''Paid tha Cost to Be da Boss'' (stylized as ''Paid tha Cost to Be da Bo$$'') is the sixth

studio album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early 20th century as individual 78 rpm records c ...

by American rapper

Snoop Dogg Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr. (born October 20, 1971), known professionally as Snoop Dogg (previously Snoop Doggy Dogg and briefly Snoop Lion), is an American rapper. His fame dates back to 1992 when he featured on Dr. Dre's debut solo single, " ...

. It was released on November 26, 2002, by his Doggystyle label, alongside Priority and

Capitol Records Capitol Records, LLC (known legally as Capitol Records, Inc. until 2007) is an American record label distributed by Universal Music Group through its Capitol Music Group imprint. It was founded as the first West Coast-based record label of not ...

. Following his departure from the No Limit Records, he later signed a recording contract to Capitol through

Priority Records Priority Records is an American distribution company and record label known for artists including N.W.A, Ice-T, Jay-Z, Snoop Dogg, Big L, Silkk the Shocker and Westside Connection. It also distributed hip hop record labels including Death Row ...

. The album was supported by two singles, both featuring Pharrell: " From tha Chuuuch to da Palace" and " Beautiful", the latter also featuring Charlie Wilson. The album debuted at number 12 on the US ''Billboard'' 200, selling 174,000 copies in its first week. To date, the album became a certified platinum by the

Recording Industry Association of America The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/ ...

(RIAA), selling over 1,500,000 copies worldwide.

Music

This album marked the beginning of Snoop's long-lasting association with Pharrell and

The Neptunes The Neptunes are an American songwriting and production duo composed of Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo, formed in Virginia Beach, Virginia, in 1992. Williams often provides additional vocals on records and appears in the duo's music video ...

. The album's lead single " From tha Chuuuch to da Palace", produced by The Neptunes and featuring an uncredited

guest appearance In show business, a guest appearance is the participation of an outsider performer (such as a musician or actor) in an event such as a music record or concert, show, etc., when the performer does not belong to the regular band, cast, or other ...

from Pharrell, was released on October 15, 2002. The song's music video was directed by Diane Martel, under the alias Bucky Chrome. The album's second single, " Beautiful" featuring Pharrell and Charlie Wilson, also produced by The Neptunes, was released on January 28, 2003. The music video for "Beautiful", which featured Pharrell but omitted Charlie Wilson, was directed by Chris Robinson in

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

, which helped the single to become a hit on the ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large adverti ...

'' charts. In a retrospective critique on the song, Pharrell would later admit he didn't think the song would be a hit. " noopreally loved ‘Beautiful.’ I didn’t get ‘Beautiful,’ mainly because I was singing on there flat as fuck and I just didn’t hear it. I thought it was a fun record. And then we put Charlie Wilson on it and I was like man Charlie sounding amazing on this, and this feels good to me, but no one is ever going to go for this."

Release

It was announced to be re-packaged for the album, with six of these pre-released versions of different album covers, but only several tracks were not to be included on each. Snoop's also contains two-disc's DVD, called ''Boss Playa: A Day in the Life of Bigg Snoop Dogg''; including the first disc featuring three music videos for "Boss Playa", " Pimp Slapp'd" (where both of them, were directed by Pook Brown), and "That's the Shit"; the second disc is a DVD, named "Doggystyle Porn", which features the song, titled "You Like Doin It Too". However, these tracks were later featured in an unreleased project version of the album.

Critical reception

* ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its ...

'' - 3 stars out of 5 - "Snoop stretches his silky flow over tracks by underground ace Hi-Tek and the unstoppable Neptunes." * ''

Spin Spin or spinning most often refers to: * Spinning (textiles), the creation of yarn or thread by twisting fibers together, traditionally by hand spinning * Spin, the rotation of an object around a central axis * Spin (propaganda), an intentionally ...

'' - 8 out of 10 - "The most spirited pop record of his career....Paid Tha Cost is Snoop unleashed." * ''

Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular ...

'' - "Snoop is reborn, a gangsta rap granddaddy in recline." - Rating: A- * '' Uncut'' - 3 stars out of 5 - "He treads a line between loving monogamy and club bangers, emphasizing accessibility throughout." * '' Vibe'' - 3.5 out of 5 - "His wordplay is still as nimble and quick as ever, giving the beats a beat down with newfound urgency."

Commercial performance

''Paid tha Cost to Be da Boss'' debuted at number 12 on the US ''Billboard'' 200, selling 174,000 copies in its first week. In November 2004, the album sales, where it has sold 1,210,000 copies in the United States.

Controversy

On March 24, 2003, a lawsuit was filed against Snoop Dogg by a man who claimed that his life was endangered after the rapper had included a 50-second phone message featuring the plaintiff's voice on the album's last track, "Pimp Slapp'd", a

diss track A diss track, diss record or diss song (diss – abbr. from ''disrespect'') is a song whose primary purpose is to verbally attack someone else, usually another artist. Diss tracks are often the result of an existing, escalating feud between the t ...

directed at then-

Death Row Records Death Row Records is an American record label that was founded in 1991 by The D.O.C., Dr. Dre, Suge Knight, and Dick Griffey. The label became a sensation by releasing multi-platinum hip-hop albums by West Coast-based artists such as Dr. Dre ...

CEO A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a central executive officer (CEO), chief administrator officer (CAO) or just chief executive (CE), is one of a number of corporate executives charged with the management of an organization especially ...

Suge Knight. The man, identified only as

John Doe John Doe (male) and Jane Doe (female) are multiple-use placeholder names that are used when the true name of a person is unknown or is being intentionally concealed. In the context of law enforcement in the United States, such names are ofte ...

for security reasons, had left the voice message for Snoop Dogg in October 2002, unaware of the intention of its inclusion on the album. John Doe, who was identified on the answering machine as "Jim Bob", insisted the album be recalled and cancelled for distribution in its current form, and stated in court papers that he had been threatened verbally several times and feared for his and his mother's life due to Knight's close proximity, as both he and Knight resided in

Compton, California Compton is a city in southern Los Angeles County, California, United States, situated south of downtown Los Angeles. Compton is one of the oldest cities in the county and, on May 11, 1888, was the eighth city in Los Angeles County to incorporat ...

at the time. On February 3, 2004, the lawsuit was dismissed for common law appropriation of voice and intentional infliction of emotional distress, under the ruling that privacy cannot be maintained while leaving a message on another's recording device.

Track listing

Sample credits *"Da Bo$$ Would Like to See You" samples "It's My House" performed by

Diana Ross Diana Ross (born March 26, 1944) is an American singer and actress. She rose to fame as the lead singer of the vocal group the Supremes, who became Motown's most successful act during the 1960s and one of the world's best-selling girl groups ...

. *"Stoplight" samples "

Flash Light A flashlight ( US, Canada) or torch ( UK, Australia) is a portable hand-held electric lamp. Formerly, the light source typically was a miniature incandescent light bulb, but these have been displaced by light-emitting diodes (LEDs) since ...

" performed by

Parliament In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: representing the electorate, making laws, and overseeing the government via hearings and inquiries. Th ...

. *"From tha Chuuuch to da Palace" samples "

Buffalo Gals "Buffalo Gals" is a traditional American song, written and published as "Lubly Fan" in 1844 by the blackface minstrel John Hodges, who performed as "Cool White". The song was widely popular throughout the United States, where minstrels often al ...

" performed by

Malcolm McLaren Malcolm Robert Andrew McLaren (22 January 1946 – 8 April 2010) was an English impresario, visual artist, singer, songwriter, musician, clothes designer and boutique owner, notable for combining these activities in an inventive and provo ...

. *"Ballin'" samples "Fell for You" performed by

The Dramatics The Dramatics are an American soul music vocal group, formed in Detroit, Michigan, in 1964. They are best known for their 1970s hit songs " In the Rain" and " Whatcha See Is Whatcha Get", both of which were Top 10 Pop hits, as well as their lat ...

. *"Paper'd Up" samples " Paid in Full" performed by Eric B. & Rakim, and " Don't Look Any Further" performed by

Dennis Edwards Dennis Edwards Jr. (February 3, 1943 – February 1, 2018) was an American soul and R&B singer who was best known as the frontman in The Temptations, on Motown Records. Edwards joined the Temptations in 1968, replacing David Ruffin and sang ...

. *"Wasn't Your Fault" samples "I Didn't Mean to Turn You On" performed by Cherrelle. *"Bo$$ Playa" samples "Riding High" performed by Faze-O. *"Hourglass" samples "I Just Want to Be" performed by Cameo. *"The One and Only" samples "It's You, It's You" performed by

Tyrone Davis Tyrone Davis (born Tyrone D. Fettson or Tyrone D. Branch, October 3, 1937 – February 9, 2005) was an American blues and soul singer with a long list of hit records over more than 20 years. Davis had three number 1 hits on the '' Billboard'' ...

. *"I Miss That Bitch" samples "I'm Your Mechanical Man" performed by

Jerry Butler Jerry Butler Jr. (born December 8, 1939) is an American soul singer-songwriter, producer, musician, and retired politician. He was the original lead singer of the R&B vocal group the Impressions, inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame i ...

. *"From Long Beach 2 Brick City" samples "Wikka Wrap" performed by The Evasions. *"Batman & Robin" samples "Batman" performed by TeeVee Toons, Inc. *"Pimp Slapp'd" samples "

Rapper's Delight "Rapper's Delight" is a 1979 hip-hop track by the Sugarhill Gang, produced by Sylvia Robinson. Although it was shortly preceded by the Fatback Band's "King Tim III (Personality Jock)", "Rapper's Delight" is credited for introducing hip-hop mus ...

" performed by

Sugarhill Gang Sugar Hill may refer to: Places In the United States: * Sugar Hill, Georgia, a city * Sugar Hill, New Hampshire, a town * Sugar Hill, Manhattan, New York, a section of Harlem * Sugar Hill (New York), a mountain in Schuyler County * Sugar Hi ...

, "Tonite" performed by

DJ Quik David Marvin Blake (born January 18, 1970), better known by his stage names DJ Quik or Da Quiksta, is an American rapper and producer, known for his production in the G-funk style of West Coast hip-hop. Blake has collaborated with Snoop Dogg, ...

, "

" performed by

, and "Streets is Watching" performed by

Jay-Z Shawn Corey Carter (born December 4, 1969), known professionally as Jay-Z, is an American rapper, record producer, entrepreneur, and founder of Manhattan-based conglomerate talent and entertainment agency Roc Nation. He is regarded as one o ...

Personnel

Credits adapted from

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Music ...

. *

Dave Aron David Royce Aron (August 29, 1964 – March 11, 2019) was an American recording engineer, live and studio mixer, record producer, and musician. Early life Aron was born and raised in Asbury Park, New Jersey, the son of 1950s be-bop trumpet play ...

- engineer, mixing *

B-Real Louis Mario Freese (born June 2, 1970), known by his stage name B-Real, is an American rapper. Since 1991, he has been one of two lead rappers in the hip hop group Cypress Hill, along with Sen Dog. He has also been a part of the rap metal band ...

- congas * Battlecat - producer * Daniel Betancourt - assistant * Joe Ceballos - coloring * Keith Clark - producer * Andrew Coleman - engineer * Snoopy Collins - background vocals * DJ Hi-Tek - producer *

DJ Premier Christopher Edward Martin (born March 21, 1966), known professionally as DJ Premier (also known as Preemo), is an American record producer and DJ. He is considered one of the greatest hip hop producers of all time. He was half of the hip hop du ...

- producer *

Nate Dogg Nathaniel Dwayne Hale (August 19, 1969 – March 15, 2011), known professionally as Nate Dogg, was an American singer and rapper. He gained recognition for providing guest vocals for a multitude of hit rap songs between 1992 and 2007, earning the ...

- vocals *

- vocals * E-Swift - producer * Shy Felder - background vocals, vocals *

Warren G Warren Griffin III (born November 10, 1970) is an American rapper and producer known for his role in West Coast rap's 1990s ascent.Steve Huey"Warren G: Biography" ''AllMusic.com'', Netaktion LLC, visited May 8, 2020. Along with Snoop Dogg and ...

- vocals *

Brian Gardner Brian Knapp Gardner, also known as Brian "Big Bass" Gardner, is an American mastering engineer. He has worked on a number of recordings since the mid-1960s, including classic rock, funk, disco, alternative rock, R&B, hip hop, pop punk and dance- ...

- mastering *

Goldie Loc Tha Eastsidaz is a hip hop trio consisting of Snoop Dogg, Tray Deee and Goldie Loc. Their first appearance was on Tommy Boy Records' ''The Ride: Music from Dimension'' with Crooked Eye Q on a Battlecat-produced song called "Feels So Good" in ...

- vocals * Mamie Gunn - background vocals * Robin Hill - sample clearance * Brian Horton - flute * Chad Hugo - instrumentation * Richard Huredia - mixing * L.T. Hutton - producer *

- vocals * Jelly Roll - background vocals, mixing, producer * Eric Johnson - bass *

Just Blaze Justin Gregory Smith (born January 8, 1978), known professionally as Just Blaze, is an American hip hop record producer and DJ. Born in Paterson, New Jersey, Blaze attended Rutgers University for three years before dropping out to pursue his mu ...

- producer * Ronnie King - hammond organ *

Lady of Rage Robin Yvette Allen (born February 6,1966), known professionally as the Lady of Rage, is an American rapper, singer and actress best known for her collaborations with several other Death Row Records artists, including Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg on th ...

- vocals *

Josef Leimberg Josef Leimberg (born November 29, 1972) is a producer, lyricist, and trumpet player from Los Angeles. He contributed to Kendrick Lamar’s Grammy Award-winning album, To Pimp a Butterfly, and is currently signed with World Galaxy, the jazz imprint ...

- producer * Ken Lewis - mixing * Lil' ½ Dead - vocals * Quazedelic - background vocals, Vocals, * Ludacris - vocals *

Anthony Mandler Anthony Mandler (born April 18, 1973) is an American film director, music video director, television commercial director and photographer. As a music video director, his most notable and frequent collaborator is Rihanna. The two have worked on s ...

- photography * Kokane - vocals *

Fredwreck Farid Karam Nassar (born June 23, 1972), better known by his stage name Fredwreck, is a Grammy Award-winning American hip hop recording artist, DJ and record producer. He got his big break when he became a producer for Dr. Dre's newly founded re ...

- fender rhodes, flute, mixing, moog synthesizer, producer, sequencing * Traci Nelson - background vocals, vocals *

- producer * James Rainey - sample clearance *

RBX Eric Dwayne Collins (born October 8, 1969) better known by his stage name RBX (standing for "Reality Born Unknown"), is an American rapper and songwriter from Long Beach, California. Early life and education Contrary to popular belief, Collins i ...

- vocals * Redman - vocals * Eric Roinestad - art direction * Eddie Sancho - mixing * Chris Sholar - guitar *

- primary artist, sequencing *

Soopafly Priest Joseph Brooks, (known professionally as Soopafly born December 8, 1972) is a hip hop producer and rapper from Long Beach, California. He is a member of the DPGC. Early life The oldest of three children, Brooks grew up in Long Beach. H ...

- vocals * Nancie Stern - sample clearance * Dexter Thibou - assistant engineer * Patrick Viala - mixing * Meech Wells - producer * LaToiya Williams - vocals * Marlon Williams - guitar *

Pharrell Williams Pharrell Lanscilo Williams (; born April 5, 1973) is an American record producer, rapper, singer, and songwriter. Alongside close colleague Chad Hugo, he formed the hip hop and R&B production duo the Neptunes in the early 1990s, with whom h ...

- instrumentation, vocals * Charlie Wilson - vocals * Christian Olde Wolbers - bass Engineer- Reddbrothers (Dwayne & Daniel)

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

References

External links

Top40-charts

Official Myspace
* {{Authority control Snoop Dogg albums 2002 albums Albums produced by Battlecat (producer) Albums produced by Daz Dillinger Albums produced by DJ Premier Albums produced by Fredwreck Albums produced by Hi-Tek Albums produced by JellyRoll Albums produced by L.T. Hutton Albums produced by Just Blaze Albums produced by the Neptunes Capitol Records albums Doggystyle Records albums Priority Records albums