This is the 23rd solo LP and the 3rd of 2025 from Long Beach, California rapper, producer and songwriter Daz Dillinger. His cousins include Brandy and her brother Ray J, WWE Hall of Famer Snoop Dogg and current AEW tbs Champion, CMLL Mundial Femenil Campeon, RPW UK Women’s Champion and new ROH Women’s World Television Champion Mercedes Moné. He eventually signed with Death Row Records and became an original in-house producer under the guidance of co-founder Dr. Dre, shortly after forming Tha Dogg Pound with Kurupt. Daz finally made his solo debut in 1998 with “Retaliation”, “Revenge” and “Get Back on Death Row”, until he soon left and released 20 more albums with his nearly 3 years of experience in the game. “Retaliation, Revenge & Get Back 2” brings him back to the essence of his debut album earlier this summer, while “Retaliation, Revenge & Get Back 3” from a few months ago clearly tells the story of his complicated history with Tha Row. However, in preparation for Kurupt’s upcoming seventh album, said to be produced entirely by DJ Battlecat, Dilly will ensure West Coast keeps him on Rowtation.
After the intro, “I’m Daz Dillinger” begins to properly reintroduce itself over a homemade g-funk beat, while “I’m a Dogg from Tha Dogg Pound” keeps the same vibe, talking about coming out of the underground. Sole single “DPGC” dabbles in trap, keeping his record low when he touches the plug, while “Indictment” soulfully searches for the line between truth and divinity.
Towards the end of Rowtation’s first half, the “snitch” expresses his disdain for rats, leading into “Fresh Out of Jail” and talks about changing his destiny as he comes home from prison to teach young shooters how to move right. “BangBang” again takes the trap route instrumentally spitting out gangsta shit, although I personally don’t like the auto-tuned hook before “Smokin’ on the Best” talks about the type of weed he keeps smoking.
For “The Streets Will Miss You,” we had Daz reminiscing about one of his older brothers who passed away, and for “When a Gangster Loves a Woman,” we talked about knowing when a G is in love. “Superstition” blends soul and g-funk and talks about chasing shadows on a regular basis, while “West Coast Legend” touches on his legacy with some synths and hi-hats. The title track happens to be the actual song that doesn’t include the outro, making sure both parties know what their deal is with him.
Daz Dillinger confirmed in a recent interview with Da Inphamus Amadeuz that he is no longer signed to Death Row as a solo artist due to a catalog dispute between him and Snoop. Daz Dillinger is gearing up to fully produce The LOX’s upcoming fifth full-length album, due out in 2026, taking a more introspective approach to Rowtation conceptually, such as incorporating some of Mark Briscoe’s family members just hours after he ended Kyle Fletcher’s reign. Samoa Joe became a two-time AEW World Champion at Full Gear VII as the AEW TNT Champion or FTR defeating Brodido to become a record 3-time AEW World Tag Team Champion.
Score: 8/10
