Personnel includes: Snoop Dogg, Bad Azz, Kokane, Eve, Lil HD, Tha Eastsidaz, Suga Free, Butch Cassidy, Master P, Mr. Magic, Mac Minista, Nate Dogg, MC Ren, The Lady Of Rage, Ice Cube (vocals); Clarence Jimmy Roach (guitar, bass); La Tonya Holmes, Mica Fisher, Traci Nelson (background vocals).
Producers include: Dr. Dre, Swizz Beatz, Battlecat, Meech Wells, Timbaland.
Though Ice-T is credited with creating gangsta rap, and the original N.W.A. brought it to the forefront of the pop culture, it was Snoop Dogg that took the genre to the next level with his debut album DOGGYSTYLE. Snoop's decision to transfer from the Suge Knight-owned Death Row Records to the Master P-owned No Limit had a significant effect on the sound of his music.
However, his fifth album, THA LAST MEAL, returns Snoop to the funk-inspired sound that made his debut a classic. "Snoop Dogg (What's My Name Part. 2)," with its Timbaland-produced background, re-establishes Snoop as the G-funk king. The posse cut "Set it Off," which features Ice Cube, MC Ren, Nate Dogg, and the Lady of Rage, highlights Snoop's laid-back flow and skilled lyrical style. Check out "True Lies" for that bouncy old Snoop Dogg/Dr. Dre feel.
Professional Reviews
Rolling Stone (1/18/01, p.56) - 3.5 stars out of 5 - "...[His] strongest album since DOGGYSTYLE....Snoop's chronic-marinated flow, all menthol-cool and deadpan droop, sounds as smooth as ever..."
Spin (3/01, p.145) - 6 out of 10 - "...This MEAL finds him riding the Dre cache, trying to convince us he's still 'G'ed-up from the feet up'....Timbaland stuttering out the obvious singles...but Dre's laconic thumps-by-the-pound anchor most of the album..."
Vibe (2/01, pp.133-4) - 3.5 discs out of 5 - "...Deeply steeped in P-funkology....these days, Snoop's songs are simply fun to listen to....nothing groundbreaking, just good solid Snoop-rap..."
Record Collector (magazine) (p.93) - 3 stars out of 5 -- "Snoop knows when to crack the jokes, while his flow has always been one of the best in the game."
