A new Snoop Dogg album isn't exactly an uncommon occurrence. As his 14th studio album over the years of the Dogg's rapping career, Coolaid sits at the front of a very long line of music, spanning the history of rap music. And while it is distinctively Snoop, with breezy, marijuana-infused rhymes, it still manages to be shockingly different, joining the Doggfather's style with more contemporary, trap-influenced beats.
 
This is evident from the opening of the album, as he launches into the lines of "Legend". A darker, harsher beat pulses in the background of the track, as Snoop brags about beating a murder charge, "1996, I beat a 187 (Murder was the case)". It's standard hip-hop braggadocio but it sets a more sinister tone that runs throughout the first half of the album. He mixes classic beats with new school production to shock the senses, and he switches back and forth to keep you on your toes. "Ten toes down" feels like it came straight out of the 1990's, and it carries straight into "Don't Stop".
 
This album peaks on the fourth track with "Super Crip". Simultaneously grimy and catchy, it is a song that strikes a great balance between styles to worm its way into the back of your mind. Of the 20 tracks on this album, this is one of the few that will see regular play in my rotation after I've put this album down. Which I can't say about much of the music that I listen to for review. By the time I'm ready to write, I'm usually done. But this one will keep coming back for more.
 
The first half of this almost 80 minute long album is rather satisfying, but is starts to fail under its own weight with a bloated and somewhat generic latter half. "Feel about Snoop", "Light it Up", "Kush Ups", "Double Tap", and "Let the Beat Drop" feel like blatant attempts to garner radio success, with "Double Tap" feeling particularly egregious. A song about direct messaging girls after liking a picture of them on Instagram. It feels honestly cringey and brings back unfortunate memories of Yo Gotti's "Down in the DM". Which was terrible. Let's be honest.
 
I wish the backside of this album was as strong as the front. It opens with a bang, an excellent string of songs and rhymes that are really well produced. But it seems to fizzle out, like being handed a sparkler when you were expecting a roman candle. There is simply too much fluff that never should have made it into the final release. Which is really disappointing. If the album had stopped after the 11th track it would have been one of my favorites of the year so far. Instead, it will soon be forgotten

Track listing:
1. Legend
2. Ten Toes Down
3. Don't Stop (Feat. Two Short)
4. Super Crip
5. Coolaid Man
6. Let Me See Em Up (Feat. Swizz Beatz)
7. Point Seen Money Gone (Feat. Jeremih)
8. Oh Na Na (Feat. Wiz Khalifa) 9. My Carz
10. Two or More
11. Affiliated (Feat. Trick Trick)
12. Feel About Snoop
13. Light It Up (Feat. Swizz Beatz)
14. Side Piece
15. Kush Ups (Feat. Wiz Khalifa)
16. Double Tap (Feat. E-40 and Jazze Pha)
17. Got Those
18. Let the Beat Drop (Celebrate) (Feat. Swizz Beatz)
19. What If (Feat. Suga Free)
20. Revolution (Feat. October London)

This title was reviewed before the inception of our current review system and as such is not scored. We still stand by the content of our old reviews.

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Tags: Snoop Dogg, Coolaid, Gangsta Rap, Hip-Hop