In the early-to-mid-90’s, Death Row Records was on the verge of being the biggest thing in Hip-Hop since its creation. But with the tragic murder of its star in Tupac Shakur, along with other artists jumping ship, it became the death of a dynasty.
In its defense, plenty of Death Row’s offspring have gone on to still have solid careers, and the duo of Tha Dogg Pound can attest to that with their seventh studio album in That Was Then, This Is Now.
The title of the record itself has a suggestive undertone of their years back on ‘Row leading up to their time now, but nonetheless, the tandem fill up the project with that certified “gangsta sh*t” they built their livelihood off of.
Daz Dillinger handles the bulk of the production, with people like Cassidy, Swizz Beatz, Snoop Dogg, and Krayzie Bone, all taking a trip through Long Beach, California with the two veterans.
The title track of ‘That Was Then, This Is Now’ starts things off. Spearheaded by a simple drum pattern, Daz and Kurupt brief listeners on their track record starting from the beginning, to where they are now. Swizz Beatz and his protégé Cassidy then put their spin on ‘Attitude Problem,’ as the Philly lyricist stands up for fellow artist T.I. with lines like:
“T.I. innocent/if he ain’t shoot nobody with them guns/you shouldn’t give a sh*t.”
Daz’s cousin also known as Snoop Dogg then helps out on the rider-friendly ‘Rollin N A Drop Top,’ with them all discussing their methods of getting around in the nice weather.
‘How Low’ is used to exploit their sexual appetite in a raunchy manner, which is followed by relationship drama of ‘Insanity,’ where Tha Dogg Pound rhyme in a Bonita Applebum-type format.
In strange twist of fate, one of the strongest songs on the album is ‘On And On,’ where DPG use a voice sample from The Notorious B.I.G. from his song ‘Nasty Boy.’ ‘They Don’t Want It’ is a 6-minute “jacking for beats” tune where the West Coast mainstays rap straight through with no hooks using recognizable and unrecognizable beats.
Other songs that bring you into the “now” are the melodic sounds of ‘Money Fold’n’ (feat. Krayzie Bone), the extra marital affairs of ‘Cheat,’ and the Lil Jon-produced ‘No Mo Police Brutality.’
Tha Dogg Pound may not have the huge machine behind them that they once had, but, but they’ve been able to sustain music as a full time job that pays the bills, and that’s more than a lot of artists can say after they’re left to fend for themselves.
Using That Was Then, This Is Now as another platform to get their point across, the two seasoned MC’s also show that they still have a lot left in the tank, and that’s always worth checking out.
