Snoop Dogg

No Limit/Priority

Snoop Dogg’s run on Priority Records and Master P’s No Limit label had its shining moments—Tha Doggfather, Da Game Is to Be Sold, Not to Be Told and No Limit Top Dogg—it ends with Tha Last Meal. Snoop now plans to record for his own Doggystyle Records label. If Tha Last Meal has a familiar flavor, it’s because most of the 19 tracks are seasoned with a’70s P-funk vibe—George Clinton appears on “I Can’t Swim”—and the rest feature the same old lyric themes: blunts, broads, cars. Still, few can step to Snoop’s flow, and that’s what makes him top dog. His signature, often witty rap style—coupled with Dr. Dre’s master production—overshadows lyric shortcomings here like the head-bobbing “Hennessey and Buddah” or the Nate Dogg and Ice Cube collaboration “Set It Off.” MC Ren, Eve, Kokane, Suga Free, Lady of Rage, the Eastsidaz and Master P and Mr. Magic also guest, but this is clearly Snoop’s show.