Soundbites

Snoop Doggy Dogg “Paid Tha Cost To Be Da
Bo$$” Priority Records

“Paid Tha Cost To Be Da Bo$$,” is an homage to mafia
culture. The opening track begins much the same way “The
Godfather” begins (a subject begging a favor from the don),
and the next track repeats the names Bugsy, Gotti, Capone, and
Soprano. Alas, Don Doggy has two personalities. On such tracks as
“I Believe in You” and “I Miss That Bitch,”
Snoop is a slave to a woman, not a pimp to hos, and marriage is a
virtue. On most of the other tracks, however, he is as
pimpin’ as they come. The cheesy marital-bliss theme of
“I Believe in You,” is followed by
“Lollipop,” where you can guess what candy he’s
referring to. In fact, the best song on the album is
“Lollipop,” because it’s got nice flute work and
guest artists such as Jay-Z, and it’s not full of pretentious
ideas identifying Snoop as Machiavelli’s descendant. In
“Lollipop,” Snoop is just having a good time. Another
standout, while still pompous, is “The One and Only,”
which is a more honest story about where Snoop came from, rather
than an entirely narcissistic hyperbole. “Batman and
Robin” is complete silliness, and Snoop is parodying his
power through the image of cult superheroes. The other tracks are
strange, often relying on warped effects and pseudo-cataclysmic
vocals that make Snoop’s power seem as thin as the CD
it’s printed on. -Howard Ho

The Roots “Phrenology” MCA Records
  When asked why The Roots’ new LP is called
“Phrenology,” ?uestlove’s choice response to Urb
magazine was that “heads will love it.” It’s
clearly in jest, but the sad truth is that the joke will fly right
over most fans’ bobbing craniums. While The Roots helped
define underground hip-hop and fans of that scene (hip-hop heads)
have seen them as the torchbearers of some ambiguous indie ideal,
their increasingly accessible music hasn’t complemented that
image since 1995’s overtly cerebral “Do You Want
More?!!!??!” That’s not to say they’ve dumbed
down their sound. The song “Water” clocks in at over 10
minutes and hints at the group’s free jazz roots with a
jittery aural collage that sounds filtered through a transistor
radio. “Rock You” packs as much menacing and visceral
energy as anything they’ve put out since their rawer days in
Philly. But here the members expand their sound, letting that
intellectual style color the background and enhance their natural
knack for the hook. Reverent without wallowing in a romanticized
past, The Roots are what independent hip-hop should be. No matter
““ their return to the music scene is reason why the
mainstream is looking up. -Andrew Lee