music.wikisort.org - Composition

Da Game Is to Be Sold, Not to Be Told is the third studio album by American rapper Snoop Dogg. It was released on August 4, 1998, by No Limit Records in the United States. It is his first album following his departure from Death Row Records in early 1998. It is the first Snoop Dogg album to have notable affiliates such as Dr. Dre, Nate Dogg, Warren G and others absent. It was also his first album to be released under a slight change to his stage name "Snoop Dogg" for contractual reasons.

Da Game Is to Be Sold, Not to Be Told
Studio album by Snoop Dogg
Released	August 4, 1998
Recorded	1997–98
Genre	Hip hop[1]
Length	79:28
Label	No Limit Priority
Producer	Master P (exec.) Beats by the Pound DJ Pooh DJ Darryl Meech Wells Soopafly
Snoop Dogg chronology
Tha Doggfather (1996) Da Game Is to Be Sold, Not to Be Told (1998) No Limit Top Dogg (1999)
Singles from Da Game Is to Be Sold Not to Be Told
"Still a G Thang" Released: July 3, 1998 "Woof" Released: October 26, 1998 "Slow Down" Released: December 14, 1998

Background

This section needs additional citations for verification. (August 2019)

In September 1996, shortly before the release of Snoop's second album Tha Doggfather, his friend and label-mate at Death Row Records, Tupac Shakur, was murdered in a drive-by shooting that many fans and other rappers believed to be a part of rising tensions between the East and West Coast hip hop scenes.

In March 1997, noted East Coast rapper The Notorious B.I.G., popularly known as "Biggie", was also murdered in a drive-by shooting which was attributed by fans to the tensions between the coastal hip hop scenes.

Snoop Dogg began to fear for his own safety due to the murders of Tupac and Biggie and also because Death Row Records was acknowledged by its artists in retrospect to be an unprofessional place during this time, with label founder Suge Knight incarcerated and many people with criminal pasts associated with the label.

In 1997, No Limit rapper Mystikal invited Snoop to be on his record Unpredictable on a song called "Gangstas" with label head Master P.

Snoop developed a good relationship with the No Limit rappers, and after another guest appearance on No Limit artist Silkk the Shocker's LP, Snoop was reported to have been signed to No Limit by Master P in March 1998.[2] Snoop said at the time that "Snoop Dogg is universal so he can fit into any camp-especially a camp that knows how to handmake shit[;] [a]nd, No Limit hand makes material. They make material fittin' to the artist and they know what type of shit Snoop Dogg is supposed to be on. That's why it's so tight." [sic][3]

Singles

This section does not cite any sources. (August 2019)

The lead single, "Still a G Thang," was released on July 3, 1998. It was produced by Meech Wells. It is the sequel to the 1992 hit single "Nuthin' but a 'G' Thang", which appears on Dr. Dre's debut solo album, The Chronic (1992). The song debuted at number 26 on the US Billboard Hot 100, marking the first Hot 100 entry as lead artist by Snoop since "Gin and Juice," in 1994. The song peaked at number 19 on the chart.

The second single, "Woof," featuring Mystikal and Fiend peaked at number 62 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[4]
E! Online	B+[5]
Entertainment Weekly	C[6]
FFWD	[7]
Iowa State Daily	[8]
Los Angeles Times	[9]
Robert Christgau	C+[10]
Rolling Stone	[11]
The Source	[12]
Spin	5/10[13]

The album featured mostly No Limit artists and was a departure from Snoop Dogg's first two albums which were strictly West Coast.^[specify] Unlike his two previous two studio albums, Da Game Is to Be Sold, Not to Be Told received generally negative to moderate reviews. Q gave the album 3 out of 5 stars, saying, "Dogg's vocals can actually verge on the sublime....in glorious slow motion, and the undercurrent vibe is distinctly soulful."[14]

The Source gave it 3.5 Mics out of 5, saying, "[f]ew MCs from the West have ever gotten as much acceptance and acclaim from outside regions... No Limit's latest soldier isn't trying to rock the boat with his third album... the vibrant vocalist is very happy to be with rap's top squad."[12]

Anthony DeCurtis of Rolling Stone gave the album 2 out of 5 stars, saying that Snoop's work lacked the confidence and originality displayed on his earlier albums.[11]

Commercial performance

Da Game Is to Be Sold, Not to Be Told debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200 chart, selling 520,000 copies in its first week.[15] It is Snoop Dogg's third consecutive number-one album in the United States.[16] In its second week, the album remained at top on the Billboard 200, selling 246,000 copies.[17] The album spent five consecutive weeks on the top ten of the Billboard 200.[18] The album was certified 2× Platinum on October 22, 1998.[19] On November 18, 1998, the album had sold 1.7 million copies in the United States, ranking as the 39th best-selling album of the year.[20] As of March 2008, the album had sold over 2 million copies in the United States, making it the second best-selling album by Snoop Dogg in the country, behind only Doggystyle (1993).[21]

Track listing

Charts

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[37]	Platinum	100,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[38]	Silver	60,000^
United States (RIAA)[19]	2× Platinum	2,085,000[21]
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

See also

• Number-one albums of 1998 (U.S.)
• List of number-one R&B albums of 1998 (U.S.)

Notes

References

На других языках

---

[de] Da Game Is to Be Sold, Not to Be Told

Da Game Is to Be Sold, Not to Be Told ist das dritte Studioalbum des US-amerikanischen Rappers Snoop Dogg. Veröffentlicht wurde es am 4. August 1998 bei No Limit Records. Da die Rechte des Namens Snoop Doggy Dogg bei Death Row Records liegen, kürzte er seinen Namen auf Snoop Dogg.

---

- [en] Da Game Is to Be Sold, Not to Be Told

---

[ru] Da Game Is to Be Sold, Not to Be Told

Da Game Is to Be Sold, Not to Be Told — третий сольный студийный альбом Snoop Dogg, вышедший в 1998 году. Первый альбом на No Limit Records. В первую неделю в США было продано 519000 экземпляров[8]. Альбом получил статус дважды платинового[9].

---

---