Those looking for the Snoop Dogg’s classic rap styles will be thoroughly disappointed in his newly released album “Bush.” While the artist retains his quirky lyrics and cannabis-focused themes, the vocals in each of the ten songs fully overpower the little remaining rapping. While Snoop has presented rap songs with many vocals in the past, none have featured them so prominently as those in “Bush.”
The funky style of the album feels like a shift to old school music in general rather than old school rap, with the likes of Stevie Wonder featured on the very first track “California Roll.” This song is one of the few noteworthy pieces of the album, with a smooth, relaxed vibe throughout and a balance of vocals and Snoop’s new melodic style of rapping. While most of the songs on the album sound nearly identical, Wonder’s singing makes this selection stand out.
The only other standout piece on “Bush” is “Peaches N Cream.” Simply put, while there is still too much singing, rapping is the focus of the song. Snoop rhymes smoothly over one of the funkiest beats in an already extremely funky album. This style of music is not extremely prevalent in today’s hip-hop industry, with Kendrick Lamar’s “To Pimp a Butterfly” acting as another recent album with clear funk influences in some songs.
While Snoop has proven himself to be an extremely versatile artist, rapping is what made him a star. The more he deviates from that, the less success he is bound to find in an industry teeming with fresh competition and new styles.
“Bush” features few standouts and overall sounds like one long song rather than ten distinct ones. That being said, Snoop still finds a way to make the piece enjoyable, even though fans may yearn for the old Snoop to return.
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