Da Game Is To Be Sold, Not To Be Told Oshkosh WI

Da Game Is To Be Sold, Not To Be Told

Snoop Dogg

No Limit Records, 1998

REVIEW BY: Christopher Thelen

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED: 06/29/1999

Snoop Dogg needed a miracle in 1998.

His second album, Tha Doggfather, suffered from poor mixing, unexciting material and, worst of all, no Dr. Dre to help out his friend. If the album wasn't enough of a disappointment, the turmoil surrounding his now-former label Death Row, as well as the murder of Tupac Shakur and the dragged out murder charge Dogg faced all seemed like it could crush the young rapper's spirits.

He needed a miracle, all right... and one could say that miracle came in the form of rap mogul Master P and his No Limit label. Dropping the phrase "Doggy" from his name (I'm sorry, but I liked the way "Snoop Doggy Dogg" sounded), Dogg resurfaced with Da Game Is To Be Sold, Not To Be Told, which the public ate up upon its release. (I happened to snag this tape on an eBay auction; thanks to Sara Elenez of California for the prompt shipping.)

I suppose I'd like this album much better if Dogg still didn't rely on outside rappers as guests so often. I've made this complaint about rap before, and I'll make it again: When I buy a Snoop Dogg album, that's who I expect to hear, not fifty other rappers providing support. One or two times is okay; having almost the entire album sound like a rap summit is a bit much.