Like It Should Be
If hip-hop were really about lyrical style and skill--and not about where you're from--Snupe would be platinum and his Bay Area crew, the Hieroglyphics, would be on top of the rap game. Snupe, the Houston-born/Oakland-bred MC and DJ behind Extra Prolific, has a swaggering confidence and a precise glide that hasn't been heard since that other Snoop came around. This Snupe, though, can twist and turn words with a speed and poetry Doggy Dogg can't touch. There are no threats--except when it comes to rhyming--and not an angry or violent sentiment onLike It Should Be. What drives Snupe is sex, and if you believe his ribald tales of skirt chASINg, he's had a good deal of success with the pastime. The record is raunchy without being brutal, dirty but rarely ugly, and often very funny. And for the repentant, Snupe's Southern gospel roots sneak out on "First Sermon": "Raise your hands we're having church today / Get out your seat we're having church today." In hand with the smart lyrics, Snupe's keen musical sense completes the package. While spare and unspectacular backing tracks have limited other Hieroglyphics acts like Souls of Mischief, Casual, and Del tha Funky Homosapien (many of whom guest here), Extra Prolific's '70s soul--thick and bubbly bass lines, cool keyboards--are good enough to stand alone.Like It Should Beis clearly among the best hip-hop albums of the year.--Roni Sarig