Snoop Gots Stax

Last March, everybody’s favorite LBC rapper released Ego Trippin’ on Geffen Records. Much like his more recent work, Snoop maintained his core fan base, but didn’t gain enormous attention for the release from the media at large. And that’s a bit unfortunate. While subject matter and production hasn’t really been in flux for the rapper over much of his career, if you enjoyed his earlier Doggystyle (1993) – and who didn’t – Ego Trippin’ has all of the same trappings, plus a country song.

The title of that disc, though, is a bit confusing.

Originally, Ultramagnetic MC’s, the group that first gave us Kool Keith, released a 1986 single with “Ego Trippin’” b/w “Ego Bits"/"Funky Potion." As an homage to that trailblazing group, De La Soul, in the early ‘90s, released "Ego Trippin' (Part Two)” as the second single from Buhloone Mindstate. That track was an amusing indictment of the various gangsterisms that had encompassed hip hop mid-way through the decade. So, perhaps Snoop has used it jokingly – but it is just a good title, so who knows.

Of late though, it seems that Snoop’s been embroiled in some Bishop Lamont nonsense. He’s still had ample time to put out a new single. The video for “Staxxx in My Jeans” was posted for just long enough to take a look – and then vanished. At least the audio did.

There hasn’t been any outcry, you can watch the video and play the track from that cd you bough (ahem). But it just seems odd, at this late date, to try and control a video like that. Surely, there’re countless websites where fans can either stream or just download Ego Trippin’. After all, that disc is almost a year old at this point.

Snoop did through up an ode to MLK the other day though. The beat’s a straight funk and soul burner with Sly Stone on the hook. It’s good to hear that Snoop is politically aware. And even beyond that, it sounds like Snoop is comfortable with what he’s doing, even if it seems like an eternity ago that he dropped that first disc.