213 (2.5 stars)
213 The Hard Way
Truth be told, the West Coast has never had a rap supergroup, certainly nothing even close to iconic New York collectives like Run-DMC or EPMD. West Coast groups have mostly resembled the 2004 U.S basketball Dream Team—talented soloists who've forgotten that there's no "I" in team. (Well, there is in Spanish—
equipo). Closest thing to a supergroup is the Ice Cube-fronted West Side Connection, which would make 213, the Snoop Dogg-led Long Beach trio, just about the furthest thing. Snoop, Nate Dogg and Warren G are stars in their own right, but collectively, Dream Teamers they aren't.
Other than gaining individual fame—sought-after producer (Warren), sought-after singer (Nate), just plain sought-after (Snoop—Mr. "Murder Was the Case" rapped on a Toys R' Us commercial ... a Toys R' Us commercial!)—little has changed in the decade-plus since 213 was the least talented of Suge Knight's minions.
So it's interesting to hear Snoop and the boys talk about restoring West Coast rap, then do little to achieve that goal. And really, it's all about Snoop. While Nate generally outshines his cohorts, blazing the hooks with his baritone croon, and Warren delivers the expected C-plus rhyme performance, it's Snoop's hackneyed, uninspired lyrics that disappoint most. Maybe it's the beats, mostly funkadelic, that have buried the gangster chic that fueled Snoop's superstardom and turned him into rap's Fillmore Slim, further proving that Snoop without Dr. Dre is like cereal without the milk.