This is more of a compilation released under the Tha Dogg Pound name, as it is made up of unreleased material while Daz and Kurupt were on Death Row, features and remixes. What's odd is that this album has a Snoop diss on it, on 'Living tha Gangsta Life', for snitching on Suge saying he killed Tupac, but then they are happy to feature him on the album... Very cheap looking album cover as well.
Anyway, on the album, it ain't too bad and begins bangin', with the first four songs being good, and 'Gangsta Rap' being similar to the song with the same title on the compilation 'Too Gangsta for Radio'. Then the Tupac featuring 'Don't Stop', along with the remix of Jay's song from 'The Dynasty', are good. Suge actually put 'Dillinger & Young Gotti', (released around the same time), on the Deathrow website and asked fans to vote track for track whether this or 'Dillinger & Young Gotti' was the better album, thinking his would come up trumps. I had a link for this from the website archive site but I can't find it anymore. Overall though they are quite similar, some bangin' tunes but not enough to make the album be anything special, and even the best here probably won't have you coming back often.
Best Tracks: Roll Wit Us, Just Doggin', Gangsta Rap, Don't Stop, Change the Game (Remix), Feels Good, Every Single Day
It's rare that this happens with an album, but I enjoy the middle portion of this more than anything else. The lead single, 'Cali Iz Active', has never really done it for me, but from track five 'It's Craccin' All Night' has an enjoyable dark atmospheric feel, 'Slow Your Roll' is bangin' and 'Hard on a Hoe', while not brilliant, is so ridiculously misogynistic it's funny. 'It's All Hood' is a nice vibey track that DPG albums always contain, and then the album rides out to 'She Likes Dat' (I don't have the bonus tracks) being somewhat inconsistent but featuring some reasonable tunes.
The biggest difference this has from any other Dogg Pound album is that Daz who normally has a hand in most of the beats, doesn't produce anything on this. Battlecat, L.T. Moe, Swizz Beat, J-Dub, Soopafly, Ryan Leslie, Rick Rock, David Banner, 1500 or Nothin', Bangladesh and Jazze Pha are amongst the producers who provide beats for this release. In saying this though, it still doesn't venture too far from what they've done and it still feels west coast, it is though a vast improvement from the generic beats that are on their previous album. There ain't anything too special but it's worth checking out for fans.
Best Tracks: It's Craccin' All Night, Slow Your Roll, Keepin' It Gangsta, It's All Hood, Don't Sweat It, Thrown Up da C
The Pound's last album, 'Dogg Chit', had some really good hard melodic beats and rapping but this album mostly fails to impress in the production department. And considering Daz and Ivan Johnson are doing most of them as they did on 'Dogg Chit', the difference is surprising. They are fairly generic beats and even the Lil' Jon produced 'No'mo Police Brutality' is lacklustre.
Thankfully from there and about halfway through there are a few more tracks that have appeal in the second half of the album. 'On & On' is one of these and it improves after that. It features a Biggie sample on the hook and the beat is more catchy than most of the previous songs.
The next track 'They Don't Want It' produced by Soopafly is good as well and features a really raw type of beat which changes up a few times. Nothing is brilliant but from there I enjoy more of what the album has to offer than the first ten or so tracks, so definitely don't turn off mid-way through as there is some nicer stuff later on. Still though, while both Daz and Kurupt are enjoyable as always, as with most Dogg Pound and gangsta rap lyrically, it's generic, so you need more bangin' beats and there ain't enough on this album to have someone coming back for more I wouldn't have thought.
Best Tracks: That Was Then This Is Now, On & On, They Don't Want It, Tha Liquor Store, Westside Rydin, Get My Drink On & My Smoke On, How Tha West Was Won
The first disc is full of pretty strong G-Funk/Gangsta Rap beats, with plenty of great features to go with it. It definitely drops off with some strange songs like J-Lo's 'Play' being featured in the second disc though.
Another more than solid west coast album from D.A.Z. It is a formulaic Dillinger album - it begins bangin' with 'Destruction Adds Up to Zero', gets more vibey in the middle and the subject matter goes toward the opposite sex, and then it finishes with some more hardcore west coast bangers. Well worth checking out if you have enjoyed anything Daz has created in recent times.
Best Tracks: D.A.Z. (Destruction Adds Up to Zero), $till Get'N Money, Don't U Eva 4 Get