Dogg Food
studio
ArtistTha Dogg Pound
CoverDoggPoundDoggFood.jpg
ReleasedOctober 31, 1995
RecordedDecember 1994 – May 1995
StudioCan-Am (Tarzana, Los Angeles) · Dre's Crib (Los Angeles)
GenreWest Coast hip-hop · gangsta rap · G-funk
LabelDeath Row · Interscope · Priority
ProducerDat Nigga Daz · DJ Pooh · Kurupt
Next year2001

Dogg Food is the debut studio album by American hip hop duo Tha Dogg Pound, released on October 31, 1995, by Death Row Records, Interscope Records and Priority Records.[1][2][3] The album features guest appearances from Snoop Doggy Dogg, Nate Dogg, Michel'le, The Lady of Rage, Tray Deee, and Mr. Malik. Three singles were released from the album: "Let's Play House" (featuring Michel'le and Nate Dogg), "Respect",[4] and "New York, New York" (featuring Snoop Doggy Dogg).

It debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 chart on November 18, 1995.[5] The album sold 278,000 copies in its first week.[6] Though Dr. Dre was Death Row's top producer, the album was mostly produced by Daz Dillinger, while Dre mixed the album. Dogg Food led the way for Daz to become the top in-house producer for Death Row until his departure in the late 1990s.

The video for the first single, "New York, New York", caused some controversy when Snoop appeared in it kicking down buildings throughout New York. The trailer of Tha Dogg Pound was shot at during the process of making the "New York, New York" video although no one was injured. The song is one of three tracks on the album not produced by Daz, as DJ Pooh provided the beat.[7]

Background

Its controversial lyrics were the subject of shareholder protest. The album was supposed to be released in August 1995, but as a result of the controversy from Time Warner, the release was delayed by two months.[8]

Critical reception

The Encyclopedia of Popular Music wrote that the album "revealed a comparative deftness of touch and a penchant for self-parody largely lacking in [the group's] more esteemed colleagues."[9] The Washington Post opined that Tha Dogg Pound's "variation on what has become a stale formula is less sample-driven than most gangsta funk; instead, it focuses on the formidable verbal flow and rhyme skills of Daz and Kurupt."[10] The Baltimore Sun wrote that "the music here sounds wonderfully fresh, from the growling synth-bass of 'Smooth' to the dreamy, slightly tropical pulse of 'Big Pimpin' 2'."[11] Trouser Press called the album "a low-key, unambitious and only mildly imaginative replay of Doggystyle, rolling over familiar G-funk terrain with the same minimum of venom and violence."[12]

Commercial performance

Dogg Food debuted at number one on both the US Billboard 200 and the US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums charts, selling 278,000 copies in its first week (the week ending on November 5, 1995).[6] The album was certified 2× platinum on January 5, 1996.

Track listing

Notes

  • "Dogg Pound Gangstaz" features vocals by Snoop Dogg and Big Pimpin
  • "Respect" features vocals by Nancy Fletcher, Big Pimpin, and Prince Ital Joe with additional vocals by Dr. Dre
  • "New York, New York" features vocals by Snoop Dogg
  • "Smooth" features vocals by Val Young, Kevin 'Slow Jammin' James, and Ricky Harris
  • "Cyco-Lic-No (Bitch Azz Niggaz)" features vocals by Snoop Dogg
  • "Ridin', Slipin' and Slidin" features vocals by Mz. South 'Sentral and background vocals by Kevin 'K.V.' Varnado
  • "Big Pimpin 2" features vocals by Big Pimpin and additional vocals by Dr. Dre
  • "Let's Play House" features vocals by Nate Dogg and additional vocals by Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg
  • "I Don't Like to Dream About Gettin Paid" features additional vocals by Stacey Smallie and Rochelle Wright
  • "If We All Fucc" features vocals by Snoop Dogg
  • "Some Bomb Azz Pussy" features vocals by Snoop Dogg, Big C-Style, and Joe Cool
  • "A Doggz Day Afternoon" features vocals by Nate Dogg and Snoop Dogg

Sample credits

Credits and personnel

  • Dr. Dre – executive producer, producer, writer, mixing engineer
  • Suge Knight – executive producer
  • Unleashed – art direction
  • Paul Foley – digital audio editor
  • Henry "Hendogg" Smith – illustration
  • Joe Cool – illustration
  • Brian Gardner – mastering engineer
  • DJ Pooh – mixing engineer, producer, writer
  • Daz Dillinger – producer, writer
  • Dave Swang – producer, writer
  • Emanuel Dean – producer
  • Rick Rouse – rhythm guitar
  • Carl “Butch” Small – percussion
  • Soopafly – keyboards
  • Death Row Records, Interscope Records, & Priority Records – label
  • Death Row Records & Interscope Records – copyright ©, phonographic copyright ℗
  • Cynthia E. Calhoun Publishing, Delmar Arnaud Musiq, Nate Dogg Music & Suge Publishing – publisher
  • Death Row Records – distributor
  • Big Pimpin’ Delemond – writer, featuring artist
  • Big Tray Deee – writer, featuring artist
  • Cynthia Calhoun – writer
  • Duke Bootee – writer
  • Grandmaster Melle Mel – writer
  • Kurupt – writer
  • The Lady of Rage – writer, featuring artist
  • Michel’le – writer, featuring artist
  • Mr. Malik – writer, featuring artist
  • Nate Dogg – writer, featuring artist
  • Prince Ital Joe – writer, featuring artist
  • Reggie Griffin – writer
  • Snoop Dogg – writer, featuring artist, background vocals
  • Sylvia Robinson – writer
  • Nanci Fletcher – additional vocals
  • Rochelle Wright – additional vocals
  • Stacey Smallie – additional vocals
  • Val Young – additional vocals, featuring artist
  • South Sentrelle – featuring artist

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (1995–1996)Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA Charts)[13]56
scope="row"
scope="row"

Year-end charts

Chart (1995)Position
US Billboard 200[14]154
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[15]44
Chart (1996)Position
US Billboard 200[16]49
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[17]16

See also

References

  1. ^ "Tha Dogg Pound | Biography & History". AllMusic
  2. ^ Pareles, Jon (October 31, 1995). "CRITIC'S NOTEBOOK;Rappers Making Notoriety Pay Off (Published 1995)". The New York Times. – via NYTimes.com.
  3. ^ "Kurupt Talks Death Row History, Suge Knight, 2Pac, Breaks Down Beefs + More". The Breakfast Club. September 13, 2018. Archived 2021-12-12 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved November 27, 2019.
  4. ^ Havelock Nelson (October 21, 1995). "Dogg Pound Ends Up At Priority". Billboard. Retrieved May 18, 2025.
  5. ^ "Tha Dogg Pound". Billboard. Archived November 17, 2021 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved December 8, 2021.
  6. ^ "'Dogg Food' Fights To Chart Top". 13 November 1995. Retrieved March 12, 2022.
  7. ^ Sidney Madden (October 31, 2016). "Today in Hip-Hop: Tha Dogg Pound Drop 'Dogg Food' Album". XXL. Retrieved December 11, 2023.
  8. ^ Chuck Philips (July 11, 1995). "Gangsta Rappers Daz and Kurupt Are Striking Out on Their Own With a Controversial Debut Album, but Will Time Warner and Critics Be Able to . . . : Corral the Dogg Pound?". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 7, 2024.
  9. ^ Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. 8. MUZE. pp. 106–107.
  10. ^ Harrington, Richard (November 1, 1995). "DOGG FOOD': MUCH BARK, SAME OLD BITE". – via www.washingtonpost.com.
  11. ^ Considine, J. D. (31 October 1995). "Bark is worse than the bite Review: Tha Dogg Pound's new release was expected by some to be the nastiest gangsta rap album ever. But it's surprisingly well done.". baltimoresun.com
  12. ^ "Tha Dogg Pound". Trouser Press. Retrieved 2 February 2021.
  13. ^ p. 85.
  14. ^ "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1995". Billboard. Archived January 23, 2015 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved January 27, 2021.
  15. ^ "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 1995". Billboard. Archived May 11, 2021 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved January 27, 2021.
  16. ^ "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1996". Billboard. Archived April 27, 2018 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved January 27, 2021.
  17. ^ "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 1996". Billboard. Archived April 27, 2018 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved January 27, 2021.