Da Game Is To Be Sold, Not To Be Told [PA]

Performer: Snoop Dogg
Artist: Master P; Silkk The Shocker; C-Murder; Fiend; Soulja Slim; Mia X; Mystikal; Steady Mobb'n; Mac
Producer: Craig B; DJ Daryl; DJ Pooh; MP; KLC; Meech Wells; O'Dell; Snoop Dogg; Carlos Stephens
Distributor: EMI Music Distribution

Notes: Personnel includes: Snoop Dogg, Master P, Mia X, Mystikal, Fiend, Soulja Slim, Silkk The Shocker, C-Murder, Steady Mobb'n, Big Pimp'n (rap vocals); O'Dell, Big Pokey, Anita Thomas, Crooked Eye, Mac, Eddie Griffin (vocals); Daz (scratches). Producers includes: KLC, O'Dell, MP, Craig B, D.J. Pooh. Personnel: Eddie Griffin, Loose Ends, Crooked Eye Q, KRS-One, Mia X, O'Dell, Anita Thomas, Silkk the Shocker, Whodini, Big Pokey, Charlie Wilson (vocals); Daz (scratches). Unknown Contributor Roles: Mia X; Mystikal; Silkk the Shocker; C-Murder. As the Death Row ship was sinking, Snoop Dogg bailed, heading over to the new bastion of street cred, No Limit Records. Master P is a master marketer, and he knows how to reshape everyone on his roster into good No Limit soldiers. And that's precisely what Snoop Dogg is on Da Game Is to Be Sold, Not to Be Told, his third album proper and first for No Limit. There are a few concessions to G-funk scattered throughout the record, primarily in the form of squealing synthesizers, but by and large, Beats by the Pound and P give Snoop a set of standard No Limit backing tracks and have him do the No Limit dance. But there's one crucial difference: unlike most of Master P's grunts, Snoop has style, miles and miles of style. His loose, languid delivery is positively enthralling. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine As the Death Row ship was sinking, Snoop Dogg bailed, heading over to the new bastion of street cred, No Limit Records. Master P had worked his way to the top of the charts by giving the people what they wanted -- straight-up gangsta, with no frills, creativity, or substance. It was all a little rawer (actually, just cheaper) than Death Row's productions, but there was no denying that they knew what sold, and it seemed as if Snoop was making No Limit legitimate in the eyes of the mainstream world. Master P is a master marketer, and he knows how to reshape everyone on his roster into good No Limit soldiers. And that's precisely what Snoop Dogg is on Da Game Is to Be Sold, Not to Be Told, his third album proper and first for No Limit. There are a few concessions to G-funk scattered throughout the record, but by and large, Beats by the Pound and P give Snoop a set of standard No Limit backing tracks and have him do the No Limit dance -- record a long-winded, monotonous album, filled with "interpolations" of '80s soul and rap songs, and loaded with No Limit cameos. But there's one crucial difference: unlike most of Master P's grunts, Snoop has style, miles and miles of style. His loose, languid delivery is positively enthralling, which makes it all the more frustrating when No Limit hacks interrupt the flow. That happens on almost all of the tracks -- only a handful are Snoop alone, and those illustrate that he can, on occasion, turn bland music into something interesting. Still, they can't excuse the banality of Da Game Is to Be Sold, Not to Be Told. Signing to No Limit might have preserved Snoop Dogg's street cred, but it ruined his creativity. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine When Snoop Dogg announced that he was leaving Death Row Records, many wondered why he would abandon one of the most successful hip-hop record labels in the business. Quickly announcing that his third album would be put out on none other than the Master P-owned label No Limit, it was obvious why he would make that decision. As a No Limit soldier, Snoop takes his West Coast flavor to the dirty South combining the two sounds for DA GAME IS TO BE SOLD, NOT TO BE TOLD. Always an OG, Snoop Dogg collaborates with No Limit artists (C-Murder, Mystikal, Mia X and Silkk The Shocker, etc.) on many of the tracks. His flow and lyrical content aren't much different from his first two albums, and the production is still tight. Not quite the groundbreaker that DOGGYSTYLE was, but still a top quality rap album.

Q (12/99, p.130) - 3 Stars (out of 5) - "...Dogg's vocals can actually verge on the sublime....in glorious slow motion, and the undercurrent vibe is distinctly soulful..." The Source (9/98, p.239) - 3.5 Mics (out of 5) - "...Few MCs from the West have ever gotten as much acceptance and acclaim from outside regions....No Limit's latest soldier isn't trying to rock the boat with his third album...the vibrant vocalist is very happy to be with rap's top squad..."

Snoop Doggy Dogg ensured his place in rap history by providing the perfect vocal complement to Dr. Dre's mellow, ominous, West Coast G-funk sound. His distinctively lazy singsong and soft-spoken drawl was first heard on Dre's title cut from the DEEP COVER soundtrack in 1991. Snoop's appearances on Dre's solo album THE CHRONIC shortly thereafter propelled him to almost overnight stardom, and his albums DOGGYSTYLE and the DOGGFATHER both hit the top of the charts. Despite a much-publicized murder trial, and a falling out with Death Row Record's CEO Suge Knight, Snoop Dogg ascended to the highest echelon of rap royalty, and through shrewd marketing, brilliant collaborations, and his smooth pimp persona, he has kept his crown well into the 21st century.

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