For extended success in hip-hop, it is widely known that one must continue changing; reinvention is survival.  So the artist who dropped the Doggy from his name, Snoop D-O-Double G, has had to change his ways so many times it has been hard to keep up with where he is now.  Well, he is currently in another creative rush; coming off of the sleeper banger, 213's The Hard Way, and the biggest single he's had in 10 years, Snoop may just be ready to get back to that style of great music he used to make in the very early 90's.  Hopefully R&G (Rhythm & Gangsta): The Masterpiece lives up to it's title.

Snoop has made a large, 20-track opus, and he decides to open with a fittingly grandious first track, "I Love To Give You Light".  The Alchemist puts in his work here, with a beautiful gospel sample over which Snoop preaches: "As an adolescent, one black child/ I had a message to reach/ teachin the masses".  "Bang Out" is a dissapointingly lowly gangsta track, where Snoop sounds downright bored.  He makes up for this with the amazing first single "Drop It (Like It's Hot)", though; it is a song only described by one word: fresh.  The use of tongue clicks as percussion and a blast of 80's keyboards make this one of the most innovative singles in years.  "Can I Get A Flicc Witchu" is a formualic blast of g-funk, but Bootsy Collins' presence and the pounding bass make this one a head -nodder as well.  On "Ups & Downs", a Bee Gees sample is made into an outstanding anthem that is explained in one word: wake-up music.  "The Bidness" is almost Doggystyle-like with it's freestyle-structured and sinisterness shining.  This is a blaring alert that the Snoop of old is back.  "Snoop D. O. Double G." is the definition of filler, but this small obstacle is overcome soon.  "Let's Get Blown" is mellow, yet funky, music for the fans of the Neptunes' N.E.R.D. ventures.  Snoop decides to make another ssure-to-be-single with "Step Yo Game Up", a Lil'Jon and Trina collaboration made especially for the clubs.  It's reminscent of the track Young Buck made with Lil' Jon, "Shorty Wanna Ride", but Snoop sounds extremely comfortable over the King of Crunk's synths and blasts of bells and whistles.  The album reaches it's peak with "Perfect" immediately after this; it is, well, perfection.  Charlie Wilson and Pharrell provide proper chorus work, as the trio basically steps their work on "Beautiful" up.  "Fresh Pair of Panties On" is an extremely corny song, where Snoop's lyrics scale from asinine to utterly pathetic.  "Oh No" is where all of the former vigor of the classic Snoop culminates, as he and 50 Cent sound decisively dangerous in a track that even samples the classic, Pulp Fiction.  Snoop even alludes to the forgetting of his past intimidating statuswith lines like, "Straight razors just to keep ya trimmed up/ 187, oh yeah, now you remember?"  "Can You Control Yo Hoe" is pure funk, as Soopafly and Snoop trade hilariously mysogynistic verses.  "Signs" is another incredible Neptunes/Snoop collaboration, as Justin Timberlake goes into pure falsetto for a song sure to get insane radio love.  "I'm Threw Witchu" is a boring, soul-sampling track where the exciting element of tracks like "Can U Control..." is gone.  Nelly joins Snoop on the sappy hip-pop track "Girl Like U", but the corniness is tolerable.  The "masterpiece" finishes with the beautifully reflective "No Thang On Me", where Bootsy Collins again joins him to make a sweet R&B cover.  Maybe it's a strange finish, but all that sense breezes by with the fun involved with this album.

It's rare an artist can reinvent himself as many times as Snoop has, from Death Row gangsta to No Limit soldier to independent pimp to satisfied, grown-ass man.  It's even more rare that an artist makes his best album since his debut eleven years after his introduction to the world was released.  Well, witness it.  Call him sappy, call him cliched.  Just don't say he's stuck in his ways.

iPod Worthy: "Signs", "Perfect", "Drop It (Like it's Hot)", "The Bidness", "Oh No", "I Love to Give You Light"

Skippable: "I'm Threw Witchu", "Bang Out", "Snoop D. O. Double G.", "Fresh Pair of Panties On"

Overall: 5 Out of Six Shots