Paid Tha Cost To Be Da Bo$$

The later half of the ‘90s were not particularly kind to Snoop Dogg. Following his lightning-fast rise to rap superstardom, his career stalled out for a while. Fans still checked for him, (his reunion with Dr. Dre for \"Still D.R.E.\" was extremely well received), but they wanted that old magic back. On *Paid Tha Cost to Be Da Bo\$$* Snoop steps things up dramatically, with a new label, sharper rhymes, and a fresh gang of producers. The result is his best album in years. Done compromising with generic in-house beatmakers, he enlists some serious firepower behind the boards, with all-stars including DJ Premier, Just Blaze, and the Neptunes. He also gets fiery guest spots from Jay-Z, Redman, Nate Dogg, Warren G, plus his forgotten *Chronic* co-conspirators Lady of Rage and RBX. The big hit on this album was \"Beautiful,\" but some of the lesser-known cuts, especially \"Lollipop\" and \"Long Beach 2 Brick City,\" are just as great. As close as you can get to a comeback album without actually being gone, *Paid Tha Cost* finds Snoop rejuvenated and ready to reclaim his throne.