Death Row's Greatest Hits
Chuck D of Public Enemy once prophesized that if artists didn't own their masters (tapes), the masters will own the artists. Well, hip-hop's fave gangster CEO Suge Knight owns most of his former high-profile label mates' master tapes and continues to issue collections of dated works byTha Dogg Pound,Dr. Dre, and now Snoop. Originally entitledDead Man Walkingto scare the willies out of Snoop, this release comes with a big fat greasy caveat emptor. Sure, this is a ghetto fab collection of the Doggfather's finest pre-No Limit and Doggystyle Records moments dating back to his brilliant cover ofBiz Markie's "Vapors" onTha Doggfatheralbum. That said, Snoop wants nothing to do with this release because he won't receive any proceeds from it and has urged his fans not to buy it. Contractual shenanigans aside, this release is off the hook and contains most of Snoop's finest career headbangers, from "Gin and Juice" to "Who Am I (What's My Name)." A great purchase if you can live with your conscience.--Dalton Higgins