Maps of Music

Da Game Is to Be Sold, Not to Be Told (1998)

Where the lyrics of Da Game Is to Be Sold, Not to Be Told take you, and where it was really made.

Critics mostly gave this album lukewarm reviews, yet it debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200 with 520,000 copies sold in its first week.

Place unknown

Do you know where this album was recorded, or where its cover was shot? Tell us and we will add it to the map.

Da Game Is to Be Sold, Not to Be Told: third studio album by American rapper Snoop Dogg
First album without 'Doggy' in the middle of his name
Released August 4, 1998 by No Limit Records and Priority Records
First album after his departure from Death Row Records in January 1998
First Snoop Dogg album without notable affiliates such as Dr. Dre, Nate Dogg and Warren G
First album released under a slight change to his stage name 'Snoop Dogg' for contractual reasons
Lead single 'Still a G Thang' released July 3, 1998

September 1996: Tupac Shakur, friend and Death Row label-mate, murdered in a drive-by shooting shortly before the release of Snoop's second album Tha Doggfather
March 1997: The Notorious B.I.G. also murdered in a drive-by shooting, which fans attributed to East Coast and West Coast tensions
Snoop began to fear for his own safety after these murders
Death Row was later acknowledged by its artists as an unprofessional place, with label founder Suge Knight incarcerated at the time
1997: No Limit rapper Mystikal invited Snoop onto the song 'Gangstas' on his record Unpredictable, with label head Master P
Snoop developed a good relationship with the No Limit rappers and made another guest appearance on Silkk the Shocker's LP
March 1998: Snoop was reported to have been signed to No Limit by Master P

Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr., born October 20, 1971 in Long Beach, California, known professionally as Snoop Dogg.
American rapper, singer, record producer, record executive, songwriter and actor; a key figure in West Coast hip-hop who helped define G-funk and gangsta rap.
Known for a signature drawled delivery and melodic flow; lyrics often address recreational drug use and gun violence.
Rose to prominence in 1992 through collaborations with Dr. Dre on "Deep Cover" and The Chronic.
Debut album Doggystyle (1993), produced by Dr. Dre, debuted atop the Billboard 200 with 806,000 copies sold in its first week; certified quadruple platinum by the RIAA.
Signed with Master P's No Limit Records in 1998; albums Da Game Is to Be Sold, Not to Be Told, No Limit Top Dogg and Tha Last Meal followed.
R&G (Rhythm & Gangsta): The Masterpiece (2004) produced "Drop It Like It's Hot" (featuring Pharrell), his first Billboard Hot 100 number one.
Adopted the alias Snoop Lion for reggae album Reincarnated (2013); later albums include Bush (2015) and gospel album Bible of Love (2018).
Acquired Death Row Records from MNRK Music Group in 2022.
Has sold over 35 million records worldwide; co-headlined the Super Bowl LVI halftime show in 2022.
Also active as an actor, business figure and coach on The Voice.

The album featured mostly No Limit artists, a departure from the strictly West Coast first two albums
Unlike his two previous studio albums, it received generally negative to moderate reviews
Some critics noted it as one of Snoop Dogg's weaker albums
Q gave the album 3 out of 5 stars
Elliott Wilson of The Source gave it 3.5 mics out of 5
Anthony DeCurtis of Rolling Stone gave the album 2 out of 5 stars, saying Snoop's work lacked the confidence and originality of his earlier albums

Debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200 with 520,000 copies sold in its first week
Third consecutive number-one album for Snoop Dogg in the United States
Remained at number one in its second week with 246,000 copies sold
Spent five consecutive weeks in the Billboard 200 top ten
Certified 2× Platinum on October 22, 1998
Had sold 2.5 million copies in the United States by November 18, 1998, ranking 39th best-selling album of the year
As of March 2008, had sold over 4.4 million copies in the United States, the second best-selling Snoop Dogg album in the country behind Doggystyle (1993)

Snoop Dogg's stage name was changed slightly for contractual reasons, and this was the first album released under it
The lead single 'Still a G Thang' is the sequel to the 1992 hit 'Nuthin' but a G Thang', which appears on Dr. Dre's debut solo album, The Chronic
Mystikal's record Unpredictable included the song 'Gangstas' with Snoop, arranged through Master P
The album's intro features Master P, the owner of No Limit, joined by Mystikal, Charlie Wilson, Fiend, Mia X, Steady Mobb'n and C-Murder
'Woof', the second single featuring Mystikal and Fiend, peaked at number 62 on the Billboard Hot 100