Notes & Personnel Info |  | Personnel includes: Daz Dillinger (rap vocals, various instruments); Val "Lady V" Young (vocals); Shorty B., Ricky Rouse (guitar); Priest "Soopafly" Brooks (keyboards, drum programming); Sean Thomas, Ran Dogg (keyboards); Tony Green (bass); Carl "Butch" Small (percussion, background vocals); Kevin "K.V." Varnado, BoRoc, Big C-Style, C.J. Mac (background vocals); Tray Deee, Ty Cuzz, Bad Ass, Technique, Tha Gang, Kurupt Tha Kingpin, Prince Ital Joe, B-Legit, Too Short, 2Pac, Outlawz, "Lil" C-Style, J-Money, Big Pimpin, WC, MC Eiht, Soopafly, Snoop Doggy Dogg, Lady V. | | Producers: Daz Dillinger, Priest "Soopafly" Brooks, Ran Dogg. | | Engineers include: Daz Dillinger, Dave Aron, Tom Daugherty. | | Recorded at The Gang Hideout Studio, Long Beach, California; Echo Sound Studios, Los Feliz, California; Larabee Sound Studios, West Hollywood, California; Track Record Studios, North Hollywood, California; The Village Recorder Studios, Los Angeles, California; CanAm Studios, Tarzana, California. | | Come the spring of 1998, Death Row was a mighty lonely place. Dr. Dre had been gone for nearly two years, Snoop Dogg enlisted in the No Limit army, 2pac was dead, Suge was in jail. Only Dat Nigga Daz -- now known as Daz Dillinger -- remained, and he was determined to keep the Death Row torch burning with his first solo album, Retaliation, Revenge and Get Back. It's a bit better than tha Dogg Pound's disappointing 1995 effort Dogg Food, but it finds Daz in an awkward position. He does what he does -- namely, G-funk -- well, but in 1998 G-funk is an anachronism. True, Master P built upon the G-funk sound (no matter how much he would like to deny it), but his stripped-down, cheap productions are the sound of the late '90s -- the loping beats and whiny synths of G-funk belong to the early '90s. And that's where Daz is stuck, no matter how you look at it. If you look past that, however, Retaliation, Revenge and Get Back is a solid record that delivers exactly what it promises -- straight-up gangsta rap, nothing more and nothing less. There are no surprises, but few albums since Doggystyle have given the G-funk audience exactly what they want as Retaliation does. By that standard, Daz's debut is a success. ~ Leo Stanley | | The key words on this album are "face value.' Let's put the facts together. Song titles like "Gang Bangin Ass Criminal" and "O.G." Lyrics that overflow with references to triggers, lead (we're not talking pencils here), and gunshots. A surname borrowed from one of America's most notorious criminals. A photo of Daz with a bandana over the lower half of his face, looking like a convenience store owner's worst nightmare. Spoken interludes exhorting African-Americans to work as dealers and pimps in order to make up for welfare cuts. Big fat (or, if you prefer, "phat") beats and stentorian raps about the aforementioned subjects. This uncompromisingly titled album by Daz Dillinger is gangsta rap as straight up as straight up gets, and with guests like Snoop Doggy Dogg, Too Short and MC Eiht contributing their talents, you don't have to be a rocket scientist to know that it works. |
Musical Guests | | Snoop Dogg | | Tray Deee | | B-Legit | | Too Short | | 2Pac | | MC Eiht | | Bad Ass | | WC | | Soopafly | | Kurupt | | Kurupt Tha Kingpin | | Technique | | Tha Gang | | Prince Ital Joe | | Lady "V" | | The Outlawz | | J-Money | | Nate Dogg | | "Lil" C-Style | | Big C-Style | | Big Pimpin |
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