Facebook / Snoop Dogg
To that end, the Current has come up with an 11-track playlist of some of the rapper's most iconic tracks. For good measure, we even included a couple of his appearances with Dr. Dre.
Of course, for the Tobin appearance, the rapper is billed as DJ Snoopadelic, but we doubt that the S-N-double-O-P-D-O-double-G will shy away from spinning some of his own bangers.
1. "Nuthin’ But A G Thang"
This is the track that set it all off for Snoop. True, somebody probably would have discovered the Doggfather eventually, but when the world heard him rap over Dr. Dre’s beats on this one, it changed hip-hop forever.
2. "Gin And Juice"
Almost a year later, the LBC native dropped his own record, Doggystyle, solidifying his spot as a hip-hop heavyweight. If you haven’t heard "Gin And Juice," you’ve been living under a rock since 1993.
3. "Who Am I (What’s My Name)"
This other banger off of Snoop’s solo debut is punctuated with the whining, high-pitched keyboard sounds that helped define West Coast hip-hop at the time.
4. "2 Of Amerikaz Most Wanted"
With how divided the hip-hop world was back in the ’90s — Crips vs. Bloods, West Coast vs. East Coast — it’s not like just anyone had a chance to collaborate with a legend like the late Tupac Shakur. Snoop did, however, and the result was one of the heaviest rap duets in history.
5. "Snoops Upside Ya Head"
In the midst of the East Coast-West Coast war, an enlightened Snoop dropped Tha Doggfather, featuring the track “Snoops Upside Ya Head.” The lyrics address the coastal rivalry and Snoop's position on it. Interestingly, the album dropped a month after the killing of fellow Deathrow label mate Tupac and a few months before the murder of the Notorious B.I.G.
6. "Hustle and Ball"
Eventually, Snoop headed over to New Orleans-based No Limit Records, which was making a strong come-up in the late-'90s. The result was 1998’s Da Game Is to Be Sold Not to Be Told, which featured Snoop flexin' on the crunk-leaning “Hustle and Ball.”
7. “Still a G Thang”
Snoop probably knew moving to Master-P’s team with No Limit was going to shock his fanbase. But “Still a G Thang” had such a West Coast vibe that it felt like he was saying, “Chill, y’all, it’s me still.”
8. “The Next Episode”
After nearly a decade apart, Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre reunited for a few tracks off of Dre’s 2001 The Chronic. This one was the standout.
9. “Still D.R.E.”
Much like “The Next Episode,” “Still D.R.E.” re-cemented the place of both Dre and Snoop in hip-hop. It also proved the pair were able to navigate through the music industry and make smart decisions to stay on top.
10. “Beautiful”
Snoop Dogg hooked up with Pharell from the Neptunes in 2002 and dropped “Beautiful," one of two singles from the album Paid tha Cost to Be da Boss. With Pharell's and the Neptunes' track record, that involvement helped push Snoop's music into peak Billboard positions through the early-aughts.
11. “Drop it Like it’s Hot”
Snoop obviously recognized Pharell's genius and also invited him to produce songs for his next album, 2004’s R&G (Rhythm & Gangsta): The Masterpiece. The result was the now-legendary “Drop It Like It's Hot.” The beat was so simple and Snoop Dogg’s verses so smooth, that the world couldn’t help but eat this one up. In fact, some of us still have it in heavy rotation.
Tickets are still available for the show.
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