I Wanna Thank Me

Few elder statesmen in rap carry clout on the level of Uncle Snoop, his contributions to the genre containing seemingly countless certified classics. Even when he experiments with reggae, gospel, or straight-up pop, he inevitably returns to hip-hop to bless listeners with gangsta wisdom and that irrepressible charm. Despite being comprised entirely of new songs, I Wanna Thank Me feels like a retrospective of the Snoop Dogg catalog, at least thematically if not spiritually. He references the G-Funk era with sentimental if somewhat bittersweet pride on “Let Bygones Be Bygones,” while living up to his modern-day status as a cannabis celebrity alongside frequent collaborator Wiz Khalifa on “Take Me Away.” Reaching back before his own time in the spotlight on the Marley-sampling “So Misinformed,” he teams with golden-era icon Slick Rick to ponder the legacy of slavery and the corresponding diaspora. With features by R&B crooners Chris Brown and the late Nate Dogg, música urbana stars Anitta and Ozuna, and contemporary LA talents RJmrLA and YG, the choice of guests here reflects history as much as what’s happening now.