I could only wish that I had had the intuition to be a hip-hop journalist at the age of eight. If I would have I might have been able to write reviews about an album such as Doggystyle. Well, since I own this site and I pretty much dictate whatever goes on in this corner of the internet I’m writing a review on Doggystyle in 2009. I didn’t really get into this album anywhere near the time that it actually came out. Much like the rest of the albums of the early 90’s I didn’t get onto this until about a year later. It might have actually been two years later because I distinctly remember listening to this and Bone’s Eternal 1999 simultaneously. Whatever the case was, the shit bumped and here’s why…

What would life be like without a pound of weed per day and a big screen TV? These are the questions that one of Snoop’s accomplices asks on the album’s bathtub intro. After a quick reintroduction to the album on “G-Funk Intro” Snoop gets right down to business on one of the most famous rap songs of all time with the anthem “Gin & Juice.”

In it’s prime simplicity “The Shiznit” still serves as one of Dr. Dre’s signature production efforts from his storied career behind the boards. “Lodi Dodi” finds Snoop expanding his creativity as he spits simple bars in the same fashion that Slick Rick would have. Of course we all know about the eerie coincidence in timing between Snoop’s murder trial and the release of the popular single “Murder Was The Case.” Dr. Dre makes his only cameo on the album on the albums first single “Who Am I (What’s My Name).”

It might be a consensus that “It Aint No Fun (If The Homies Can’t Have None)” is where Nate Dogg’s absurd singing career really took off.  Dr. Dre goes all the way in on the Dramatics featured “Doggy Dogg World.” Though the lyrics are pretty much on course with the rest of the album this particular track definitely stands out as the most grown up affair. Things start to get just a little monotonous as the album wears through the fourth quarter but “G’z and Hustlas” should still be one of the album’s favorites.

After listening to this classic piece of work in its entirety today I realize that maybe this album wasn’t as good as we all once thought it was. Of course it still has those tracks that touch that back part of your neck but overall it plays out to be just a tad bit dry. Then again maybe a bulk of the albums that were inspired by and came after Doggystyle each took away some of its urban relevance. No matter what we may think about it listening to it today it still and will always serve as one of the most quintessential hip hop albums of all time. Remember I use the word hip-hop to describe what most people consider rap. Doggystyle was a lot of things, it was gangsta rap, it was G-Funk, it was hip-hop, but most importantly it was and still is a classic!

I’m guessing that since Dr. Dre is doing random ad spots and shit that maybe Detox is actually slated for a release sometime over the next two or three years. The added bonus here is the short ass beat at the end of the commercial. Not that it sounds like anything unlike what he’s already done its still always great to hear another recycled beat from Dre!

Though it’s been a clean five years since his last release, Encore, Eminem has seemingly shaken the entire hip-hop world up with the news of his latest effort Relapse. After the curtain closed on Encore many thought that they’d never see or hear Eminem perform ever again in their lives. After some drug and rap withdrawal issues the industry seems more than happy to welcome the bleach headed shit talking maniac back into our lives. Slim Shady has never been one to fall on def ears and early indications are showing that this time around won’t be any different.

Em’s vocal delivery and a lackluster backdrop from the Doctor add up to a not so amusing, and or entertaining ride on the opening “3 a.m.” Things get a little more interesting when Em goes on yet another rant against his mother as he vividly explains the root of his pill poppin problems on “My Mom.” He even takes time to take a stab at utilizing the very popular auto-tune accessory on the tale end of the aforementioned track. As surprising as it may seem Eminem actually reaches an even higher level of fucked-upness on “Insane” where he makes a scary ass visualization of getting fucked in the ass by his stepfather.

Slim Shady rears his ugly face as he takes some harsh shots at Nick Cannon only after he talks about fuckin the shit out of his new wife Mariah Carey on the well-orchestrated “Bagpipes From Baghdad.” Em’s idea of a dance/club song doesn’t quite fit what’s hot right now as he proceeds to take a few shots at Lindsey Lohan on the comically murder filled “Same Song & Dance.” On “Medicine Ball” Eminem proves that no one is above his outrageous rants as he takes shots at Christopher Reeves who by the way is deceased. Em sounds like his classic self as he speaks of sticking an umbrella inside a girl and opening it while its still inside her on the deranged “Stay Wide Awake.”

It takes an appearance from Dr. Dre to bring the album’s subject matter back to something normal like smoking weed on the protocol Aftermath product “Old Time’s Sake.” On the classically Dr. Dre laced “Déjà vu” Em seems to be painting a picture of his real pill problems as opposed to the fictitious ones. On the self produced “Beautiful” Em offers critics, listeners, haters, and fans a chance to walk a few miles in his shoes in order for them to understand why he acts the way he does. On the closing “Underground” Em goes for broke as he spits some of the album’s most fucked up bars over a barbaric beat from the good doctor.

For those sane people in the world Relapse will definitely be a little too much to stomach. On the other hand for those of us who get off to some fucked up shit Relapse is the diamond in the rough that we’ve all been missing. If you ever thought that you’ve heard it all from Eminem before then you’re destined to be more than stunned by the time you reach track number five on Relapse. The real irony here is that beneath all the outlandish lyrics lies the E Hollywood True Story of what Marshall Mathers has been paining through since we last heard from him!

VERDICT – 14 / 20
LYRICS: 4
PRODUCTION: 3
DELIVERY: 3
CONSISTENCY: 4