@@@@@ = Top Score

What a surprise it was when word got around that the Aftermath family was going to release a DVD of their highly successful summer tour, entitled “Up In Smoke.”  They got something right about the tour for sure, because that shit was up in smoke.  The venues were sold out everywhere and the tour raked in tens of millions of dollars.  Just another pay day for Dre day.  We all know that when the niggaz have something, they want a lot of it.  A lot of pussy, a lot of weed, a lot of drank, and a helluva lot of that green shit they call dollaz.  Well, those niggaz that went up in smoke made their fair share of the green bills and made it righteously.  The show was worth every penny, and it is almost guaranteed that 99% of the people that put out a fifty for it walked away happily with one big fuckin grin glued to their faces.  The purpose of this DVD is set to recapture the atmosphere of the concert and show those what the fuck they missed if they said, “fuck up in smoke.”  Is this shit worth paying for even if you DID go to the concert?  One thing is fo sheezy my neezy, go out and cop this shit if you missed one of the greatest tours of rap history.  But should just any rap fan purchase this?? Or is it even worth buying for the hardcore Dre and Snoop fans?  Read on my neezy.
 Pop the DVD into the player and it starts off with one “off the muthafuckin meat-rack” beats by the good doctor himself.  This shit is seriously worth listening to multiple times, even though its just an instrumental.  It just shows us that the doctor has still got it, always innovating and changing the sound of the game.  In the little TV box in the menu, it shows clips of the mini-movie that they show to introduce doggy dogg and d-r-e to the show.  After clicking on “play concert”, the DVD then gives you 2 different audio options.  Stereo and Dolby 5.1 surround sound are available to listen to the concert in.  If you have the luxury of surround sound, then pick Dolby obviously.  The first chapter of the DVD is an intro to the tour.  We see the doctor’s tour-bus as well as other up-in-smoke members.  Some cool effects light up the screen in the cryptic green colour that highlights Dre’s album cover and linear notes.  Already, the shit starts to hype you up.  We see kids being arrested, people drinking too much, and niggaz just passing out from all that chronic.
 The DVD then breaks up into 3 main segments: Ice Cube, Eminem, Dre & Snoop.  Ice Cube starts the DVD off with a bang.  Some creepy gothic music comes on and the crowd starts cheering for Cube when they see his set.  He comes down in some sort of entrapment and starts the shit off with Hello.  That black nigga Ren is out there in a ski-mask, making him look and sound grimier and more rugged than he already is.  The visuals and audio are great.  I don’t know about the VHS version, but the DVD is shot in 35mm camera which is the type of camera they use for filming major Hollywood movies.  Cube and Ren rip the stage up with Hello and then Ms. Toi comes out to do U Can Do It.  The next clip is of the one and only Worldwide Westside Connection.  Cube tells Crazy Toones how he likes the beat from “Whoa” and drops a verse to it which is on his latest album.  WC then dusts off his blue chucks and Toones drops a huge beat from the album “Bow Down.”  WC gets his muthafuckin cripwalk on (most of the crowd don’t know what the hell he is talkin about) and rips it up across the stage.  This part is pretty amusing as we see the power and influence of the Westside as you can just imagine how many niggaz are gonna try and perfect their cripwalk after seeing this.  Cube goes on to perform one of his old classics and wraps his set up with “We Be Clubbin.”  Overall a pretty good song choice for the DVD but it is a little disappointing not to see any of the songs performed by Westside Connection.
The next set is Eminem’s.  The shit starts off with the beat from “Kim” and then Em comes out and does his song Kill U.  Throughout Eminem’s set, he totally hits up Insane Clown Posse and even brings out some blow-up dolls to impersonate them.  Em has got the crowd pretty hyped up most of the time and does some more classics such as “Marshall Mathers,” “Criminal,” and “The Real Slim Shady.”  D12 come out and do some of their songs with him and Eminem finishes off the show with “The Real Slim Shady”.  The comedian between set changes is next and they show him doing a joke about chronic.
Finally, the main part of the show is up.  Earlier in the review, it was mentioned that a mini-movie is played to introduce Dre and the d-o- double g.  The movie is short, but its pretty fuckin far from mini.  The movie is amazing, and you have to see it to believe it. The DVD is worth buying just so you can see this mini-movie.  All it involves is drugs, money, alcohol, guns, and bitches.  All of the elements needed to make a classic film.  This movie does the doctor and snoop a great introduction and is one of the top reasons to buy this DVD.  After you see this, the D-R-E and Mr. Snoop Dogg come out to start their part of the show off with “The Next Episode.”  Nate Dogg comes out and does his part and has the crowd going wild between the pause before his last phrase.  Dre and Snoop steal over half of the DVD with 16 of the 33 chapters.  They have a dope set that involves a liquor store from the mini-movie and a giant skull that looms out above them.  After “The Next Episode,” Snoop and Dre do some of their older shit including “Nuthin But a G-Thang.”  There is some behind the scene footage on the d-o-double g.  He smokes some bubonic-chronic and we see Tha Doggfather’s basketball skills.  Xzibit comes on next and they rip shit up doing “Bitch Please” and they are riding their low-rider bikes.  The DVD then goes on to show some of Dre’s new shit.  It was nice that they included the tribute to the deceased on the DVD and basically Dre does his part in “Cali Luv” and Snoop drops his verses in “2 of Amerikaz Most Wanted.”  It was good to see that Pac gets love everywhere.  His cheering was the loudest and the crowd sang along to “Hail Mary.”  Mel-Man’s public service comes up next and its fuckin funny.  Some biatch is giving him brain and then her husband pulls up the driveway.  Mel runs out and she says hello to her husband and gives him a BIG kiss with a grin at the screen.  They then introduce Devin tha Dude and do “Fuck You.”  This is the part of the DVD where they show all of the crowd’s cans and asses.  All them hoes in the crowd that got their cans out are sure to see em on this DVD.  It is pretty funny and you can see how drunk and high some of those bitches really were.  After this, we get to see some of the tour reflections and basically everyone says how proud they were to be associated with it.  Next Dre, Snoop and Tha Doc come out hittin switches in a 6-4 and Dre does his verse in “Let Me Ride.”  The shit finishes off with “Still Dre,” and it then goes on to show everybody saying they had a good fuckin time.
Overall, this is an excellent rap DVD.  The camera’s were of good quality, good sound options, and a pretty good choice for song selections.  Much better when you compare it to something like “Deathrow Uncut” or some shit like that.   The only gripe is that it didn’t show any of the more underground artists that were on the tour.  They didn’t show any of Tha Eastsidaz, Warren G, or Kurupt acts and it would have been better if they included that.  There is not much to compare it too but if you are a rap fan, this shit will be worth the money.

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