The later half of the ‘90s were not particularly kind to Snoop Dogg. Following his lightning-fast rise to rap superstardom, his career stalled out for a while. Fans still checked for him, (his reunion with Dr. Dre for "Still D.R.E." was extremely well received), but they wanted that old magic back. On Paid Tha Cost to Be Da Bo$$ Snoop steps things up dramatically, with a new label, sharper rhymes, and a fresh gang of producers. The result is his best album in years. Done compromising with generic in-house beatmakers, he enlists some serious firepower behind the boards, with all-stars including DJ Premier, Just Blaze, and the Neptunes. He also gets fiery guest spots from Jay-Z, Redman, Nate Dogg, Warren G, plus his forgotten Chronic co-conspirators Lady of Rage and RBX. The big hit on this album was "Beautiful," but some of the lesser-known cuts, especially "Lollipop" and "Long Beach 2 Brick City," are just as great. As close as you can get to a comeback album without actually being gone, Paid Tha Cost finds Snoop rejuvenated and ready to reclaim his throne.