Album Review: Snoop Dogg - 'Algorithm'

Next year will mark 30 years since Dr. Dre’s The Chronic. That record defined West Coast rap and introduced the world to Snoop Dogg. The Sultan of Smooth’s delivery, unlike any other in rap, could be picked out of an East LA posse by your great aunt Florence.

Snoop hooking up with the legendary Def Jam Recordings is quite the event, therefore, and thankfully Algorithm does the moment justice, featuring a diverse array of artists from the label’s past, present and future. 

Method Man and Redman roll back the years on opener ‘Alright’, with emerging R&B star Nefertitti Avani dropping the soul. Subplots abound throughout: ‘Murder Music’ sees Snoop team up with East Coast artists Benny the Butcher, Jadakiss and Busta Rhymes, an important detail for scholars of the East Coast/West Coast feud. Lead single ‘Big Subwoofer’ stars the hip hop supergroup Mount Westmore, comprised of Snoop, E-40, Too Short and Ice Cube – big kahunas all. 

Possessing the looseness of a mixtape, Algorithm takes surprising turns, as it dabbles in radio DJ patter and incorporates Def Jam commercials. In a young man’s game, Snoop remains relevant. Savvily he cedes ground, allowing artists such as Jane Handcock (excellent on three cuts), daughter Choc (fantastic on the unique ‘Everybody Dies’) and Malaya to occupy chunks of the album. 

The result is another irresistible effort from the hip hop kingpin.

Listen: ‘No Smut On My Name’

Algorithm is out now via Def Jam