Photo credit: posh24.com

Whisper it quietly, but Snoop Dogg seems to be on a bit of a run of form right now.

The Doggfather of West Coast hip-hop, whose 1993 album Doggystyle ranks as one of the genre’s all-time best, has been a bit of a (extremely cool) running joke for quite a few years now, with energy drinks, reality TV shows and Ustream wake and bake sessions taking priority over, you know, actually making good albums. In fact, the recent revelation that he’s into some pretty decent house music seemed to spark more discussion than any of Snoop’s actual records have for a long, long time.

A pair of new tracks released this week, however, seem to find Snoop on rare form. ‘Californication’, by Mississippi brute David Banner features Snoop as neutral ground between him and the rest of the track’s guest features, hanging back to offer tidbits of advice and counter-points. It’s cool, quietly authoritative, and the sort of role that suits modern day Snoop down to a tee. Then, on Joe Moses’ ‘Do It for the Rachets’ remix (also featuring Game), Snoop takes a whole verse and steals the show.

Between this and a collaborative record with Diplo (not to mention that smokable song book) is Snoop on a roll (ahem) again? You can stream ‘Californication’ and the ‘Do It for the Rachets’ remix below, and make your own mind up.