Snoop Doggy Dogg may have paid the cost , but it's apparant Suge is still the boss. Although we didn't get to see Nas and Jay-Z square off one on one for sales, we did get to see a great rivalry between Doggystyle & Tha Row on the shelves. Suge Knight's Tha Row Records label will likely once again top the Billboard Charts this Thursday. Unless some miracle happens where country western artist Tim McGraw sells nearly 70,000 units in 2 days, Suge and Pac will be riding together once again back on the charts at #1. Tupac has currently sold 274,364 units with what many are calling average promotion. Snoop Doggy Dogg, who largely based his promotion off this album by calling out his former boss Suge Knight headed by a diss track called "Pimp Slapped" comes in with a slumping 121,000 units thus far. Perhaps the most powerful album on the charts right now, the soundtrack for "8 Mile Rd." on Aftermath/Shady Records, has sold another 196,500 units. As of today, Snoop holds the 8th position on the charts barely topping Eminem's "The Eminem Show" which currently has 117,000 units and could take over the 8th spot still. Snoop's other talked about song "From The Church To Da Palace" is a formula track produced by VA's Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo. Snoop fell hard on his last releases "Doggystyle Presents...The All-Stars" and Tha Eastsidaz "Deuces and Trays" which both failed to reach gold status. If "paying the cost" is a struggle, since Snoop has parted Death Row, he has failed to find that signature sound that helped define West Coast rap when he dropped argueably the greatest album of all time "Doggystyle" in 1993 on Knight's label. Regardless of the outcome, it's apparant that Tha Row has won this battle of the sales head on with Doggystyle Records. Last year, Death Row debuted at #1 with Tupac's "Until The End Of Time" and sold more units than any other West Coast album that year. With Aftermath hosting a versatile roster that's no longer West Coast (Eminem, 50 Cent, Rakim, Obie Trice, etc.), Tha Row is still the premier label of rap in Los Angeles.

Doggystyle Records will try to get back in the eye of the people and win back some fans this Spring when they release the debut of West Coast artist Priest "Soopafly" Brooks album. This Spring Tha Row will release the first of many post prison Suge Knight records by the most anticipated debut of Crooked I titled "Say Hi To The Bad Guy." Snoop is currently receiving radio play for his "From The Church To Da Palace" single. Tha Row is currently receiving radio play for Tupac's "Thug Mansion" and Crooked I/Ashanti's "Baby Remix" which can be found on "Irv Gotti Presents...The Remixes" compilation album in stores everywhere.

Snoop's roster currently includes the services of Big Tray Deee, Butch Cassidy, Goldie Loc, Mr. Kane, Latoiya Williams, and Priest "Soopafly" Brooks. He plans on pushing Latoiya Williams and Soopafly as his main acts.

Knight's roster currently includes Crooked I, Tupac (RIP), Eastwood, Kurupt Tha Kingpin, Lisa "N.I.N.A." Lopes (RIP), Danny Boy, and Big Foot. Knight plans on announcing a release schedule in the coming weeks headed by front runner Crooked I's solo debut album.

Source: Streethop.com