Review: Snoop Dogg & Tha Dogg Pound - That's My Work 5
By Eli Schoop, Contributor
[DPGC Music; 2014]
3/10
Key Tracks: “House Party,” “6 N Da Mornin”
A contender for one of the least anticipated mixtapes of the year, Snoop Dogg & Tha Dogg Pound’s That's My Work 5 is an odd entity, to say the least. Starring the ever-lovable Snoop Dogg and featuring his long-time collaborators DJ Drama, Kurupt and Daz Dillinger, the collection of tracks on display are a mess, phoned-in and lackluster.
“House Party” starts off the whole fiasco, showing initial promise. With its menacing atmosphere and barren drums, Snoop, Daz and Kurupt trade verses about causing chaos with relative ease. It's all downhill from there, as almost every successive track downgrades the quality on this release.
“These Hoes Ain't Loyal DPG,” in true mixtape form, takes a beat from a hugely popular song and ruins it with a contrived attempt at boasting on new terms.
It gets worse with “Pressure” and “U Neva Know,” a one-two punch of asinine punch lines and tired delivery. “Pressure” comes off as a Cam'ron cut never used; the references to Harlem are replaced with Bay Area allusions and produce sour results.
“U Neva Know” has the distinction of aping Future at the height of his popularity, but ends more Big Sean than the king of Atlanta. A catchy chorus is the only redeemable factor here, sexual prowess and stature arrogance making the song redundant and irritating from the get-go.
The most egregious thing about That's My Work 5 is its placidity and overall stale vibe. These are west coast hip-hop legends here; Snoop Dogg is a living legend, perhaps the most famous California rapper alive, yet seems like he has no desire to succeed on this LP.
More irredeemable, however, are the performances of Kurupt and Daz. Kurupt, after a hot stint in the mid 2000s with long-time partner DJ Quik, spits the stalest verses possible in “U Don't Know Me Like Dat” and “Don't Take Nothin,” these selections being the most prominent examples of his pathetic attempts at rapping.
On the other hand, Daz never really had that short spotlight so his mediocrity is more excusable. He even shows up on “6 N Da Mornin,” supplemented with a reggae-inspired beat and delivering a solid flow in addition to the bouncy rhythms.
In a vacuum, That's My Work 5 merely disappoints in a fairly comical way. However, the star power at the forefront of this mixtape, in addition to the fact it is a sequel to a long-running series, makes it akin to a train wreck.
