The Dove Shack was a three-man group out of Long Beach, California, consisting of C-Knight, Bo Roc, and 2Scoops. My introduction to The Dove Shack was on Warren G’s Regulate album, where he was gracious enough to give the trio their own record (“This Is The Shack”). The gesture was not just kind but a smart business move, since The Dove Shack signed to Warren’s G-Funk Entertainment imprint, a subsidiary of Def Jam Records. A year after the release of Warren’s Regulate album (which went three times platinum), The Dove Shack would drop their debut album, This Is The Shack.

Along with The Dove Shack, Warren G signed the Long Beach duo Twinz to his G-Funk Entertainment label (who also made their grand introduction on Regulate). Interesting enough, both groups would release their debut albums, This Is The Shack and Conversation, on the same day, August 22, 1995. Warren G would produce all but one track on the Conversation album, but only a single track on This Is The Shack (and that credit was for the title song, which was previously released on Regulate), rendering the rest of the album’s sonic development to a handful of other names that included Jam Master J (rip) and longtime Rap-A-Lot Records production affiliate, Crazy C. Releasing the two albums on the same day to compete against each other might not have been the best business move for Warren, as neither album would render great sells numbers.

I enjoyed the production on Conversation and the Twinz…well, let’s just say they didn’t embarrass themselves. I bought a used CD copy of This Is The Shack about eight months ago, and this write-up will be my first time listening to it. Hopefully the absence of Warren’s production hand doesn’t hinder the product.

Rest in peace to C-Knight who passed away last November due to complications with a stroke.

Intro (Skit) – The festivities begin with a hood tour guide showing some unassuming chump around the Dove Shack. At the Shack, you can get any strand of weed you prefer, choose from a variety of baddies, readily available to fulfill your sexual desires, and a deejay’s always on the ones and twos to provide an enjoyable audio experience while you partake in the debauchery. Apparently, the deejay working during this skit isn’t a fan of The Dove Shack’s music, as the tour guide has to forcefully ask him to put their shit on, bringing this intro to an end.

Smoke Out – TDS gets the mandatory weed record out of the way early in the evening as 2Scoops, C-Knight, and Bo Roc get high in the backseat of someone’s ride. Montell Jordan joins in on the fun as he passionately reminds the fellas not to fuck up the rotation during the hook. Someone named Keith Clizark (whose last name I’m sure is West Coast slang for Clark) provides a smoothed-out G-funk groove that sounds like it belongs to Warren G. The trio’s bud themed bars are easily forgettable, but I enjoyed the music and the catchy hook.

This Is The Shack – Apparently The Dove Shack is not only a dispensary and brothel as described in the Intro, but it’s also a haunted house, or at least that’s what the grown-ass kids on the useless opening skit for this track would lead you to believe. As I mentioned during the Intro, this song was on Regulate. A wise choice for TDS to include it on the album as Warren’s Maestro’d g-funk-groove blended with seventies soul vibes will sound amazing for eternity.

Summertime In The LBC – Going into this album, I was unaware that Bo Roc was also a singer. He displays his smooth masculine vocals on this track as Arnita Porter joins Bo on this beautiful ode to summertime in Long Beach, California. The soulful laidback groove (credited to Lamon “Sleepy” Turner and Henry “Hank” Thomas) accentuates Bo and Arnita’s performance, making it easy to visualize the serene summer vibes and the warm sun gracefully beating down from above. The random “muthafucka” adlib after Arnita’s verse was completely unwarranted, though.

Bomb Drop – This was the third and final single from This Is The Shack. Jam Master Jay gets his first of two production credits on the night. The backdrop is moderately dope, but TDS’ meager battle bars drain some of the instrumental’s potency. Continue to rest in power, JMJ, and may your family find peace and solace in the recent convictions of your murderers.

The Train (Skit) – This skit begins with Bo Roc having sex with a young lady in a dark room. In the middle of the smash, he fakes that his condom broke so he can tag out and let C-Knight have at it, unbeknownst to the lady. C-Knight pulls the same shenanigan with 2Scoops, before their victim catches on to the scam. They should have called this interlude “The Rape.” Only in the nineties could some repulsive shit like this be made into a joke.

Fuck Ya Mouth – TDS uses this pleasant instrumental (built around an interpolation from Cameo’s “She’s Strange”) to spew generic misogynistic bars. I enjoyed Bo Roc’s semi-catchy hook, even though the harmony sounds custom made for Nate Dogg (rip).

Slap A Hoe (Skit) – More male chauvinistic jokes credited to Ghetto Klownz. Some of it was mildly funny.

Freestyle Interview (Skit) – Quick skit that sets up the next song.

Freestyle – Crazy C slides TDS some ole slick shit to come off the top of the dome over. The trio aren’t prolific in the trade, but they prove to be proficient with the craft. More importantly, you can feel the fun and camaraderie in the record.

Crooked Cop (Skit) – Cop versus boys in the hood, ending in tragedy and setting up the next record.

Ghetto Life – Our hosts detail some of the drama and stresses that come with living in the hood: police brutality, gang bangin’, violence, drugs, and fatherless homes. How do they cope with the pain? A whole lot of Indo weed. This is probably the most substance you’ll get from The Dove Shack, but unfortunately it renders mediocre results.

East Side Party – JMJ gets his second and final production credit of the night. Along with Bo Roc’s hook, Jay’s up-tempo banger sets the tone for a party. TDS’s raps sound more like their ready to set trip than party, or maybe that’s just how people party in the East side of LBC.

Rollin Wit A Gang – Speaking of set trip, TDS reps for their undisclosed gang, giving this track a quick verbal gang bang with dual meaning. Bo Roc croons another memorable hook, but the true star of this record is Keith Clizark’s jazz-tinged G-Funk backdrop.

We Funk (The G Funk) – This was the second single. Our hosts salute and pay respect to the G-Funk sound over Young Jedi’s (great alias, by the way) deliciously funky groove. After Bo Roc gets tired of singing the hook and adlibs, he passes the baton to Y?N-Vee (whose raunchy record, “4 Play,” was playing in the background while TDS committed rape during “The Train” skit) to close out the record.

There’ll Come A Day – TDS addresses their haters and doubters with this one. Mr. Turner and Mr. Thomas (who were responsible for the musical magic on “Summertime In The LBC”) concoct a slick composition equipped with scrumptious wah-wah guitars (which I’m always a sucker for), and it goes down smoother than a shot of Grey Goose.

Summertime In The LBC (Rap) – This alternate version was the lead single. C-Knight and 2Scoops interrupt Bo Roc and Ms. Porter’s lovely duet with lackluster bars, but not lackluster enough to ruin what is easily the best record on the album.

When I read the liner notes for This Is The Shack and noticed Warren G’s name was pretty much nowhere to be found on the production end, I was a little concerned. On Regulate and the Twinz’ Conversation, Warren’s smoothly melodic G-Funk stylings more than made up for the mediocre rhyming and repetitive subject matter spat on both projects. I guess when your crew’s tagline is “rhythm is life and life is rhythm,” lyricism takes a back seat to the music. The Dove Shack carries on their crew’s tradition of lyrical mediocrity on This Is The Shack, but thankfully, the album also upholds Warren’s rhythmic creed.

Along with Bo Roc’s impressive Nate Dogg-esque in-the-pocket singing and memorable hooks, the production on This Is The Shack carries the album. Jam Master Jay, Crazy C and the rest of the band of producers sculpt a quality batch of instrumentals that would lead one to believe Mr. G created them. The album does come with too many skits that add no value to the listen (and one that I’m sure the fellas were ashamed of later in life), and there are one or two mid moments on the production end, but ultimately, it’s the rhythm that makes the album entertaining and makes the shack feel like a respectable home.

-Deedub

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