ASCAP Rhythm & Soul Celebration Of 50 Years Of Hip-Hop
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – JUNE 22: (L-R) Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre are seen onstage during ASCAP Rhythm & Soul Celebration of 50 Years of Hip-Hop on June 22, 2023, in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Lester Cohen/Getty Images for ASCAP)
Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg are hip-hop royalty, celebrated for their immense influence and legendary collaborations. While they may not be an official duo like Outkast or Mobb Deep, their impact on the genre is indisputable. With their contributions to gangsta rap and mentorship of West Coast artists, they have become mythical figures in the music world. This makes anecdotes from their earlier days all the more fascinating.
In a recent Capital Xtra interview on June 19, the duo reflected on their 30-year friendship. Snoop Dogg spoke warmly of Dr. Dre, referring to him as his “older brother” and crediting him for invaluable business advice. Dre, on the other hand, took a humorous approach and shared a memorable story about a blind double date that didn’t quite go as planned.
Dre recounted his excitement when he and Snoop went to pick up their dates, only to discover that the woman he was interested in was actually Snoop’s date. “I thought it was mine and it wasn’t,” Dre joked. “Snoop pushed me out the way like, ‘Nah, Cuz, that’s me.’ When I turned that corner and saw mine, I was really disappointed.” To add insult to injury, the duo had to endure a torrential downpour on their way to the date. “We drove for an hour in Hurricane Katrina to get there and I was extremely disappointed,” Dre added with a laugh.
Despite the date’s dismal outcome, the next day brought a silver lining. Dre channeled his disappointment into creativity and went on to record the iconic track “Nothin’ But a ‘G’ Thang,” which would become a defining hit for both him and Snoop.
Today, Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg remain as close as ever, currently working together on the album Missionary, a follow-up to Snoop’s seminal 1993 debut Doggystyle. Dre is handling the production, and the album has been in the works for the past two years. Snoop has teased that Missionary will offer a mature evolution of his musical style. “[Dr Dre] uses me like a f*cking robot and I love it because I love to be produced,” Snoop shared on the podcast *All the Smoke* with Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson. “I love to be challenged… [the album is] masterful.”
