Dogg Food
1995 studio album by Tha Dogg Pound
Dogg Food Released October 31, 1995 (1995-10-31 ) Recorded December 1994 – May 1995 Studios Genres Length 71 :19 Labels Producers
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 . 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", and "New York, New York " (featuring Snoop Doggy Dogg ).
It debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 chart on November 18, 1995. The album sold 278,000 copies in its first week. 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.
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.
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." 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." 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'." 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."
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). The album was certified 2× platinum on January 5, 1996.
Track listing
Title Writer(s) Producer(s) 1. "Intro" Dat Nigga Daz 0 :18 2. "Dogg Pound Gangstaz" Dat Nigga Daz 5 :22 3. "Respect" (featuring Prince Ital Joe ) Arnaud Brown Delemond Williams Dat Nigga Daz 5 :54 4. "New York, New York " (featuring Snoop Doggy Dogg ) DJ Pooh 4 :51 5. "Smooth" (featuring Snoop Doggy Dogg) DJ Pooh 4 :35 6. "Cyco-lic-no" (featuring Mr. Malik ) Arnaud Brown Broadus La Morris Edwards Dat Nigga Daz 4 :56 7. "Ridin', Slipin' and Slidin' " Arnaud Brown Sentrelle Conerly Dat Nigga Daz Dave Swang (co.) 4 :02 8. "Big Pimpin 2" Williams Dat Nigga Daz 1 :36 9. "Let's Play House " (featuring Michel'le and Nate Dogg ) Dat Nigga Daz 3 :24 10. "I Don't Like to Dream About Gettin Paid" (featuring Nate Dogg) Dat Nigga Daz 5 :13 11. "Do What I Feel" (featuring The Lady of Rage ) Dat Nigga Daz 3 :31 12. "If We All Fuc" Dat Nigga Daz 3 :13 13. "Some Bomb Azz Pussy" Dat Nigga Daz 4 :29 14. "A Doggz Day Afternoon" (featuring Snoop Doggy Dogg & Nate Dogg) Dat Nigga Daz 2 :46 15. "Reality" (featuring Tray Deee ) Dat Nigga Daz Emanuel Dean (co.) 6 :16 16. "One by One" Dat Nigga Daz 5 :09 17. "Sooo Much Style" Kurupt 5 :44 Total length: 71 :19
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
References
↑ "Tha Dogg Pound | Biography & History" . AllMusic .
↑ Pareles, Jon (October 31, 1995). "CRITIC'S NOTEBOOK;Rappers Making Notoriety Pay Off (Published 1995)" . The New York Times – via NYTimes.com.
↑ "Kurupt Talks Death Row History, Suge Knight, 2Pac, Breaks Down Beefs + More" . The Breakfast Club . September 13, 2018. Archived from the original on December 12, 2021. Retrieved November 27, 2019 .
↑ Havelock Nelson (October 21, 1995). "Dogg Pound Ends Up At Priority" . Billboard . Retrieved May 18, 2025 .
↑ "Tha Dogg Pound" . Billboard . Archived from the original on November 17, 2021. Retrieved December 8, 2021 .
1 2 " 'Dogg Food' Fights To Chart Top" . November 13, 1995. Retrieved March 12, 2022 .
↑ Sidney Madden (October 31, 2016). "Today in Hip-Hop: Tha Dogg Pound Drop 'Dogg Food' Album" . XXL . Retrieved December 11, 2023 .
↑ 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 .
↑ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Tha Dogg Pound - Dogg Food" . AllMusic . Retrieved December 26, 2018 .
1 2 Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music . Vol. 8. MUZE. pp. 106– 107.
↑ Hajari, Nisid (November 17, 1995). "Dogg Food" . Entertainment Weekly . Archived from the original on October 21, 2012. Retrieved December 25, 2018 .
↑ Coker, Cheo H. (October 29, 1995). "Album Review: Prime Quality 'Dogg Food' " . Los Angeles Times . ISSN 0458-3035 . Retrieved December 26, 2018 .
↑ Ashon, Will (January 1996). "The Dogg Pound: Dogg Pound " (PDF) . Muzik . No. 8. p. 100. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 2, 2022. Retrieved July 14, 2022 .
↑ "Tha Dogg Pound - Dogg Food CD Album" . Retrieved August 1, 2016 .
↑ "Tha Dogg Pound :: Dogg Food :: Death Row/Interscope" . www.rapreviews.com .
↑ Powers, Ann (February 1996). "Tha Dogg Pound: Dogg Food (Death Row/Interscope)" . Spin . Vol. 11, no. 11. pp. 86– 87. Retrieved December 25, 2018 .
↑ Harrington, Richard (November 1, 1995). "DOGG FOOD': MUCH BARK, SAME OLD BITE" – via www.washingtonpost.com.
↑ Considine, J. D. (October 31, 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 .
↑ "Tha Dogg Pound" . Trouser Press . Retrieved February 2, 2021 .
↑ Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010 (PDF ed.). Mt Martha, Victoria, Australia: Moonlight Publishing. p. 85.
↑ "Tha Dogg Pound Chart History (Billboard 200) ". Billboard . Retrieved May 29, 2014.
↑ "Tha Dogg Pound Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums) ". Billboard . Retrieved May 29, 2014.
↑ "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1995" . Billboard . Archived from the original on January 23, 2015. Retrieved January 27, 2021 .
↑ "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 1995" . Billboard . Archived from the original on May 11, 2021. Retrieved January 27, 2021 .
↑ "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1996" . Billboard . Archived from the original on April 27, 2018. Retrieved January 27, 2021 .
↑ "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 1996" . Billboard . Archived from the original on April 27, 2018. Retrieved January 27, 2021 .
↑ "Canadian album certifications – Tha Dogg Pound – Dogg Food" . Music Canada .
↑ "American album certifications – Tha Dogg Pound – Dogg Food" . Recording Industry Association of America .
↑ Adam Sandler (April 1, 1998). "A&M, Kurupt launch hip-hop label Antra" . Variety . Retrieved September 23, 2024 .
External links
Studio albums Compilation albums Singles Other songs Related articles