Snoop Dogg, with Helladope. Showbox SoDo, 1700 First Ave. S., 382-7877. 7 p.m. $40. Last December’s Malice N Wonderland may have been the Long Beach rapper’s lowest-charting release yet, but that’s not to say his career is nearing a smoke-shrouded end. Snoop’s new material doesn’t often stray far from his trademark cadence, and recurring cliche gangsterisms match uninspired rhymes that make the record seem more like an attempt at mainstream-crossover than the real thing. But there are still flares of brightness, from a radio hit pairing with The-Dream to more Neptunes-produced pop brilliance to grown-man love songs inspired by his high-school-sweetheart-turned-wife. And despite any recent mediocrity, the Doggfather is a pioneer of West Coast gangsta rap with the impressive back catalog to prove it. NICK FELDMANThe Graze, with Mississippi Painful, Seth Howard. Cafe Venus/Mars Bar, 609 Eastlake Ave. E., 624-4516. 9 p.m. $6. If you’re not familiar with the Graze, it’s likely because the man behind the Graze, Louis O’Callaghan, took five and a half years to release his second full-length album, Give/Sell. You can download it free if you sign up for the band mailing list on the Graze’s website. And you’ll want to, because Give/Sell is an instantly-likeable collection of lo-fi folk songs – a quality that’s furthered by O’Callaghan’s vocal kinship with the likes of Jeff Mangum and John Vanderslice. O’Callaghan’s guitar work is distinctive, too. Had someone played it for me blind and said it was an early Elephant Six demo, I would’ve believed it. Give/Sell is so rife with potential, in fact, that it makes you wonder what O’Callaghan could accomplish if he devoted a little more time to his solo work and a little less to the other three bands he’s in (one of which, Mississippi Painful, also performs tonight.) SARA BRICKNERRob Swift. Crocodile, 2200 Second Ave., 441-7416. 9 p.m. $10. Whether or not you’re familiar with his time in the DJ supergroup the X-ecutioners, New York turntablist Rob Swift deserves your attention. He’s as agile as ever yet no longer confined to a hip-hop palette. Released on Mike Patton’s Ipecac label, Swift’s new album The Architect recasts his unconventional instrument for bolder purposes. There’s all the stirring swell of a great film score; orchestral samples are conjured throughout. Unfolding in two- and three-minute snippets, fat scratches and sizzling snatches of rhythm are woven into an atmospheric, post-rap whole. It’s miles ahead of 1999’s underrated The Ablist, despite the similar title, and only one track features an MC. Disciples of DJ Shadow and J. Dilla owe it to themselves to get acquainted with Swift. DOUG WALLEN