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— by Shaheem Reid, with additional reporting by Rahman Dukes
Artists: Snoop Dogg and Family
Representing: DPGC
CD: Bigg Snoop Dogg Presents Welcome to Tha Chuuch: Da Album
411: If you jog your memory, you'll recall that a couple of years back, Snoop Dogg was hot and heavy on the mixtape circuit with his Welcome to Tha Chuuch mixtape series. Well playas and playettes, it's now official like a referee with a whistle.
Snoop drops his independent album on Tuesday, and Doggy Dogg has assembled some of his founding Doggystyle Allstars like Soopafly and RBX; reunited with old friends like Tha Dogg Pound, Nate Dogg and the Lady of Rage; and introduced some more new talent such as singer Tiffany Foxx (who's looking for her bloomers on "Can't Find My Panties").
No Warren G or that fabulous singer LaToiya Williams on the album, though. Double sigh.
Joints To Check For:
- "Smokin All My Bud" by Snoop Dogg, Shon Lowan, Half Dead and Uncle Reo. This record popped up on the bootleg of Snoop's last album, but when the official version came out, it was nowhere to be found. Check out this treasure about Snoop getting taken advantage of because he likes to share.
- "Real Soon" and "We West Coast" by the DPGC. "Real Soon" sends shout-outs to loved ones who are in prison. It has become a theme song for people to rally around Tookie Williams, the convicted murderer who co-founded the Crips. Because of the anti-gang work Williams has done while in prison, Snoop and Oscar winner Jamie Foxx have been very vocal in trying to stop his execution, which is scheduled for Tuesday, the same day the album comes out (see "Schwarzenegger Meets With Tookie Williams' Lawyers").
- "Notorious DPG" by Lady of Rage featuring Kurupt and RBX. Only one question: When are Snoop and Dr. Dre gonna come to the table and join forces for the DPGC reunion album? It seems like a no-brainer they would want to take it back to the early Death Row heyday.
Don't Sleep: Other Notable Selections This Week
- Red Café's The Supplier
- Action Pac's Safe Sex 25
- Funkmaster Flex's Funkmaster Flex Car Show Tour CD and DVD
- DJ Gyvis' We Run Da Strip
- DJ Papa Smirf, DJ Sosa and Young Legend's You're All Welcome
'Hood's Heavy Rotation: Bubbling Below The Radar
- "My Jealousy" by Cam'ron featuring Slim Thug, All-Star, Tef and Papoose
- "Get That Guap" by Busta Rhymes featuring Slim Thug
- "D.B.L.O.C.K." by D-Block
- "The Next Episode 2006" by Dr. Dre featuring Snoop Dogg and Nate Dogg
- "It's LL & Santana" by LL Cool J and Juelz Santana
- "Mixtape Luv" by Maino
Celebrity Favs
Houston's Slim Thug is planning on closing out the year with high-profile guest appearances. He just shot videos with Gwen Stefani (the "Luxurious" remix) and Beyoncé ("Check on It"). And he's equally thrilled to be working with Busta Rhymes on some mixtape material.
"You know, it's just been crazy," said Thugger, who's working on his group album The Boyz in Blue. "They've been reaching out to me. Me and Beyoncé? I'm happy to be a part of that. I'm just having fun. Busta reached out to me. I've been listening to his music for a long time. He sent me a track and came to Houston and hollered at me. It's a pleasure to work with him."
The Streets Is Talking: News & Notes From The Underground
In the past couple of weeks we've heard Busta Rhymes collaborations with D4L ("Laffy Taffy" remix) and Slim Thug ("Get That Guap"), and the formerly dreadlocked rapper says that's definitely not going to be the last time we hear him get down and dirty with cats from the South.
He's been in cahoots with the Aphilliates to put out a Busta Rhymes Gangsta Grillz. That one is going to feature Bus rapping with some of his Southern homies like T.I., Ludacris, Paul Wall, Mike Jones and Bun B.
"It's just for the South, and it's all exclusives," Busta said. "Ain't nothing being done over somebody else's beat. So it's just like a whole 'nother album I'm doing, feeding the street with the relentless bangers for the 'hood.
"In addition, I've got an East Coast CD called New Crack City with my man Clinton Sparks," he added. "It's for whoever and whenever. But I'm specifically making joints to accommodate the area with the sound they prefer when they listen to music. But we realize these sounds have become global. Clinton Sparks and the Gangsta Grillz are both gonna come this month."
That's just the start. DJ Green Lantern, who produced a duet between Busta and the late Rick James for Rhymes' new LP, The Big Bang (due in March), is also going to be working on a Busta Rhymes mixtape that will come sometime in January.
Perhaps you're wondering how he's still going to have enough original material for his album after releasing three mixtapes. Well, 212 is the magic number. He's recorded that many songs in the three years he's been off.
Speaking of off, Busta is getting used to his new haircut. He's actually cut it twice since shedding his dreads a couple of weeks ago and is on his way to growing some waves. ...
Ludacris drops his label compilation album Ludacris Presents Disturbing Tha Peace on Tuesday (featured on "The Leak" on mtv.com until the album's release) and advises anyone visiting his hometown of Atlanta to reciprocate the love they get.
"When you think of Atlanta, you think of Southern hospitality," said Luda, who of course made a hit record called "Southern Hospitality" a few years back. "The number-one thing you need to know about the people in general is that Southern hospitality is true to a certain degree. But when you overstep your boundaries, there is no more Southern hospitality. We respect those who respect us. Soon as you cross that line, you will get disrespected."
In his new video for "Georgia," Ludacris wears a T-shirt that says "Thank God for the Block." What does that signify for him?
"That's the place where the hustler state of mind originates for me," he said. "Wherever you gonna have that killer instinct, that's hustler's instinct. The most successful people are the people who have the drive and motivate themselves. They have street smarts and book smarts." ...
"It's the truth in there," B.G. said about his new dis freestyle, "The Triggerman." On the song, he goes at the man he once said was like a little brother to him: Lil' Wayne.
Just last year, Wayne and B.G. were performing onstage together, and Wayne even made a record, "I Miss My Dawgs," dedicated to all the Hot Boys who left Cash Money Records. B.G. says he was shocked to hear Wayne lashing out at his compadres recently in magazine and TV interviews.
"I went through the roof," B.G. said. "He sent our relationship sideways. I had a lot of respect for shorty cause he done that 'I Miss My Dawgs' song. He performed it for me. To make a long story short, he was like, f--- everybody who left Cash Money. I'm one of the ones who left Cash Money, so really you saying f--- me. I left, Juvi left. When you say f--- me, I'm gonna say f--- you back."
B.G. contends that until the recent Wayne press run, he didn't have any beef with him.
"My problems ain't with you," B.G. said of Wayne. "You ain't the one that got my money — Baby got my money. You ain't had no business even going there. Now I know where your heart is at."
It's not all bad, though. B.G. says he does want to talk to Wayne regardless of whether Weezy F. Baby retaliates or not.
B.G. is working on his next LP, Heart of the City, Volume 2: I Am What I Am, which is due in March. Mannie Fresh produced the first single, "Move Around," their first collaboration since B.G. left Cash Money years ago. The two may also work on a Hot Boys reunion LP, but it will just be Juvi and B.G. if it does happen, with Wayne on the outs and Turk in jail.
In the meantime, B.G. is ready to go major again. His next LP is the last of his deal with Koch, and he's been talking to some power houses about partnering up in the future. He wants a label deal for his Chopper City Records.
"I been talking to G-Unit, I been talking to Jive, I been talking to Sony," he said. "A lot of people wanna talk, but talk is cheap. If the business is right, that's where I'mma be at."
For more on the role of mixtapes in the music industry, check out the feature "Mixtapes: The Other Music Industry."
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Photo: MTV News
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