Snoop Dogg – Da Game Is To Be Sold, Not To Be Told (8-4-1998)

Posted on Sep 10 in Rapaveli Retroby adminPrint

Master P pulled off the free agent deal of the millennium when he was able to sign Snoop to the tank in early 1998. I remember being a teenager and thinking about how tight it was that not only athletes were being dealt to other teams but rappers too. At first I didn’t really think that Snoop would fit in well with the tank and its southern ways of doing things but by August all those questions were put completely to rest. Master P’s marketing prowess was so strong that he actually gave Snoop and entire month to spread his wings and sell records. In fact he did just that on his way to over two million sold.

Producer KLC definitely put his foot all the way into the ass of Snoop’s opening track “Snoop World.” The track did a great job of reaffirming the album’s illustrious cover theme. For those of us who still own the original CD with the blue Q-Pack case know that the second track is indeed titled “I Can’t Take The Pain.” The Mia X assisted track features a funky ass sample of “Slow Down” by Loose Ends. I know it may be hard to believe but Master P actually played a part in the production efforts of one of the album’s high points “Woof.”

Charlie Wilson shows up to rework one of his many classics on the DJ Pooh produced “Show Me Love.” I didn’t really appreciate the album’s first single when it first came out but nowadays it seems almost surreal whenever you hear Snoop on some cold blooded west coast shit such as “Still A G Thang.” I think Jon B was a sort of hot R&B singer back when this album first came out and for some odd reason Snoop thought that remaking one of his songs would do some type of justice on “D.O.G.’s Get Lonely 2.”

C-Murder manages to bring the lyrical pain as he always did on the antagonizing produced “Aint Nut’in Personal.” Producer Craig B laces the dope ass backdrop as Snoop and C-Murder play Ice Cube and Eazy-E on the NWA remake “DP Gangsta.” The funky ass sample continues as Snoop Borrows a few elements from Whoodini’s “Five Minutes OF Funk” for “Game Of Life.” Before the album closes out Snoop unleashes his storytelling prowess over KLC’s funky ass production on “Doggz Gonna Get Ya.”

Though many outside of the No Limit cult downplayed Da Game Is To Sold, No To Be Told anybody who rode with the tank will surely have fond memories of the bright crip blue CD. In fact this was just the start of Snoops ascension back up the popularity ranks within hip hop. Me believing that the tank and Snoop wouldn’t mesh well together was put to rest after the early August release of Da Game Is To Be Sold, Not To Be Told. Damn that’s a long ass title!