So So Gangsta


So So Gangsta is the eighth solo studio album by American rapper Daz Dillinger. It was released on September 12, 2006, via So So Def and Virgin Records simultaneously with an instrumental album entitled So So Gangsta - The Album Sampler. Recording sessions took place at Studio Atlantis and at the Crippin Kitchen in Los Angeles, at the Hit Factory Criteria and at Poe Boy Studios in Miami, and at SouthSide Studios in Atlanta. Production was handled by Jermaine Dupri, No I.D., Scott Storch and Daz himself, with LRoc, Ivan Johnson and Soopafly serving as co-producers. It features guest appearances from Avery Storm, Ice Cube, Jagged Edge, Johntá Austin, Kurupt, Rick Ross, Snoop Dogg, Soopafly and The Kid Slim. The album debuted at number 35 on the Billboard 200 with just over 23,000 albums sold its first week. It has reached 150,000 moved units according to SoundScan on October 10, 2007.
The album spawned two singles: "On Some Real Shit" and "Weekend". The accompanying music video for "On Some Real Shit" was directed by Juwan Lee, while the single made it to number 90 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs. The video for "All I Need" was directed by D. Baker, and the one for "Thang on My Hip" was directed by Daz and Todd 1.

Critical reception

's David Jeffries wrote: "While some redundancy towards the end and a couple of unnecessary guest stars keep this from being vital, it's generally a well-built effort, and just like Cube's 2006 release, So So Gangsta offers a veteran Left Coaster sounding as hungry as he did in the WC's heyday." William Ketchum III of HipHopDX praised Daz for maintaining his "California strut" by delivering "hardcore rhymes" over "equally tough soundscapes" with his West Coast friends, and was surprised by his "natural chemistry" with Dupri when swapping his "gangsterisms for light-hearted rhymes" alongside Rick Ross and Jagged Edge, concluding that: "So So Gangsta swiftly delivers the best of both worlds: satisfying doses of both JD's trademark So So Def production and Daz's signature gangsta flow." Steve 'Flash' Juon of RapReviews wrote: "If you're looking for some certified fly West coast shit it's hard to go wrong with "So So Gangsta," easily one of Daz's best solo albums of the past 10 years." Paul Cantor of XXL wrote: "Lyrically, Daz is still dat nigga, but he rarely expounds upon anything other than clichéd themes here. Although Gangstas a welcome return for the OG, a little less gun talk and more substance would have broken up the monotony and saved the CD from just being so so."

Track listing

;Sample credits
  • Track 1 contains samples from the composition "Friends or Lovers" written by Raeford Gerald and performed by Act One

Personnel

  • Delmar "Daz Dillinger" Arnaud – main artist, producer, recording
  • William "Rick Ross" Roberts II – featured artist
  • Johntá Austin – featured artist
  • Calvin "Snoop Dogg" Broadus – featured artist
  • Priest "Soopafly" Brooks – featured artist, co-producer
  • Ralph "Avery Storm" Di Stasio – featured artist
  • Ricardo "Kurupt" Brown – featured artist
  • O'Shea "Ice Cube" Jackson – featured artist
  • Jaron "The Kid Slim" Alston – featured artist
  • Jagged Edge – featured artists
  • Ernest "No I.D." Wilson – producer
  • Jermaine Dupri – producer, mixing, executive producer
  • Scott Storch – producer
  • James "LRoc" Phillips – co-producer
  • Ivan Johnson – co-producer
  • John Horesco IV – recording
  • Tadd "Rowdy Rik" Mingo – recording
  • Elvin "Big Chuck" Prince – recording
  • Conrad Golding – recording
  • Wayne Allison – recording
  • Phil Tan – mixing
  • Doug Wilson – mixing
  • Rufus Morgan – assistant recording
  • Josh Houghkirk – assistant mixing
  • Reed Taylor – assistant mixing
  • Vlado Meller – mastering
  • Will Ragland – art direction, design
  • Kate McGregor – art coordinator
  • Kai Regan – photography
  • Sterling J. Carroll III – A&R
  • Ronette Bowie – A&R
  • Eddie "Skeeter Rock" Weathers – A&R
  • Bret D. Lewis – legal