Presents the Big Squeeze

Album Review

As Snoop explains during the intro, The Big Squeeze was made to feature some underappreciated and unknown West Coast talent, plus showcase Snoop as producer and beat-maker, for which he uses the pseudonym Niggaracci. He's no Dr. Dre behind the boards, at least not yet, but he's surprisingly good, offering numerous hypnotic basslines, skeletal G-funk, and crooked beats perfect for crip-walking. During the intro he also claims he wanted to produce the record "from start to finish," but Soopafly is in charge of Tha Dogg Pound's "We Came to Bang Out" while the relaxed highlight "Can U Get Away?" was produced by David Banner. They could have been added last minute, and they could be clues as to why the release feels a bit patched together, but the enthusiasm and pride Snoop projects throughout the album makes up for a lot, especially for hardcore fans who have heard him sleepwalk through these types of fringe releases before. The loose weekend feel of the album makes it hard for most to really shine with their rhymes, save the gruff War Zone, who emerges as one to watch thanks to his fine work on "Shackled Up." Veteran Kurupt is also a pleasure to hear, as are MC Eiht and JT the Bigga Figga in their disappointingly short appearances. Since Kurupt, War Zone, and the Niggaracci side of Snoop are the ones who truly benefit from the comp, The Big Squeeze comes up short on its goal of making every name known. Still, this Left Coast party is a really good party even if you don't remember every stranger you meet.