Tha Dogg Pound - Dogg Food [2LP]

Daz Dillinger and Kurupt finally claimed their own spotlight on Dogg Food, Tha Dogg Pound's 1995 debut, and this double LP brings the duo's Death Row classic back to wax.

After stealing scenes on Dr. Dre's The Chronic and Snoop Doggy Dogg's Doggystyle, the pair arrived as fully fledged stars in their own right. The album landed amid fierce public debate over gangsta rap, yet it still became one of the defining West Coast records of the decade, a showcase for two voices that had already helped shape the G-funk sound.

Daz Dillinger's production rolls with slow, heavy bass and whining synth leads, giving Kurupt's rapid-fire precision and Daz's easy drawl plenty of room. "New York, New York", with Snoop Dogg, became a flashpoint in the coastal rivalry of the era, while "Let's Play House", featuring Michel'le and Nate Dogg, is smooth late-night funk and "Respect" shows the duo trading verses with real chemistry.

Three decades on, it still sounds like a summer evening cruising Long Beach with the windows down and the bass turned all the way up.

Pressed across two LPs, it is an essential piece of the Death Row story and a treat for anyone who loves 1990s West Coast rap at its smoothest.