DOGG EAT DOGG

	Snoop Dogg

CURRENT   CHOICE

ℵ

  Calvin Broadus has come a long way since his landmark debut on the Dr. Dre produced single "Deep Cover" in 1992. Later that year, Snoop's syrupy flow lifted Dre's The Chronic to monumental heights, and in '93 he released his funk influenced debut CD, Doggystyle. For a while, Doggystyle was the best selling debut of all time, and along with The Chronic, is credited for creating radio-friendly pop gangsta rap that was chock full of misogyny yet somehow accessible to middle America. These two albums begat most of the commercial rap we've heard in the last decade, and featured the most influential hip-hop production work of the past decade.

After Doggystyle, Snoop released a pair of multi-platinum records, survived a murder trial, and left Death Row for Percy Miller's No Limit Records. He's no longer a No Limit soldier and his recent albums have satisfied only his most devoted fans. Along the way though, Snoop has successfully worked in practically every medium, including film, radio, television, fashion, and porn, and has had a surprising - and frequently embarrassing - influence on everyday language. He's a regular cover-boy for High Times, whose influence on TV nation abounds.

Since parting with Dre the first time around, Snoop's music has never recaptured the luster that helped listeners overlook some of his obvious flaws. When you break it down, how seriously can you take an artist who has his own Girls Gone Wild video? Still, he's an icon of the mid-'90s g-funk era with an underestimated command of popular culture and a blessed flow. •

Snoop Dogg With Daz and Soopafly 6:30pm Wednesday, January 28 $30-35 224-9600 or www.ticketmaster.com Sunset Station 1174 E. Commerce 224-9481