"Tha Blue Carpet Treatment" is the eighth studio album by West Coast hip hop recording artist Snoop Dogg. It was released on November 21, 2006, by Doggystyle Records and Geffen Records. Recording sessions for the album took place between November 2005 and September 2006 in various studios, with contributions from artists such as Dr. Dre, The Neptunes, DJ Battlecat, DJ Pooh, Timbaland, Danja, Mark Batson, Terrace Martin, and Mr. Porter, among others.
The album debuted at number 5 on the US Billboard 200, selling 264,000 copies in its first week. Upon release, Tha Blue Carpet Treatment received generally positive reviews from music critics. The album was also promoted with Tha Blue Carpet Treatment Mixtape, which was released a few days before the official album release.
The title Tha Blue Carpet Treatment is a reference to the red carpet traditionally present at formal events, with the blue color symbolizing Snoop Dogg's affiliation with the Crips, a gang that often wears blue (in contrast to the red of their rival gang, the Bloods). The album cover underwent several revisions before the final design was revealed. Initially, a cartoon dog representing Snoop Dogg was depicted displaying Crip gang signs while standing on a blue carpet patterned like a bandana. This design was created by Snoop's cousin Darryl Daniel. Later, the cover was updated to feature a parody of the famous Hollywood Sign reading "LONG BEACH," which Snoop revealed during an appearance on The Late Show with David Letterman on August 30, 2006.
Snoop Dogg emphasized that he wanted to return to his "gangsta" roots for this album, stating he had been making pop and R&B songs in the past but felt it was time to go back to his origins. He explained to MTV that he "went right back to the 'hood" for Tha Blue Carpet Treatment, capturing the essence of his early days in hip hop. Pharrell, who worked on the album, mentioned that the music video for the track "Vato" would not only showcase Snoop’s gangsta side but also address the issue of violence between African Americans and Hispanics in Los Angeles, calling for racial unity.
Snoop Dogg also teamed up with DJs from different regions for Tha Blue Carpet Treatment Mixtape, which featured rumored tracks that didn’t make it to the final album. The mixtape, hosted by DJ Skee, DJ Whoo Kid, and DJ Drama, was released a few weeks before the official album came out.
One track on the album, "Think About It," was composed by Frequency in his dorm room one and a half years prior to the album's production. The track was passed to Mike Chavez of Geffen Records, who then gave it to Snoop Dogg. Snoop used the track to show his older son that he could still be an old-school gangster rapper if he wanted. The track "Imagine" was initially intended for Busta Rhymes' album The Big Bang. However, due to sample clearance issues, it didn’t make it onto Busta’s album and was given to Snoop Dogg for Tha Blue Carpet Treatment, featuring verses from Kam and Snoop himself.
Tha Blue Carpet Treatment includes several notable tracks, such as "Which One of You," recorded with the group N.V., and "Round Here," which samples Dido's song "Thank You" (a sample also used by Eminem on his track "Stan"). "L.A.X." contains a sample of Zapp’s "More Bounce to the Ounce," a song Snoop Dogg had previously used on his track "Snoop Bounce" from Tha Doggfather (1996). The album also features lyrics ghostwritten by former Aftermath Entertainment artists like Stat Quo and The D.O.C.
Snoop Dogg worked on Tha Blue Carpet Treatment for nine months, collaborating with artists such as R. Kelly on the song "That's That," produced by Nottz. Other featured artists include Ice Cube, Pharrell, D'Angelo, Akon, Nate Dogg, B-Real of Cypress Hill, and Stevie Wonder. Dr. Dre, who had not produced tracks for Snoop Dogg since 2000, contributed to several songs, including "Imagine," on which he also rapped a verse. Additionally, Dr. Dre worked with Snoop on the track "I Wanna Fuck You" with Akon, which was later released as a radio-friendly version titled "I Wanna Love You."
Other songs recorded for the album didn’t make the final cut, including "Wannabes" featuring Young Jeezy and Nate Dogg, produced by DJ Quik; "Smokin' Smokin' Weed" featuring Ray J, Slim Thug, Shorty Mack, and Nate Dogg; and "Put This Thang on You" featuring Ne-Yo. Two of these tracks were later released as part of the album's bonus disc.
