Is it weird hearing a song called Gangsta Love sound so soft? Where's Nate Dogg when ya need him? Snoop crossed over a long time ago and I ain't mad at him for gettin paid. His music has no hard edge to it these days. Gangsta Love is the first single from Snoop's forthcoming 10th album, Malice-N-Wonderland (hard, aint it?) in stores December 8.

Audio: Snoop Dogg ft. The Dream - Gangsta Luv

Ehhh... I'm not really feelin this joint. It's a slightly different
sound for The Dream, but not better. On the one hand, at least we don't
hear the repetitive "ella ella" and "eh eh". On the flipside, this
sounds like a cross between the ignorant lyricism of Soulja Boy or the
Ying Yang Twins, and the rap-sing style of Trey Songz or Ciara (no diss
to either). The beat is pretty hot, but that's about all I can really
get with on this song. I presume this is a preview track from his next
album Love King, coming in 2010.

You can hate if you want on the kid Fabolous, but he knows how to deliver a hit! Go ahead and put this on your summertime mixes, it's definitely a banger. FAB gets extra flashy in this super-fly video for Throw It In The Bag, off his forthcoming 5th studio album entitled Loso's Way set for release on June 30. He and The Dream make an excellent combo for this track, I'm stamping this one for the summertime heat!

The Dream kicks it into warp speed with the video for his latest single Walkin' On The Moon featuring Kanye West. This space-aged futuristic styled clip finds The Dream in an intergalactic love affair, chasing the object of his affection beyond the moon and between the stars. The song is a great new sound for Mr. Nash and a highlight from his Love vs. Money album, in stores now (review here).

And by the way, I'm diggin the styles in this video!!

“He took my shawty, he took my girl. He took the any and everything out my world. He took my heart from me, he took my soul. I should have known money couldn’t match love…”

Artist: The Dream
Album: Love vs. Money
Release Date: 3.10.09

After building his career as a writer for today’s biggest hit makers, The Dream seeks to etch his name among them with the offering of his second studio album, Love vs. Money. This album revisits many of the concepts from the previous album such as love, sex, and heartache but with a different, more sincere perspective. Much like its predecessor, this album tells a story, therefore his technique of flowing one song into the next is appropriately engaged once again. With his longtime collaborator Tricky Stewart in tow on most of the tracks, this project (with minimal growth time needed) should do well to dispel most notions of a sophomore jinx.

Singles from Love vs. Money include the club-ready Rockin’ That Thang and My Love featuring the soaring soprano of Mariah Carey. The projected third single is Walkin’ On The Moon featuring Kanye West, a not-so-typical love song noted for it’s flashback-gone-futuristic beat and concept. R. Kelly’s influence is felt on Sweat It Out, which utilizes Kellz’s signature talk-sing style while the Pied Piper is more directly referenced on Kelly's 12-Play, a tribute to one of the most infamous baby-making albums of all time. Sporting a kickin’ bass line, an infectious beat, and a catchy hook, Take U Home 2 My Mama is made especially for the clubs and flows smoothly into the title track (Love vs. Money), which is even hotter with a synth-heavy cock-aim-and-shoot beat. Emotion pours through the vocals and it bleeds into its sequel, Love vs Money Pt 2, which has a more subtle beat but switches the direction of his frustration from his own embattled heart to the object of his pain (Nivea, anyone?). Ballad lovers will appreciate Fancy, the albums smoothest contribution, and the lyrically engaging Right Side of My Brain a Timbaland-produced jam that recounts the feelings of losing that special love through its haunting vocals. In the same manner that it began, this album ends on a high note: in the club alongside Lil’ Jon on Let Me See The Booty – not the most clever of tracks, and definitely not the best written, but it serves its purpose.

I will admit I had my reservations about The Dream. His live performances, though few, leave much to be desired especially on the vocals, but he’s proving himself to be a genius in the studio. This album took less time to grow on me than the first one, so in that respect, it does surpass the first. Vocally, there’s a lot more to pay attention to here, between his actual singing and use of the vocoder; not necessarily a refreshing variety but he works it pretty well. There have only been a few male R&B releases in ’09, but Love vs. Money deserves placement near the top of that list…

Sound-Savvy officially rates Love vs. Money with 4.5 out of 5 platinum headphones.

Related Posts:
Video: The Dream feat. Mariah Carey - My Love
Video: The Dream feat. Fabolous, Juelz Santana, Rick Ross and Ludacris - Rockin' That Thang (Remix)
Video: The Dream - Rockin' That Thang
The Dream - Right Side of My Brain (wasn't feelin' this joint at first, but it's the unfinished version. The album version is much better!)

It's a Dream Double-header today! Check out the Nick Cannon-directed video for My Love, from The Dream's sophomore LP Love vs. Money. Okay, I'm sooooo diggin this clip!! Everything from that hood-style Kool-Aid (Mariah betta pour that sugar!) to kickin' it on the front porch gettin the hair done. This song is about that long-term love! Before the fame, before the houses in the hills, it was all about that hood love and you can't know how real it is unless you've been there from the beginning. Love vs. Money album review comin soon!!

Now this is a MAJOR video. The Dream forms Voltron with Ludacris, Fabolous, Juelz Santana and Rick Ross for the remix video to his major smash hit Rockin That Thang. Once again he brings in some sexy ladies to make the video complete. I've been rockin to this joint since January and I'm glad he's decided to shoot a video for the original AND the remix. The original version can be found on The Dream's sophomore LP, Love vs. Money set to hit stores tomorrow, March 10!

I will admit, I AM a fan of The Dream's work, and if you knew like I know... you would be too!! I'm sure you've hummed a hit song that was penned by Tricky and The Dream and probably didn't even know it. Rockin' That Thang is one of my favorite joints in rotation right now, and this video is another hot one!! Don't be fooled, those aren't just ANY video chicks rockin' that shit either. That's Electrik Red, the female proteges put on by The Dream. They've also appeared in other videos including Ciara's Like A Boy. Anyway, from stilettos to skates, this is a hot video. The Dream's sophomore album, Love vs. Money hits stores in early March so check back for the review!

Check out Digital Girl, the second track off Jamie Foxx's third studio album entitled Intuition. This joint features some clever lyrical wordplay from Kanye and a guest appearance by The Dream, who also produced the track. Although it's Jamie's song, Kanye rather steals the show with more metaphors than a thesaurus. Still, it's enough to make me look forward to the new album, due out 12.16.08