Shon “Mr. D.O.G.” Peterson is a Tacoma rapper who launched his career in 1997 with this six-song EP called Gettin Paid. The album art shows him on his couch, counting cash and seated next to a gold rim. Leading things off is “Gettin Paid,” the debut single from Mr. D.O.G.’s first full album Wet, which would arrive the following year in 1998. “Gettin Paid” is a banging joint, with lots of heavy drum hits from the very start. D.O.G. is a confident lyricist who relates explicit, violent street tales in the recording booth. “Get your money,” he repeats to any potential hustlers listening, “get your dolla billa, get your paper, get your fetti, get your cash, get your scrilla.”
Next is “Leave Your Strap Down,” which was also featured on the Northwest Connection: What They Hittin Fo compilation using the slightly different title “Leave Yo Strap On.” This song is about how D.O.G. is caught up in the T-Town gangsta lifestyle. “I shot that n**** twice in the head, as his dome bled,” he confesses. The beat effectively assists D.O.G.’s lyrics, creating a somewhat sad, even forlorn tone for the dead-end gun tales of “choppers, TECs, and laser beams, assault rifles and Glocks with them 30-round magazines.”
Four shorter songs complete the project, making this more than just a CD single. My favorite of the four is “20 Sacc.” Mr. D.O.G. brags about his potent weed, “Every day we parlay, sippin on some Alizé mixed with Hennessy, only friends of me can hit the ganga.” Rhyming “friends of me” with “Hennessy” always makes me chuckle, plus the ingredients for this drink are pictured on the cover, lending authenticity and truth to Mr. D.O.G.’s verses. Gettin Paid is definitely a Tacoma gangsta classic, just for its pure commitment to the genre. The EP also launched Mr. D.O.G.’s label, Bow Wow Records, responsible for over a dozen local CD and vinyl releases. Written by Novocaine132