idol judges table, if “F–k You” singer Cee Lo Green can go from collaborating with Danger Mouse (in Gnarls Barkley) to being one of Christina Aguilera‘s fellow judges on The Voice, then we might yet live to hear an Eminem track featuring Britney Spears.

Have you been living under a rock for the past six months? If so, you may have missed the news that Prince William and Kate Middleton are getting married this weekend. And like us, you probably wondered why everyone spells her name “Kate” when her full name is Catherine. Why? Is that a British thing? But we digress. The point is, in an effort to share in the couple’s joy, George Michael recorded a cover of Stevie Wonder’s “You and I” as a gift to them. (You can download the track on his Web site.)

We know what you’re thinking—nothing says true love like “engaging in a lewd act” in a public toilet. But George Michael’s heart is certainly in the right place, and his gift got us thinking about other singers we’d love to have performing at our wedding.*

*We are in no way serious about having any of these artists perform at our wedding.

Rick Astley

The key to having Rick Astley as your wedding singer would be keeping it an absolute secret. Seriously, don’t tell a soul. Because what could be better than Rick Rolling your guests? Imagine the looks on their faces. Plus, that has to be one of the easiest dances to learn. Of course, you could always just get Rick to write your vows. “Never gonna give you up, never gonna let you down…”

Ozzy Osbourne

Okay, so the Prince of Darkness might seem like a strange fit for your reception. But say what you will about Ozzy, but the guy has been married to Sharon since 1982. We think he might know a thing or two about marriage. And don’t you want your wedding to be memorable? Between public intoxication at the Alamo and snorting a line of fire ants (was that rumor ever confirmed?), we’re pretty sure Ozzy brings the party.

William Shatner

If you haven’t heard Shatner’s cover of “Common People” by Pulp, click here. Done? Welcome back. You now understand why your wedding will be incomplete without the Shat. Did you hear the emotion in his voice? Those passionate vocals? Where on earth did he learn to sing like that? Every other band should have just stopped trying to make music after his 2004 album Has-Been, because there’s no way to improve on it. When Shatner talk-sings “Ideal Woman” during your reception, your guests will struggle to hold back tears. It’ll be a truly beautiful moment.

The Dan Band (from Old School and The Hangover)

This one is a total no-brainer, because who hasn’t dreamed of being serenaded by R&B covers of filthy songs like 50 Cent’s “Lollipop”? We have just a few ideas for totally inappropriate raps turned creepy slow jams this guy could perform at our wedding: Snoop‘s “Gangsta Luv,” Ying Yang Twins‘ “Wait (The Whisper Song)” or 2 Live Crew‘s “Me So Horny.” And of course, we welcome your suggestions.

Adam Sandler

Despite the title of this post, we’re still a total sucker for Adam Sandler as the goofy, overlooked wedding singer. Sure, he might steal your bride, but only if you’re a cheating asshole.  And just look at how he works that powder blue suit. We’d even let him belt out “Love Stinks” if he wanted to. Maybe he’d bring Billy Idol to the wedding with him? …A girl can dream.

Editor’s note: Despite recording a song for the couple, George Michael has made it clear he will not be attending the royal nuptials, tweeting: the couple should be “surrounded by people they love, not dodgy ex-con pop stars.” We’re sure there’s a distant cousin or two in there that will be disappointed to hear the news.

Misogynistic, homophobic, hateful, racist and an all-around bad influence on our children—the list of grievances against hip hop is a long one. Perhaps that’s why so many celebrities have an issue with the genre. In 2009, Gladys Knight said she isn’t a fan of the genre or the vulgarity that comes with it. Oprah Winfrey had a beef with several prominent rappers in 2006, after they claimed she mistreated them on her show. And last week, it was actress Ashley Judd who came down hard on rappers, citing its “rape culture and insanely abusive lyrics and depictions of girls and women as ‘ho’s’” as the “contemporary soundtrack of misogyny” in her memoirs. (Of course, her remarks against hip hop might be a publicity stunt aimed to sell books, but who are we to judge? Girl’s gotta eat.)

Seemingly in an effort to prove Ms. Judd right, rapper Gucci Mane was arrested on assault charges last week after he pushed a woman from a moving car. Actually, that’s not the whole story. He allegedly offered her breakfast, then tried to give her $150 for sex and THEN pushed her out of the car. (See? Totally different.) But in all seriousness, Gucci Mane’s antics and the antics of other boneheaded rappers like him are why self-righteous actresses everywhere feel justified writing off the entire group as sexist, dangerous a-holes.

Although guys like Gucci give hip hop a bad name, keep in mind that every genre has its bad eggs. Remember that time Casey Royer (ex-Social D) was arrested for overdosing in front of his 12-year-old son? How about Christina Aguilera, who was arrested recently after becoming so intoxicated she couldn’t remember her own address? Or what about last month, when Screeching Weasel frontman Ben Weasel punched a girl in the face during a show? Yes, Gucci Mane’s actions were deplorable. But rap is far from the only genre that’s home to some troubled musicians.

And let’s not forget all of the great things that hip hop artists do. Dead Prez, Talib Kweli and KRS-One have always been known for their socially-conscious lyrics. Trey Songz and Big Boi are teaming up with NYC Mayor Bloomberg for an anti-truancy campaign. M.I.A. is using some of that “Paper Planes” money to help build schools in war-torn Liberia. And Snoop Dogg and P-Diddy supported YouthAIDS—an AIDS-awareness group affiliated with MTV that created hip PSAs about the disease. In fact, that’s what started all this trouble in the first place—Judd didn’t think Snoop was a good enough person to warn people about AIDS. Seriously, get off your high horse, girl!

Bottom line: Be it rock, pop, rap, 8-bit or shoegaze, every genre is going to have good guys and bad guys. There’s just one important thing to take away from all the turmoil, and it’s this: don’t get into a car with Gucci Mane.

Fans rarely realize that while some new artists seem to shoot to the top overnight, most of them have been at it for years. Hip hop’s current “it” boy, Wiz Khalifa is no exception. Last week, he released Rolling Papers, giving Britney a run for her money by landing in second place with a respectable 197,000 sold in its first week.  While Rolling Papers is Khalifa’s first major-label debut, it’s far from his first time around the block. At 23, the Pittsburgh native—born Cameron Jibril Thomaz—has nine mixtapes and two albums under his belt, and a grass-roots fan base that’s been loyal from the start, helping to launch this homegrown hero into mainstream super-stardom.

After his first mixtape, Prince of the City: Welcome to Pistolvania hit the streets in 2005, he released his debut album, Show and Prove in 2006, making Rolling Stone’s coveted “Artist To Watch” list. He signed with Warner Bros. the following year and released two more mixtapes Grow Season and Prince Of The City 2 under Rostrum Records. The label released his single, “Oh Yeah”, which made the Hot Rap charts, but failed to get his slated debut release, First Flight off the ground.  After the release of two more mixtapes, Star Power and Flight School, he left the label in 2009 andreleased his second album, Deal or No Deal the same year. That summer, he teamed up with Curren$y for their mixtape, How Fly and followed up with another solo mixtape, Burn After Rolling.

By this time, the underground hip hop circuit predicted Wiz would go big, and mainstream critics were starting to catch on as well.  He made XXL’s annual Freshman Class cover alongside J. Cole, and was named “Rookie Of The Year” by The Source. Wiz wowed the crowd when he performed at SXSW and headlined a 50-city tour with Shady records newbie, Yelawolf. He offered up his ninth mixtape, Kush and Orange Juice for free download and sent labels clamoring to sign him.  He ultimately chose to ink a deal with Atlantic Records, who released his Steelers anthem, “Black and Yellow” at Number 1 on the Hot 100 chart, eventually going triple platinum.

Khalifa has proved his authenticity time and again, staying true to his grass-loving, grass roots style.  His arrest last year (for possessing over two ounces of marijuana on his tour bus) proved the image is more than smoke and mirrors.  His swagger was even enough to spark the attention of rumored fiancée, Amber Rose. Kanye’s ex admitted she never knew of Wiz’s music until she met him, but now calls him a “genius”.  Rose has become a hip-hop icon of sorts in her own right, carving a career out of, well—nothing.  At the very least, she’s a bona fide contender for hottest hip hop girlfriend, so in that regard—Wiz is winning on all counts.

Finally, the Taylor Gang, (his loyal fan base) and the rest of the world have their hands on Rolling Papers, and it seems the goods couldn’t come soon enough.  The album’s lead single, “I’ll Roll Up” is in heavy rotation and his follow up, “No Sleep” is right on its heels.  Khalifa is currently featured on “The Weed Iz Mine” alongside fellow ganja lover and constant collaborator, Snoop Dogg. The song is already a smash among the stoner circle with the video in heavy rotation, and appears on Snoop’s latest LP, The Doggumentary. The two plan to bridge the generation gap between old school and new school hip hop, offering themselves up as the Cheech & Chong of our generation in their upcoming film, High School. The movie starts shooting next month and will be accompanied by a full-length soundtrack.  Until then, Wiz will be riding high…

As promised, Snoop Dogg has delivered The Doggumentary, an eighteen-track album that I would call a tribute album for true Snoop fans. In it, he seems to travel through the sounds of his career, treating fans to songs reminisent of his G-funk hits that launched him into super-stardom. Memories of Doggystyle come rushing back. The next minute, he’s fast forwarding to his R&G days, reminding us that although he certainly has a signature style; his sound is more dynamic than he’s credited for. He manages to bring us up to date with new sounding songs like “Wet” and “Eyez Closed”, proving that at forty years old with eleven albums under his belt, Snoop is still top dog. Here are some highlights from the Dogg’s latest release:

“Toys N Da Hood”  features Bootsy Collins in an old school funk track that kicks off the record’s “blast from the past” pace. It’s not my favorite track, but it sets the tone for the album, which is classically west coast.

“The Way Life Used To Be”  Samples Diana Ross and The Supremes’ hit of the same title. Snoop’s version of “Back In The Day”…wishing he was back in his hey day; telling stories of stirring up trouble with friends as a teen in Long Beach.

“My Own Way”  Features a cameo from Mr. Porter and stars a distinctly tougher sounding Snoop paired up with the soulful singer, Mr. Porter for this laid-back track, where the Dogfather reminisces about his days on the grind.

“Wonder What I Do”  Another old-school sounding joint features Uncle Chucc whose voice I originally mistook for John Legend. It’s the kind of track I’msure my dad would play at a family BBQ, a perfect summer jam suitable for the whole family. John Legend does appear later in the album, alongside Kanye West in one of the project’s strongest tracks, “Eyez Closed”

“My Fuc’n House”  Young Jeezy & E-40 heat up this banger, which is much harder than the rest of the album. Jeezy kicks it off with his angry, intense flow and E-40 delivers in his characteristic, charismatic style. Snoop follows up by flexing his muscles; warning his enemies not to underestimate the dog. We expect the video, which has already wrapped shooting, to flood airwaves this week.

“Boom”  The second official single features T-Pain and is produced by Scott Storch, who sampled the hit, “Situation” by Yazoo. This one’s already heating up airwaves, on the heels of the album’s first single. “Wet” which Snoop crafted for Prince William’s bachelor party. The song has quickly become the anthem for spring breakers everywhere.

“The Weed Iz Mine” No Snoop album would be complete without an ode to Mary Jane. This one features his latest partner in crime, Wiz Khalifa, who has proven to be quite the cannabis affecianado.

Overall, Snoop has given fans another reason to keep him on top. The Dogg has proven time and again that he can adapt with the times while consistently delivering his own unique flavor to anything he does. Next up, Snoop will continue his cross-country tour, and plans to release his recent work with Charlie Sheen this month. Talk about crazy collabos.

Hip hop lost a dear friend one week ago, when Nate Dogg died at the age of forty-one. Born and raised in Long Beach, California, Nathaniel Dwayne Hale helped lay the foundation of west coast rap. He signed to Death Row Records in 1993 after he joined with Snoop Dogg and Warren G to form the rap trio, 213. He made his debut on Dr. Dre’s classic, The Chronic in 1992 and flooded rap hooks with his unique, soulful voice, narrating the emergence of the G-Funk era. Tracks like “How Long Will They Mourn Me?” with Tupac Shakur and his first hit, “Regulate” with Warren G helped put Long Beach on the map and would go down in history as part of a rap revolution.

His 1998 double album, G-Funk Classics: Volume 1 & 2 was a fan favorite, and was followed by his 2001 chart-topper Music & Me. Legal troubles hindered the rapper’s planned 2004 release of his self-titled album, Nate Dogg, ultimately postponing the drop date until 2008. In 2007, he suffered a stroke in Pomona, Ca, and in September of 2008, he suffered a second stroke, ending his music career with his final release. His health troubles claimed his life on March 15, sending another rap legend to an early grave.

For me, the loss is a bit more personal than another rap legend passing away. Nate Dogg played an intricate role in shaping my relationship with rap music. At the tender age of ten, I bought my first rap single, “Regulate” by Warren G and Nate Dogg. I had my first fight with my father, when he confiscated the music that was in his opinion, “inappropriate”. It was the first time I felt censored. The first time I felt my thirst for rebellion be quenched through music. As a ten-year-old girl in an upper-middle class suburb, I certainly couldn’t relate to the song’s literal story getting in a fight with rival gang members in my neighborhood, calling for back up and anticipating a raunchy rendezvous in a seedy motel—but that wasn’t the point. I could relate to the melody, to the beat, to Nate Dogg’s powerful voice radiating through the bass line like a drum. His bellowing story-telling narrated a fantasy world that caused a stir in me I had never felt before. It was fun, it was exciting, almost like being catapulted into a four-minute action movie. I felt empowered, instantly memorizing the lyrics, mimicking them in my mirror, giving my best effort at a gangster pose.

Now, as I sit and write this column from my home in Pomona, I can see the rooftop of the hospital that treated Nate Dogg for his first stroke. An odd sense of time and place overwhelms me, and I find it peculiar that our paths intertwine, without ever intersecting. He’s so close, and so far away at the same time. Kind of like hip hop. Kind of like the story it tells and the picture it paints. If you close your eyes, you can find yourself there. Perhaps in a different battle than the rapper, but fighting just the same. Using their words as a personal anthem, borrowing their swag and substituting rhymes for redemption. Nate Dogg’s voice lit a fire in me and ignited my love for hip hop. He gave me my first taste of rebellion, of overcoming oppression, of self-expression. Like so many artists unknowingly do, he helped define my voice in a way that would later help define my life.

To him, I would like to give one final “thanks”. Sixteen years ago he invited me into a world that I’ve never left, and introduced me to a part of myself I may have never known.