Snoop Dogg's impact on the game often goes unappreciated, and it's hard to fathom why. Perhaps it's because he has settled so nicely into the role of beloved multimedia icon that it's easy to forget his role in popularizing gangsta rap. Standing beside a post-NWA Dr. Dre, Snoop emerged onto the scene in the early nineties and never looked back. Between his turn on The Chronic and his classic debut Doggystyle, Snoop made a lasting impression that would kick off one of hip-hop's longest and most prolific runs.
Every so often, we should take a moment to appreciate Snoop's abilities as a lyricist. We recently saw Snoop Dogg and KXNG Crooked chop it up in the studio, reflecting on Pac's understated comedic side and more. Now, HipHop DX has unveiled more footage from their Crook's Corner episode, which finds Snoop diving deeper into the behind-the-scenes mythology of The Chronic. Evidently, Big Snoop wore many hats during the making-of process, including the unexpected position of ghostwriter.
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"When I listen back to The Chronic album, I'm like, how the fuck was I on damn near every song?" ponders Snoop. "I was whoopin' n***as! They would be going home to go get chicken, I'd be in that motherfucker all night. If Dre even had half of a beat or had the drums, I'd write some shit to the drums and come up with a melody. Before you know it, I'm on a song." He continues, explaining that some of his fellow contributors caught the benefit of his hot streak. "I was writing so much, Daz first song he was on, "Deeez Nuts," I wrote that whole thing. Cause I wanted him on the song, cause I liked his voice."
Unfortunately, convincing Dre to include an unproven Dillinger was initially difficult, though Snoop ultimately pulled through. "I'm like, Dre this n***a voice is hard, cuz! You gotta put him on the song. Dre was like, 'nah n***a, I ain't putting him!'" Snoop doubled down, going so far as to write Daz some bars, including the iconic "chiggy-check." "I had him on the chiggy-check, and Dre was like 'oh, that's hard!' I was like that's my lil cousin n***a! I wrote his verse for him, and he spit that motherfucka!"
As Snoop tells it, he created a monster. "The next three days, I come to the studio, him and Dre done did "The Day The N***az Took Over," and then they did "Lil Ghetto Boy." Daz wasn't playing! After I wrote that, cuz got hungry." Check out the full clip below, and pay homage to one of the game's enduring albums, The Chronic.