Murder Was the Case

by

Various Artists

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Murder Was The Case was a movie starring Snoop Doggy Dogg, named after one of his most massive hits. Dr. Dre, the producer of the song, directed the movie. I am not usually into soundtracks, but this album is on Death Row, so it's got to be good. The musicians featured on this turn in excellent performances, and thankfully, there is very little R&B music. Such great guests as Snoop Doggy Dogg, Dr. Dre, Kurupt, Daz Dillinger, Ice Cube, Tray D, Nate Dogg, Lil' C-Style, Swoop G, Jodeci, DJ Quik, CP0, Slip Capone, and many more. The production is beautiful and owed largely to Daz Dillinger, who really puts in great work, instead of Dr. Dre, who seemed to get all the credit. DJ Quik also puts in some excellent tracks, as well as some lesser known producers, but not too many. The beats sound more refined than those on The Chronic, they are smoother and more keyboard-oriented. The beats on this album are very similiar to those on Doggystyle, which proves that Daz and Warren G did do a lot of that production, instead of Dr. Dre, who got all the credit. All of the tracks are laced with those keyboards, and excellent bass.

The highlights on this album include "Murder Was The Case (Remix)", performed by Snoop Doggy Dogg. Unlike the original, this one is less dense and a little more bouncy. Dre did do the remix, and the high-pitched keyboard sounds he made famous are certainly there. "Natural Born Killers", performed by Dr. Dre and Ice Cube is one of the hardest tracks ever, with hardcore lyrics and a rock-like beat that pumps through the veins. The best track is easily the memorable "What Would You Do", performed by Kurupt and Daz Dillinger. Here they famously diss Eazy-E and B.G. Knocc Out, Kurupt dissing Eazy for dissing him on a song of the same name from his 1994 Temporary Insanity LP (which is out of print). B.G. Knocc Out also said a line dissing them on a song called "Old School", and so they responded. After a couple of years when the beef was settled, Kurupt and Daz were the winners. This was a song that really made Kurupt famous, and the jazzy beat produced by Daz is one of the greatest of all-time. "Twenty-One Jumpstreet" is an amazing track done by Snoop and introducing Tray D to the game. The laid-back beat done by Daz is very beautiful, flowing like water. Nate Dogg's hit "One More Day" is a classic, with cool guitar and keyboards produced once again by Daz. "Who Got The Gangsta", is another classic track from Snoop Doggy Dogg, featuring Kurupt, Daz Dillinger, Lil' C-Style, and Swoop G, the latter two making their debuts. "You Better Recognize" is another good song by Sam Sneed with Dr. Dre on the chorus, and a funky beat. "Come Up To My Room" is the album's best R&B track, with great bongos and keyboards, plus Kurupt and Daz are a great combination with R&B pretty boys Jodeci. "Dollars Make Sense" performed by DJ Quik, taking a funky percussion and guitar beat taking a huge punch at MC Eiht. "The Eulogy" is a great track as well, done by CP0, Slip Capone, and Kurupt. Jewell also puts in "Harvest For The World", a decent track, but Dr. Dre's beat for it is so soulful. The problem with the song is it gets really repititive with that chorus.

I would recommend this to any rap fan. This is Death Row Records at their best. Death Row got better each time, starting with Dr. Dre's 1992 LP The Chronic, 1993 Snoop Doggy Dogg's Doggystyle, 1994 Murder Was The Case Soundtrack, 1995 Kurupt & Daz Dillinger with Dogg Food, great rap classics. Plus there were excellent albums off of Death Row such as Snoop Doggy Dogg's 1996 The Doggfather, and 2Pac's classic All Eyes On Me double album in 1996. Then, Daz went solo for a classic 1998 Death Row album called Retaliation, Revenge and Get Back. From 1992-1998, Death Row Records, the best label ever.