Snoop Dogg as a rapper has
the indelible combination of effortlessness and pure enjoyment when he rhymes
that only a few people throughout the history of the medium have been able to
capture a similar essence. Ol’ Dirty Bastard, Lil Wayne and Q-Tip are a few
examples of artists with a similar talent; rhymes spill out of their mouths with
the same ease as breathing, and they are able to ride and control beats without
so much as a second thought to changing cadence and flow. Language becomes a figure
to be manipulated and played with for these rappers, not only in the
combination of words to create metaphors, punch-lines and clever rhyme schemes,
but also to delight in the expression of language itself. On Doggystyle, linguistics and the act of
expressing language becomes a plaything for Snoop; switching up flows
song-to-song and line-to-line, weaving dense narratives into songs, breaking
down the structure of words to create new rhyme schemes, and engaging with
narrative techniques to tell stories of life from Long Beach California. Whilst
the spectacular and at the time career-best production from Dr Dre is without
doubt an essential reason for the replay-ability, longevity and quality of this
album, it’s Snoop Dogg’s ability as an MC to bring so much style, swagger and
playfulness through his rapping that lead me returning to this album time and
time again. In this piece I’ll be taking excerpts from most songs on the album[1]
and considering them in light of this playful linguistics moniker; namely how
they work and why they’re still so enjoyable to listen to today.
Gin and Juice
With so much drama in the L-B-C
It's kind of hard bein' Snoop D-O-double-G
But I,
somehow, some way
Keep comin'
up with funky-ass shit, like, every single day
At this point in the album we’ve
had the opening skit and song, which is largely performed by Lady of Rage, with
barely a verse from the lead MC. It’s not surprising then that Snoop opens up
this legendary anthem with his classic technique of spelling his name and
hometown. If there’s one technique that recurs the most throughout the album
it’s this one, the phonetic, almost child-like spelling of his rap moniker. Yet, it never becomes silly or laughable, instead each time is a reminder of
Snoop’s rhyming brilliance, as he’s able to throw in a lyric that should be
awkward and off-putting, and make it a natural progression of his work. In
fact, after a while when Snoop doesn’t drop some variation on the spelling
technique it feels like there’s something missing, as if we’re not getting the
authentic Snoop Dogg. Both Lady of Rage and Daz, somewhat unsuccessfully, take
on this technique at points in the album, and as we’ll come to see, when trying
to imitate or stand up to Snoop on Doggystyle
in terms of rapping ability nobody really comes close.
80 degrees, when I tell that
bitch please
Raise up off
these N-U-T's, ‘cause you gets none of these
At ease, as I mob with
the Dogg Pound
Feel the breeze beyotch, I'm
just…
Here is an example of the
exceptional multi-syllabic rhyme schemes Snoop uses throughout the album,
packing in eight internal rhymes within four bars. Perhaps most impressive is
the ‘N-U-T’s’ spelling rhyme casually slipped in, continuing on the internal
rhyme scheme and adding an extra layer of laidback cool to Snoop’s arrogant and
misogynistic sexual refusal.
Tha Shiznit
Cause Snoop Dogg is Trump tight like a virgin, the surgeon
Is Dr. Drizzay, so lizzay, and plizzay
With D-O-double-Gizzay the fly
human being
seein'
No I'm not European
bein all I can
When I put
the motherfuckin mic in my hand, and
You don't understand when I'm kickin
Cuz Snoop is
on the mic and I gets wicked, follow me
Listen to me,
cuz I do you like you wanna be done
Snoop Doggy
Dogg on this three two one, umm
Dum, diddy-dum here I come
With the gat,
and the guitar will strum, I'm
Not that
lunatic nigga who you thought I was
When I caught
you slippin, I'm gon catch you then I peel your cap
Snapped back, relax
Ya better not be slippin with
them D's on the '83 Cadillac
So we gonna
smoke a ounce to this
Gz up hoes
down while you motherfuckers bounce to this
The latter half of the third
verse of Tha Shiznit isn’t just one of my favourite Snoop Dogg verses of all
time, it’s one of my favourite rap verses of all time – and this part isn’t
even the full thing! In borrowing [stealing] the highlighting technique from
‘Rapping, deconstructed: The best rhymers of all time’, the densely packed
plethora of internal rhymes becomes easy to see. Snoop strings sentences
together with ease, sometimes making words up, “Drizzay/lizzay/plizzay/Gizzay”;
other times avoiding grammatically correct sentence structure, “I’m gon catch
you then I peel your cap/Snapped back, relax”; and often just settling for
silky smooth rhymes, “the fly human being seein’/No I’m not European bein all I
can”.
Snoop not only switches up rhyming technique every few lines, but the
pace of his delivery takes on a delightful elasticity, diving into lines at a
rapid pace only to instantly put on the brakes and glide back to his well known
relaxed flow – listen to the lines from “I’m/Not that lunatic nigga who you thought
I was…” to “…Ya better not be slippin with them D’s on the ’83 Cadillac”, and
notice how Snoop pushes off certain words as though he’s diving into a metaphorical
linguistic pool to increase the speed and ferocity of his delivery.
Lodi Dodi
And said "Um, mirror
mirror, on, the wall
Who is the top
dog of them all?"
There was a ruffle duffle, five minutes it lasted
The mirror said, "You are, you conceited
bastard!"
Well that's true! That's why we never have no beef
In the first
storytelling track on the album, Snoop pays honour to the legendary Slick Rick
with his own version of ‘La Di Da Di’. Whilst it’s unfair to really claim this
song as Snoop’s own original technique or skill, it’s still a testament to the
linguistic variety on the album that it has a place. In an album about the
day-to-day lifestyle of a gangster only Snoop could include allusions to classical
fairy tales and make it sound so effortlessly cool. Not to mention [not quoted
here, but a few lines later], in an industry defined by portrayals of
hyper-masculinity, there’s something humorous about Snoop describing his
morning beauty routine - luxurious descriptions of “Oil of Olay”, manicures,
“Johnson’s Baby Powder” and “Cool Water Cologne”. Something most MCs might try
to conceal or hide in an effort to preserve their gangster image becomes a
point of affluence and pride for Snoop, and it’s in his lucid flow and carefree
inflections that the air of confidence is created that allows Snoop to get away with
it where others might be derided.
Serial Killa
The cloud becomes black, and
the sky becomes blue
Now you in the midst of the Dogg Pound crew
Ain't no clue, on why the fuck we do what we do
Leave you in a state of paranoia, oooh
In terms of rhyming
techniques this doesn’t appear as a spectacular excerpt by any means on the
page, with a handful of internal rhymes and a rhyming quadruplet being the main
techniques of point. In the context of the song, however, Snoop takes over the
track with the intro to his verse. Daz and Kurupt do their thing up until this
point, but the track just feels lacking – the harsher, darker beat by Dre
demands an MC to really take a hold of it and to make it their own. When
Snoop comes in is when the track really starts to shine, the simple and
evocative imagery of the clouds and the sky reflecting the moody
atmosphere of the beat. As I’ve said repeatedly throughout, Snoop’s unique flow
and delivery help him to deliver any line, and here in the midst of some fairly
basic gangster posturing lyrics he is able to elevate the threat by contrasting
it with the casualness of his tone, as though this posturing is second-nature to him.
Who Am I?
It's the bow to the wow, creepin and crawlin
Yiggy yes y'allin, Snoop Doggy Dogg in
The motherfuckin house like everyday
Droppin shit with my nigga Mr Dr. Dre
Once again, this example
I’ve handpicked isn’t particularly impressive on the page, but then rap doesn’t
exist in a vacuum on the page – it is a performative genre, and there are not
many better performances than Snoop Dogg on Doggystyle.
Time and again on this album Snoop doesn’t really say anything at all, here for
instance, he’s just reiterating that Dre and Snoop are on the track, it’s not
exactly revolutionary stuff. But it’s the way that he raps that means in the
end his subject matter doesn’t really matter, it’s a delight to listen to
whatever it is. Words bounce off each other with such ease that when
complimented with Dre’s legendary production the listening experience itself
becomes effortless. There’s no need to unpack dense imagery or complex themes,
and whilst some might take this to be a criticism, Snoop’s skill on the mic
means that this facet becomes a quality in and of itself, and allows the album to
be enjoyed in an almost primal sense.
Doggy Dogg World
It's like everywhere I look
And everywhere I go
I'm hearing motherfuckers
trying to steal my flow
But it ain't no
thang, cause, see, my homie Coolio
Put me up on the
game when I stepped through the door
These lines
are key in highlighting a recurring theme throughout the album, that of people
trying to “steal my flow”. Originality in the rap game is key, and so when
people try to imitate or bite an MCs style without proper accreditation this is
a massive sign of disrespect. On Doggystyle
we have an excellent example of an MC perfecting their “flow”, and in fact when
Snoop’s ‘Dogg Pound’ affiliates try to jump on the track with him they
generally pale in comparison. The album is back-ended with features, and whilst
none are outright bad (in fact, Kurupt starts to come into his own), the album
takes a notable dip in quality when Snoop’s not on the mic. Of course, none of
these people are stealing from Snoop, but if the MCs viewed as worthy enough to
work within his style don’t really hold up, it’s almost painful to imagine what
those not deemed worthy sound like.
GZ and
Hustlas
Freeze, at ease, now let me drop some more of
them keys
It's 19-9-tre so let me just play
It's Snoop Dogg, I'm on the
mic, I'm back with Dr. Dre
But this time I'mma hit yo' ass with a touch
To leave motherfuckers in a daze, fucked up
The ending
excerpt I’ve chosen to take a look at is, again, not immediately spectacular,
it does not jump out at the reader with the feverous quality of Tha Shiznit,
for example. What it is, though, is an example of the consistency of Snoop Dogg
on Doggystyle, and that’s an ending
topic worthy of discussion. It’s rare to find an album where the lead MC
outshines everyone else on the album by quite a large distance, but on Doggystyle Snoop came out with a piece
of work that cemented his place as one of rap’s great MCs – and this was only
his first album. Snoop might not have the emotional reverence of Scarface or
the political insight of 2pac, but what he lacks in these elements he more than
makes up for in linguistic skill. Even on these closing album verses Snoop is
still ramming the track with internal rhymes, rhyming couplets (admittedly a
rapper’s bread and butter) and his patented spelling technique, which he once
again ties into the rhyming couplet.
[1] The most glaring
omission from the list is ‘Murder Was The Case’, not because I don’t think it’s
worthy, but rather that there’s so much to say about it I might return to it
for it’s own separate article one day.
good couple The Long Cock of the Law
ReplyDelete