Snoop Dogg - Iz It a Crime?

Snoop Dogg poses the question "Iz It a Crime?" at the heart of Donald Trump's second term. Released on May 15, 2025, via Death Row Records and gamma labels, this 57-minute and 17-second record condenses twenty-one tracks into a structure where narrative density takes precedence over the usual stretching found in hip-hop albums.

The eponymous title as a response to public inquiries

The album immediately grounds itself in the current political and social context, with its main title directly questioning the criticisms leveled at Snoop Dogg during an inaugural celebration for Donald Trump's second term. This tension crystallizes right from the first track, "Intro," which opens the whole project, before the eponymous title serves as a vocal manifesto against public doubt.

An original soundtrack for a hybrid short film

The production of the album varies between solo tracks, like "Joy," and multi-voice collaborations, such as "Keep it Moving" or "Just the Way It Iz," creating a sonic architecture that follows the rhythm of a cinematic project rather than a simple compilation of singles.

New voices: October London, LaRussell, and JANE HANDCOCK

Beyond the headliners, the album integrates a series of collaborations with emerging or less publicized artists, whose presence is crucial to balancing the record. October London shares a track on "Iz It A Crime?", lending his voice to this political manifesto, while LaRussell jumps in on "Can't Wait" and JANE HANDCOCK appears on "Can't Get Enough". These features demonstrate Snoop Dogg's willingness to share the stage with diverse talents, creating a dialogue between his legendary lyrics and contemporary sounds. Each guest contributes to redefining the artist's status amid public scrutiny, transforming every collaboration into an act of resistance or stylistic affirmation.

The Diversity of Collaborations: Charlie Bereal, Stresmatic, and J-Black

The guest list continues to expand with a diversity that bridges underground rap and more experimental voices. Charlie Bereal appears on several tracks, notably "Keep it Moving" and "What's Hattnin?", creating a through-line of his presence throughout the album. Stresmatic joins this dynamic on "Keep it Moving" and "SYBAU," while J-Black teams up with Snoop Dogg on "Just the Way It Iz." This rotation of guests, which also includes Akeem Ali, Tonio Armani, Denaun, and Blaqthoven, ensures that the album does not limit itself to a repetition of sonic patterns. Each collaboration brings its own color, enriching the album's palette without ever sacrificing Snoop Dogg's central identity.

Institutional Legacy: A Precursor for 10 Til' Midnight (2026)

This alliance continues a career where Snoop Dogg has frequently aligned his name with producers and artists from the Los Angeles school, maintaining his cultural relevance long after the debut of the group Tha Dogg Pound. The album closes with "Live Life," offering an unequivocally positive note following the tensions raised in previous tracks, serving as a necessary counterpoint to the theme of doubt posed in the eponymous title track. This narrative structure, moving from a conceptual introduction to a soothing conclusion, reflects the cinematic approach of the project by Snoop Dogg and Dah, where each track contributes to telling a coherent story rather than simply accumulating commercial hits. The total duration of 57 minutes and 17 seconds for twenty-one tracks confirms this desire for narrative density, avoiding the usual stretching found in modern hip-hop albums while allowing guests like Sexyy Red on "Me N OG Snoop" or Denaun on two distinct pieces ("Cold Summer" and "My Friend") to bring their own texture without weighing down the album's progression. This dual nature is confirmed by the simultaneous release of the album and film, with a preview version shown during a private screening in New York on May 13, 2025, before its official broadcast on YouTube the following day. The narrative structure of the opus scrupulously follows the visual rhythm of the project, where each track contributes to telling a coherent story rather than simply accumulating isolated commercial successes. This hybrid approach transforms the release into a total visual experience, thus validating Snoop Dogg's cultural relevance well beyond his beginnings with the group Tha Dogg Pound or his era under the name Snoop Lion. This philosophical and social inquiry is anchored in a specific context of public scrutiny related to Snoop Dogg's performances during celebrations for Donald Trump's second term. Serving as a direct sequel to Missionary (2024) and a precursor for his next studio album, 10 Til' Midnight, scheduled for 2026, this opus confirms the longevity of a career where each track participates in a larger project that goes beyond simply selling records. The composition of the album reveals a strategy for selecting guests that departs from usual commercial standards to prioritize stylistic diversity marked by a mix between legendary figures and emerging talents. This approach contrasts with the sometimes ephemeral nature of features, transforming each collaboration into an act of structural integration within the cinematic project rather than as a simple commercial appearance. The narrative density imposed by the short film format thus requires a constant rotation of voices that enriches the sonic palette without ever sacrificing the artist's central identity, creating an ecosystem where every guest, whether it be Akeem Ali on "You Want My All" or Tonio Armani on "Spot," actively contributes to redefining the album's status. This complex sound architecture also serves as an institutional bridge between the historical heritage of Death Row Records and Snoop Dogg's contemporary ambitions, validating the cultural relevance of the Gamma label alongside his historic partner. The structure, moving from a conceptual introduction to a soothing conclusion via "Live Life," reflects a rigorous cinematic approach where each track contributes to telling a coherent story rather than simply accumulating isolated commercial successes, thus transforming the release into a total visual experience that goes beyond simply selling records. The tracklist reveals an exceptionally dense collaborative architecture, counting thirteen tracks with confirmed features out of twenty-one. Beyond the names already cited, the album reunites Pharrell Williams on the track "Spot," alongside Tonio Armani, as well as singer Sexyy Red who shares a piece titled "Me N OG Snoop." This diversity also extends to Wiz Khalifa, present on "Just the Way It Iz" with J-Black, and to the duo formed by Akeem Ali on "You Want My All." The presence of Blaqthoven on "Life's Journey" and that of Denaun, who appears on two distinct tracks ("Cold Summer" and "My Friend"), illustrates a selection strategy including both established hip-hop figures and artists with varied profiles. This density of guests fits within the framework of a unique hybrid project, where the album functions as an original soundtrack for a short film directed by Snoop Dogg and Dah. Released simultaneously with the film, whose world premiere took place during a private screening in New York City on May 13, 2025 before its official broadcast on YouTube, the opus goes beyond the simple status of an album to become a total visual experience. This dual nature confirms that each track, whether solo or collaborative, contributes to telling a coherent story aligned with the rhythm of the cinematic project, transforming the release into a complete document where the total duration of 57 minutes and 17 seconds serves as rigorous narrative support rather than simple accumulation of commercial successes. "Iz It a Crime?" By including varied collaborations and integrating a short film into his release strategy, Snoop Dogg validates the longevity of the Gamma label alongside Death Row Records. The album does not seek to revolutionize rap sound, but rather to consolidate a solid institutional position, where each track, whether solo or collaborative, participates in a larger project that goes beyond simply selling records.

Technical Details

- Release: May 15, 2025 - Label: Death Row Records, gamma. - Tracks: 21 (57 min 17 s) - Opening / Closing: Intro / Live Life - Guests: October London, LaRussell, JANE HANDCOCK, Charlie Bereal, Stresmatic, J-Black, Wiz Khalifa, Akeem Ali, Tonio Armani, Pharrell Williams, Denaun, Blaqthoven … - Previous Album: Missionary (2024)