Review: Snoop Dogg, Ice Cube

Slain at 25 in 1996, Tupac Shakur will remain forever young to his fans. The icon's name was ritualistically invoked Thursday at the VooDoo Lounge by hip hop star Snoop Dogg. While Tupac never had the opportunity to deal with the challenge of remaining artistically relevant and commercially viable as he aged, Snoop Dogg and current tour mate Ice Cube are successfully navigating that tricky feat.

The cutthroat world of hip hop isn't known for nurturing long careers. It's a genre in which last year's hits are cast aside as irrelevant relics of a forgotten era. Along with Jay-Z and Kansas City's Tech N9ne, Snoop Dogg and Ice Cube are among an elite group that has maintained highly visible careers for a dozen or more years.

One of this summer's biggest songs, Katy Perry's "California Gurls," features Snoop Dogg. He barely referenced the collaboration Thursday, but he did perform recent hits "I Wanna Rock" and "Gangsta Luv" along with early '90s favorites including "Gin and Juice" and "Who Am I (What's My Name)?" Snoop Dogg occasionally seemed so relaxed that he could hardly be bothered to complete each verse. No matter- the audience joyously recited every lyric. While he seemed to gain strength as his 65-minute set progressed, during pauses between the first handful of songs Snoop resembled an exhausted prize fighter trying to catch his breathe between rounds.

Although he was never acknowledged by Snoop Dogg, an electric bassist made invaluable contributions to the show. He and a drummer were given free reign to improvise while contributions from a DJ were kept refreshingly low in the mix. The value of the format was most evident during "P.I.M.P." Snoop's crisp version crackled with spontaneous energy. A rendition of the same song by 50 Cent at the Midland Theater last month was flat and muddy. Fans could make out every bawdy syllable of "Lodi Dodi" while Snoop Dogg's ridiculously inept crooning on "Sexual Eruption" and "Beautiful" only added to the fun.

With his fearsome scowl and a bark like an indignant drill sergeant, Ice Cube has never been associated with fun. Try as he might, however, Ice Cube couldn't keep from smiling as he basked in the hero's welcome he received. Ice Cube didn't have the benefit of live accompaniment, but his burgeoning career as a film star burnished his already formidable skills as a showman.

"How many people here remember the world's most dangerous group?" Ice Cube asked rhetorically.

The rage Ice Cube expressed as a teenage member of gangsta rap group N.W.A. remains as incendiary as anything in the history of popular music. It was frustrating, consequently, that he gave N.W.A. material like 1988's "Straight Outta Compton" short shrift during his one-hour performance. The new material from his forthcoming album was solid and renditions of "Bow Down," "Natural Born Killaz" and "Why We Thugs" were memorable, but most fans would have gladly traded "You Can Do It" and the atrocious "Smoke Some Weed" for a couple essential hits.

"A lot of people were scared to come to the Ice Cube and Snoop Dogg concert," Ice Cube suggested.

Perhaps, but not many more people could have squeezed into the VooDoo Lounge. A capacity audience of approximately 1,500 witnessed two veterans perform, if not with grace, then with no small measure of dignity.

| Bill Brownlee, Special to The Star

Comments

[pellboy]

1,500...wow, that's really packing them in. I recall a Black Crowes show there about 4-5 years ago that was equally jammed. Great show bandwise but not the greatest spectator speaking, especially for my wife who is on the short side.

[Steve J]

Tech N9ne as elite is kind. How known is he outside KC but non-hard core rap fans?

[get out]

wow, a whole 65 minutes? amazing.

efilzagin is all they were and all they ever will be.

[wadkc]

"You Can Do It" is one of my fav's, so I wouldn't have traded it for anything. The reason he ignores his old band stuff is because his new stuff is great. If you only do an hour worth of material you must be selective.

Bill based Tech's "elite status" on longevity. Tech IS well know in other cites. New York loves him. When I was at SXSW last year, I met a couple of well known rappers from New Orleans and they love him and said the city knows his work. His new album just dropped, pick it up and help a brother out...