Tha Blue Carpet Treatment

Tha Blue Carpet Treatment is the eighth studio album by

The album debuted at number 5 on the US Billboard 200, selling 264,000 copies in its first week.^[1] Upon its release, Tha Blue Carpet Treatment received generally positive reviews from music critics. The album was promoted with Tha Blue Carpet Treatment Mixtape, which was released a few days before the official album release.

Background

The title of the album, Tha Blue Carpet Treatment is a reference to the

"Think About It" was composed by Frequency in his dorm room one and a half years prior to the album, while Frequency was a student in Virginia. The material was passed to Mike Chavez of Geffen Records, who gave it to Snoop Dogg. Snoop Dogg uses the track to show his older son—who had not chosen him as the favorite hip-hop artist when being asked—that he can still be an old school gangster rapper regarding his style if he wants to.^[4][5] The track, titled "Imagine" was slated to be featured on Busta Rhymes' album The Big Bang. Busta Rhymes stated in several interviews, before the release of The Big Bang, that the sample for "Imagine" was still trying to be cleared. Busta Rhymes stated that he was not sure that the sample would be cleared on time for his album's release, so it had to be excluded from his album. With the sample not being cleared at the time, and it is presumable^{[according to whom?]} that the song was given to Snoop Dogg for his album. It was recorded with verses by Kam and Snoop Dogg (in different from the album version) while playing during TBCT Listening party.^[6] Although Busta Rhymes released the remix to "Imagine", it is presumable^{[according to whom?]} that his "remix" when it was actually the intended original version which did not make it on the release of The Big Bang. Artists such as Nas, Ja Rule and Black-Ty each did their freestyles on this track.^[7]

Music

"Which One of You" was recorded during the album sessions at its process, with the group called N.V. The song was run by the production team 1500.^[7] "Round Here" contains the same sample on the song "Thank You" performed by Dido, in which became the same sample that it was used by a fellow American rapper Eminem for his track Stan. Therefore, Snoop Dogg was wasn't aware about this matter when he was making that record during its recording sessions.^[7] "L.A.X." contains a sample of "More Bounce to the Ounce" performed by Zapp, in which Snoop Dogg already have used this sample of a song once on one of his earlier track, "Snoop Bounce", in which was included from his album Tha Doggfather (1996). All three songs – "That's That Shit", "Boss' Life" and "Imagine" – has lyrics ghostwritten from a former Aftermath Entertainment artists such as Stat Quo (Benton, S.) and The D.O.C. (Curry, T.).

Recording

Snoop Dogg told Billboard, that he was working on this album, Tha Blue Carpet Treatment, for nine months. He has collaborated with the likes of

, only two of these (except on "You Put This Thang") are released in disc two that is, in the disc of bonus tracks.

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Pitchfork Media	(7.5/10)[15]
Robert Christgau	[13]
Rolling Stone	[16]
USA Today	[17]
XXL	(XL)[18]

Tha Blue Carpet Treatment received generally positive reviews from

Christian Hoard for Rolling Stone wrote that Snoop's eighth LP doesn't do much to break the trend. The production is pretty hot, with high-def beats that range from tricked-out funk (Dr. Dre's "Boss's Life") to dark, tense bounce (the excellent Neptunes-produced "Vato"). The radio-friendly ups—the R. Kelly feature "That's That Shit"—balance out brawny head-nodders like "Gangbangin 101." Snoop sounds great dropping streams of consonants on "Think About It," and few rappers could make a minimalist "Drop It Like It's Hot"-style cut like "Candy (Drippin' Like Water)" sound so singular.

Nathan Rabin for The A.V. Club reviewed the album and wrote that "Snoop has always been able to knock out infectious radio singles, but his albums generally strand a few knockout songs amid oceans of lazy filler, opportunist trend-hopping, and derivative, second-rate G-funk. Sleepy, anticlimactic recent reunion albums from Dogg Pound and 213 (Snoop, Warren G, and Nate Dogg) failed to rouse Snoop out of his longstanding professional funk. So why does Snoop's shockingly good Tha Blue Carpet Treatment sound more like a loose, revitalized follow-up to Doggystyle? Dr. Dre's reappearance certainly doesn't hurt. Dre has always brought out the best in Snoop, and his presence seems to have reignited Snoop's passion and hunger. No track better exemplifies the disc's ethos of delirious excess than "Candy (Drippin' Like Water)", an insanely catchy candy-coated R&B song with clever nods to hyphy (E-40 and producer Rick Rock) and retro jazz-rap (check out that crazy Digable Planets sample!), plus guest raps from a small army of past-their-prime gangstas. When faced with a choice, Snoop here inevitably chooses all of the above. So Treatment gives listeners

Bonus tracks[23]

Notes

• ¹ On the single version, Akon's guest vocals were replaced by vocals from Nate Dogg.

Sample credits

• "Intrology" samples "Dirt off Your Shoulder" performed by Jay-Z.
• "Think About It" samples "I Need You" performed by The Impressions.
• "Crazy" contains interpolations of "She's Strange" performed by Cameo.
• "
  That's That Shit samples "The Bath" performed by Nile Rodgers
  .
• "Candy (Drippin' Like Water)" samples "9th Wonder (Blackploitism)" performed by Digable Planets, and contains an interpolations of "Candy" performed by Cameo.
• "Boss' Life" samples "If Tomorrow Never Comes" performed by The Controllers, and "Everybody Rise" performed by Busta Rhymes.
• "LAX" samples "Going Back to Cali" performed by The Notorious B.I.G., and "More Bounce to the Ounce" performed by Zapp.
• "Round Here" samples "Thank You" performed by Dido.
• "Like This" samples "Coffy Sauna" performed by Roy Ayers.
• "Conversations" samples "Have a Talk with God" performed by Stevie Wonder.

Personnel

Credits adapted from