Snoop Dogg Albums

Snoop Dogg albums are held up as some of the most important albums in rap history. Snoop Dogg's music tells the story of the emergence of rap music from an underground movement to a mainstream genre. If you do not have these important Snoop Dogg albums in your list, then you need to expazzle your collection, fo shizzle.

1. "Doggystyle" (1993). The Snoop Dogg album that started it all is "Doggystyle" (1993). Snoop Dogg appeared on Dr. Dre's album "The Chronic" (1992), and the response to Snoop's performance was enough to convince the good doctor that the world wanted more of the dogg. This album immediately established the beginning of the Snoop Dogg vocabulary with such influential hits as "Gin and Juice" (1993) and "Who Am I (What's My Name?)" (1993). Some of the other influential hits on this record include "Tha Shiznit" (1993), "Murder was the Case" (1993) and "Serial Killa" (1993).
2. "The Doggfather" (1996). Most of the reputation attributed to Snoop Dogg comes from his albums rather than any activity in the press. When Snoop wanted to create a new legend about himself, he put it on vinyl. "The Doggfather" (1996) is a great example of Snoop giving himself a nickname and having that name stick. Some of the memorable songs off this album include "2001 - Bad Ass" (1996) and "Snoop Bounce" (1996).
3. "Da Game Is To Be Sold, Not To Be Told" (1998). Snoop Dogg wanted to establish himself as a premier rapper from the moment he recorded his first song for Dr. Dre. The Snoop Dogg albums show a progression from a rapper that talked about his own world, to an icon that realized that he was altering the world around him. With Snoop Dogg it is more confidence than arrogance. With "Da Game Is To Be Sold, Not To Be Told" (1998), Snoop Dogg starts to lay down some of the ground rules that an entire generation of rappers would follow.
4. "Paid tha Cost To Be da Bo$$" (2002). It took a while for Snoop Dogg to climb completely out of the shadow of Dr. Dre. While Snoop Dogg was launching the careers of future stars such as Nate Dogg, he was still consistently identified with Dre. While Dre and Snoop never officially parted ways, this album helped to establish that Snoop was the ruler of his own universe and he was not about to let go of it. This is just a good, hardcore rap album with some great tracks such as "Stoplight" (2002), "Wasn't Your Fault" (2002) and "The One and Only" (2002).
5. "R&G (Rhythm and Gangsta) - The Masterpiece" (2004). This is not the best Snoop Dogg album, but it definitely belongs in the list of his top five. What makes it so great the stories he tells and the way he sums up an entire career in one album. The beats and music on this record are not the best Snoop has ever used, but he more than makes up for it with some excellent vocal hooks and very catchy rhymes.