Snoop Dogg XXX Double Feature:
1) Snoop Dogg's Doggystyle
2) Snoop Dogg's Hustlaz: Diary of a Pimp

Hustler

Genre: Music Video/Vignette

Directors: 1) Michael Corleone (videos) & Drew(porn); 2) Snoop Scorsese

Cast: 1) Obsession, Bronze, Charlie Angel, India, Farrah, Anna Malle, Jade Marcella, Kaire, Mark Anthony, Jack Napier, Cuba V. DeMoan, Tony Eveready, Mr. Marcus,
Cast: 2) India, Nikki Fairchild, Shyla Stylez, Dee, Ice D'Angelo, Jada, Mia Smiles, Holly Hollywood, Hunney Bunny, Kiwi, Cashmere, Jada(2), Sabrine Maui, Monique, Sin-Nye, Ashley Long, Nyomi Arman, Taylor St. Claire, Sky Jolie, Promise, Spice, Brittney Skye, Mr. Marcus, Darren James, Brian Pumper, Manuel Ferrara, Jason Zupala, Billy Banks, John West, Billy D., Domenico, Chaze, Leo, Rome Knight, Rafe, Marty Romano, Tony Everready, Steve Hatcher, Valentino, Mark Ashley,
Non-sex roles by: Calvin Cordozar Broadus (Snoop Dogg), Mack Minister, Lenore, Xstacee, Petro, Platinum, Diva Blue, Caramel, Sinnamon, Essence, Alize, Moet, Shay Shay, Raven, Sade, Twelve, Shelp Rock, D. Johnson, Shara, Carla, LT Hutton, Uncle Reo, Soopafly, many others (particularly in the second movie) were uncredited

Length: 1) 86.5 minutes
Length: 2) 87 minutes

Date of Production: 1) 1/31/2001 (credits), 3/31/2000 (box)
Date of Production: 2) 6/30/2002, 7/1/2002

Extra's: The first DVD of the set only had a few trailers and two photogalleries but the second DVD, probably figuring the huge volume of sales from the first warranted better extras was far superior, was great. It had 31.5 minutes of Behind the Scenes footage, 22 minutes of bonus sex footage, 12 porn star profiles, a weak director profile, 6 minutes of Bloopers, 9.5 minutes of deleted footage, some trailers and spam. In short, Hustler has rarely gone this far out in terms of quality, not to mention quantity, of extras.

Condoms: Yes

Audio/Video Quality: Both movies were presented in the usual 1.33:1 ratio full frame color as directed by the three directors (Snoop Dogg is credited for the second movie but he was likely more in a producer's role but I'll give him credit as listed). The first movie looked like a low budget piece of crap but that never detracted from the sheer fun of the entire movie. The grain, lousy lighting and lame camera work of the videos and porn alike reminded me more of a home movie recorded by a drunk sailor on shore leave. That said, it was one of the few times when I laughed more often than not so you have to give Hustler credit for selling a zillion copies based on star draw (and the fun factor) alone. The second movie was far superior in terms of visual quality although it had a lot of minor issues itself. It was directed more like a high budget porno than a low budget set of music videos and looked pretty solid most of the time, especially for how long ago it was made (in porn terms, a few years amounts to a quantum leap in terms of technical advancements). The audio on each were fairly limited in the sex parts but the music was easily the most interesting aspect of the two releases, containing 11 original songs on the first movie and 3 on the second (the 3 were better though so keep in mind the quality factor). The stereo audio wouldn't win any awards in mainstream, again owing to the budget, but this is porn so I can't deny you're unlikely to find any of the current crop of rapper/hip hop musicians providing anything better.

Body of Review: Porn has always played a big part of the urban music myth, with rappers and hip hop musicians having scores of it laying about and getting lots of fringe benefits whenever they meet up with porn gals. Earlier in this millennium, around 2000/2001, the next step was taken when the mighty Hustler Video worked out a deal with pop music star Calvin Cordozar Broadus, better known as Snoop Dogg because his mother said he looked like Peanuts character Snoopy (I fail to see the resemblance), to host a couple of pornos. While this seems like a natural progression, it really made waves in both industries, taking the video dancers into porn and porn stars into music videos on a scale far greater than ever before (causing a trend that carries on to this day). It also laid the groundwork for the lesser musicians of today to get their own series at various companies although I have yet to find one of those worth paying money for.

Anyway, Snoop Dogg made two releases for Hustler, Snoop Dogg's Doggystyle and Snoop Dogg's Hustlaz: Diary of a Pimp, both conveniently boxed together in Hustler's newest box set, Snoop Dogg XXX Double Feature, a great value considering all that the movies contain. In Doggystyle, the premise was more a vignette of 6 music videos fused with 5 porn scenes that had little central theme, made as though it were something of a joke to all those involved. After the sales went through the roof though (it was the best selling tape of 2001 by a wide margin), everyone sat up and paid attention. Consider that a porno for most companies is considered a success if it sells 5000 copies but a music CD needs to sell 500,000 (or more) before it even starts to pay the associated costs of production. By banking on the hope that a few percent of Snoop's fans would pick up the porno based solely on his participation (and he never got naked or took liberties with the cast in the movies) on top of the fame factor and usual marketing ploys, Hustler rightly figured (I think Jimmy Flynt was the smart guy coming up with the idea) they had an automatic winner on their hands with Doggystyle.

My understanding of the sales to this point is that Doggystyle has remained the biggest seller in adult history to date, edging out the Paris Hilton video (which was pretty lame regardless of what people tell you) by a good amount. The followup, Snoop Dogg's Hustlaz: Diary of a Pimp, was said to sell almost as many, breaking records in 2002, and it was only because Calvin's new girlfriend/wife(?) asked him to stop associating with porn that he stopped the moneymaking machine for Hustler. While neither video is very interesting sexually, the crossover appeal of these two DVDs has been spoken of as a primary reason for large numbers of urban/black series to find a distribution channel so the net amount of porn sold as a direct result of these two movies is incalculable but tremendous.

Now, I've long been a listener of the urban street poets (I cringe when they are called singers), tracing my roots back to the 70's East Coast style rappers and I've been watching porn nearly as long so the fusion of the two entertainment genres makes a lot of sense to me. After all, the best videos sell sex at least as effectively as any porno I've ever watched, perhaps even more so, and they really are from different worlds but those of you who like booty shaking, topless gals having fun while surrounded by a bunch of thugs are going to trip out watching either of these two shows. I'm going to admit that the sex scenes were pretty weak compared to what was on the market back when they were made and by today's standards, they're almost softcore enough to show on cable (there was penetration, oral, and hoards of gals butt naked though). That doesn't diminish the quality of the music, at least in terms of urban reality, and the fresh appeal of the combination provided.

I'm not going to break down the scenes by cast for you since most of the scenes were too short, the cast uncredited, and the overall feel I got was warmish for a set of music videos, but I will suggest to you that if you're a fan of the music, most of what was provided on the DVDs here has yet to be properly released on CD so this may be your only chance to pick it up. I'm acquainted with numerous completists that already have these two movies for their soundtracks and while I wish Hustler added a CD of the music with this new boxed set (same movies with a cardboard box), they have it priced to sell.

Summary: Snoop Dogg XXX Double Feature was a lot of fun to watch, despite the technical limitations (primarily of the first movie), and the amount of sex provided but it's crossover appeal was so great that it may well have done more than spawn a new generation of porn watchers; it may have also been a lynchpin in the holy grail of porn: mainstream acceptance. While Snoop Dogg may not be invited into the bedroom of the middle America farmstead, he already pushed the envelope of music to the point where audiences previously untouched by urban culture have accepted him (in fact, statistics show that more urban music is purchased by white people than black) so he might well be the "back door" to porn being more readily accepted by the masses. I'm going to elevate the rating of the set to Recommended based on the amount of material, my fondness of the admittedly quirky music, and Snoop's low key hosting job, but aside from some plugs he made in regards to other enterprises he was hawking at the time, it was pretty entertaining.

For great choices in porn, check out: 2004's Top Porn List and 2003's Top Porn List.