Written by: Andrew Kirkpatrick

With the exceptions of the classic Doggystyle, the masterful Blue Carpet Treatment, and the surprisingly consistent Bush, Snoop Dogg’s albums come with highs and lows in equal measure. In that sense, the D-O-double-G’s latest, Coolaid, is par for the course.

But the Long Beach MC is a legend for a reason. Even his flimsiest records feature at least one truly great track.

And again, Coolaid is no different.

There are a couple highlights here: “Ten Toes Down” is blissful, straightforward G-funk, while “Double Tap” is a dose of funky-as-hell synth R&B. The best of the best, however, is easily the monstrous “Super Crip.”

The song is loaded with sly references to Snoop’s past work. The chameleonic Just Blaze constructs a gargantuan beat with two distinct sections — one filled with wailing synths and minor key piano phrases that mimic Dr. Dre’s signature sound and another anchored by buzzing basslines and epic vocal samples not unlike Snoop’s collaborations with Scoop De Ville. Meanwhile, the Doggfather himself riffs on some of his most iconic lyrics with small nods to “Deep Cover,” “Drop It Like It’s Hot,” and “Who Am I?”

But the song’s strength goes beyond cleverly playing off nostalgia. The live drums Just Blaze periodically mixes into the beat kick things into overdrive, while Snoop’s hook (“Shit, you know who I be / D-O-double-G, Super C-R-I-P”) is pretty much guaranteed to be lodged in your brain for a few days.

When I reviewed Bush last year, I mentioned that it’s likely Snoop Dogg will never make an album as good as Doggystyle. To an extent, I still believe that to be the case. But whenever he decides to compile a greatest hits record — which “Super Crip” totally deserves a place on — it’ll be a thing of beauty.

What other rapper is making tracks like this 14 albums into their career?