SNOOP DOGG [Part 4] (January 2007) | Interview By: Nima

   

Our thanks go out to Snoop for allowing us once again to speak with him to provide you, our readers, with another interview you have all been waiting for. As Snoop said last year;

"Dubcnn: Where they give it to you raw & exclusive"

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Interview was done in January 2007

Questions Asked By: Nima

Snoop Gave Dubcnn.com A Shoutout! Check That Here

Full Interview Audio Here [Part 4]
 

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Missed or need a refresher of Part One; Snoop Dogg Interview Part 1 (November 2006)

Missed or need a refresher of Part Two; Snoop Dogg Interview Part 2 (November 2006)

Missed or need a refresher of Part Three; Snoop Dogg Interview Part 3 (January 2007)

Missed or need a refresher of Part Five; Snoop Dogg Interview Part 5 (February 2007)

Dubcnn: I have a couple of questions that the fans submitted to ask you, is that cool?

Go ahead!

Dubcnn: Do you ever dream of running into the Death Row vaults and grabbing all the unreleased shit you have in there, like "Ho Hopper", "Next Episode OG" and shit?

Nah, I don't never worry about all that. That music is timeless, it's priceless, and I don't even think about it, cause I'm so far ahead in the game with this new shit that I'm on and these new artists. I mean, sometimes I do think about all of them records that I made, like "where the fuck are they at?, or "what happened to this song or that song", cause niggas made some real hit records over there that never came out, but at the same time, I'm still cool, I'm still good.

Dubcnn: What's up with your relation to Warren G, is there any chance of a second 213 record?

I'm down to do it, shit! I think when we sit down to do the next one though, we need to really bring in heavyweight producers and make this shit really feel like it's supposed to be. I just wanted to get it out the first time to let niggas know that 213 is not gonna be just a dream or an idea, but I thnk this time, we really need to get the backing and the support of real producers and real songwriters and real muthafuckas that can come in and make this shit feel like it's supposed to sound. Other than that it ain't worth doing.

Dubcnn: I was speaking to Bishop the other day, and he told me Warren G has some big shit cooking up, have you heard about that?

Me and Warren G got a studio together but I ain't been there, I'm in Canada on the road, so I'd imagine that he's doing what he's supposed to be doing, which is cooking. That's what we got the kitchen for!

Dubcnn: You're on that new Dogg Pound single too, "Vibe With A Pimp".

Yeah, Vibe With A Pimp! You like it?

Dubcnn: Yeah that song is getting good feedback. That kind of threw me back to the old days when I heard that. Feel good, real Dogg Pound shit.

Daz went back to producing! Like I said, niggas gotta go back to doing what they do. Daz went back to producing, Snoop Dogg is choreographing, and you know when I start putting my hands on the orchestration or what it's supposed to sound like, and niggas start playing their role, that's when shit works! As opposed to me trying to do everything. When I'm doing what I'm supposed to be doing as far as choreographer and shit, that's when shit works.

Dubcnn: Next one is, are you going to keep the gangsta image after Blue Carpet, or are you going back to the R&G format.

It's not an image homie, this is me! My music is not an image, my music is what I'm feeling at that time. I'm the person, regardless whether it's an R&G record, or it's a gangsta record, it's still Snoop Dogg! It's all about what I feel the world is missing at the time. Even when I dropped the R&G record, at the time, because I felt like everybody was trying to be so gangsta, everybody was trying to be so hard, so hood, so tough, and it wasn't really nobody understanding that you gotta have rhythm in order to be gangsta.

So I put the rhythm in the gangsta, showed niggas how to tone it down and be smooth with it, and still be gangsta with it! Now on this record, I was like "Fuck that! I ain't trying to be smooth on this record." It's all about taking it back to the real gangsta element. Now that niggas done left my shit alone, let me go back and show niggas how it's supposed to sound, how it's supposed to look. You feel what I'm saying? I play it by ear! Whatever the game is missing, I'm like a chameleon. I blend in!

So when I do my next record, right now it's in my head, I got an idea for it, but I'm not really sure if that's gonna be what I'm doing. When I'm gonna be 100% sure about it, I'ma spit the the title out, "this is the title, this is the concept, and this the direction I'm going in for my record." And that's what I'm feeling!

Dubcnn: Will you ask DJ Quik for a beat or two, or any chance of you working with DJ Quik?

You ain't never heard me and Quik work together?

Dubcnn: Of course! I mean now, in the future!

Shit, why wouldn't I? Everything we did was a hit!

Dubcnn: That's why they want it!

Man, me and Quik make fuckin' hits together man. That's a no-brainer right there, when me and him are in the studio, we leaving with a fuckin' hit record, so it's like, we've been on vacation from each other, cause he's doing what he's doing and I'm doing what I'm doing. But I heard he's back with AMG, getting his clique back together, so that's what it's gotta be! You gotta get your roots back together, and then once you get your roots right, then you start reaching out to other family members. So I'm already knowing that Quik is definitely gonna be a part of this equation, because he's one of the West Coast producers pioneers that's out here on the West, that's underrated.

Dubcnn: You reached out and shouted out Meech Wells on the song "My Peoples". Any chance of you hooking back up with him?

I don't know! Where's he at?

Dubcnn: He's working! He just dropped a mixtape with his artist Young Joker, and he's working with Bad Azz and a bunch of cats. He's trying to get with you too.

Okay! We'll make it happen when I get posted up then!

Dubcnn: What's going on with you and Kokane?

I left him a message about a week and a half before I came on this Canada tour, because I had a song that sounded like he should have been on it! You know me man, I ain't got no problems with nobody homie! I'm cool with everybody, it's 2007, I love everybody, I don't have no enemies man.

Dubcnn: What's up with Butch Cassidy? The combinaton between you and Butch was always tight, maybe we can see Snoop and Butch together again?

I love working with Butch Cassidy, cause he always comes with that fly shit. Hopefully when I get back home me and him will get back together. I like the shit him and Damizza got, I heard that, that was kinda cool. But I just wanna get with Butch Cassidy and give him what he deserves! He needs an honest shot in the game!

Dubcnn: How come the Latoya Williams album never came out?

There were a lot of inside problems that was going on at the time. Some people that was representing her she wasn't happy with, and a lot of misunderstandings. But now, she's back on board, she's ready to come out, sounding better than ever, so hopefully me, her and Soopafly can figure out a way to make her shit sound the way it was sounding, cause she had a fuckin' hot record that they was working on, and that "Fallen Star" video was one of my classic videos of all time, that shit looked good, felt good and sounded good, so... I know people are missing her voice, we're going to get back on her real soon!

Dubcnn: For a while, E-White was your protege, and I believe you met him again at a hood meeting or something, he told me about that. Are we going to see Snoop and E-White working again?

Man, you know, God willing! I'm willing to make music with those who wanna make music with me, that wanna live and learn something from me, and bring something to the table, and add something. I ain't really with niggas trying to take away from what we're trying to build, not saying that he is or he will or he has. It's 2007 and it's a new program, I'm the boss. If you wanna be with me you gotta learn how to take directions as well as give directions. I don't think everybody is really at that level. Niggas is dope but sometimes you gotta be a man first to understand what it takes to really listen to another muthafucka, that you might think that you have more knowledge than him.

A lot of muthafuckas get egos when it's time to take orders from muthafuckas. I don't have a problem with taking directions from somebody who knows what the fuck they're talking about. I don't care if you're older than me, younger than me or better than me or weaker than me. But some muthafuckas have a problem with that, but that's the type of individual I am! When I'm in the studio, I give orders, and I take them. But I give more orders, because my track records speaks for itself. When it comes to making hit records, if you ain't Dr. Dre or Quincy Jones or a muthafucka of that magnitude, you really can't fuck with me on telling me what is and what ain't.

Dubcnn: We've seen Bad Azz is on the Bigg Squeeze album, how did that happen?

We did that record in 2005, but I've seen him recently. I don't know if that song is gonna actually make the album, cause I didn't produce the song. Like I said, every song on this album gotta be produced by me. I thought about it and it don't serve me no purpose to put out an album with other producers on it. When I'm trying to put these artists out, it needs to be touched by me, cooked by me, mixed by me, everything by me.

So I don't think that particular song is going to make the record, but it will come out, so people will be able to hear it. Like I said, Bad Azz, E-White, all the homies from the D.P.G., the second half, the third streams, all of that, I still love them all the same way. Hopefully these niggas will get their head right and see that they better off with me than without me.

Dubcnn: In the interview I did with Bad Lucc, he talked about the people saying that you don't look out for your people, and he said "If Snoop Dogg puts me on a record that selss 600,000 records nationwide, and I can't bubble off of that, then I'm doing something wrong." What do you think of that?

That's how it's supposed to be! Cause Dr. Dre put me on "Deep Cover" and I bubbled after that. Then he put me on "G Thang", I bubbled after that, bubble bubble bubble! You gotta take your bubbles and bubble with it! Niggas be too busy waiting on me to hand feed these niggas and take them to get them a deal and be like "Here goes a million dollar deal!" It don't work like that now! When I put you on something, nigga hopefully your shit is dope enough to create a fanbase for yourself to go and create your own deal!

I agree with you Bad Lucc! You spitting the truth nephew! But it's always going to be that kind of talk about me because I'm the type of nigga to give opportunities. What about if I just said "You know what? I'ma do what LL Cool J did, I ain't never gonna put nobody in the game. I'ma just be all about me, my whole carreer." Then how many niggas would be eating right now? If I tried to do it now, I would say "You know what? I'ma stop, I ain't hooking nobody else up, I ain't fuckin' no producers, I ain't fuckin' with no artists, no singers, no keyboards players no nothing, Dr. Dre is gonna do all of my albums from now on." How niggas gonna eat then? First of all, you niggas ain' gonna be able to come to the studio cause Dre ain't gonna have all you niggas up there! Second of all, you ain't gonna get the shine that you've been getting, ain't nobody gonna put your name out there and talk about you, give you your credit and give you your money, and treat you like a star!

I'm the savior of the game right now, niggas ought to be thankful for me, and be thankful that I ain't just lost my mind and said "You know what? I'm cool on everybody! I'm finna go solo bolo, it's all about Snoop Dogg, fuck everybody I'm all on me right now." When do I get a chance to do that? I don't owe nobody shit, I came in this game by myself! I owe my kids, my three kids and my wife, that's who I owe.

Dubcnn: I'm supposed to ask you about the British Airways incident and whether you're actually really banned from the UK or not.

Bla bla bla bla bla bla bla.

Dubcnn: *laughs* Alright! Now we got another throwback question! Many people know that the song "Mr. Officer (Crooked Officer)", which appeared on the Geto Boys album, was going to be a song from the Chronic. How did it end up on the Geto Boys album?

Basically, that song... Big Mike had created that song! It was a Convict song, the group was called the Convicts! Big Mike and Lord 3-2, that was the act from Houston that Suge was gonna sign. Actually, Big Mike had created that song "Mr. Officer", we did that song late night one night, me, Lord 3-2, Big Mike and Warren G had produced it. So Dr. Dre heard it, flipped it, took it, made it his shit, but then he didn't really like it like that. Big Mike took it back to Rap-A-Lot, and the Geto Boys did it, cause he was the new Geto Boy. Does it make sense now?

Dubcnn: Yeah, I guess. Shit, I still would like to hear that version though, it probably don't even exist anymore, huh.

Shit, it probably exists! But who owns the masters to all that Death Row shit? It's a bunch of songs that we did that was dope as fuck that never came out that nobody never heard, that used to just be party classics! And I say that because Dre used to have parties every friday at his house, and we had certain records that we would just play strictly at these parties! And they never made them real records, we just did the songs in the back, and whenever the party got cracking we popped this record on, and muthafuckas would get to grooving! Bam, boom, that just was a party classic!

Dubcnn: Do you have any examples of songs? Cause you know people love to hear about this kind of shit.

We had one called "Ho Hopper".

Dubcnn: Yeah that one leaked from a tape in bad quality.

Yeah that one, we had "I Breaks 'Em Off", which was one I wrote for Dr. Dre to the Sugarhill Gang beat. I had wrote one for Dr. Dre called "I Breaks 'Em Off". Kurupt had a bunch of them that Warren G did for him! He had a lot of shit! It was a lot of hit records that we had, that was the shit!

Dubcnn: It's a shame the LBC Crew record never came out!

Thank Lil C-Style for that! He lost his goddamn mind two or three days before I was gonna put the shit out! He lost his muthafuckin' mind, thinking he was a star, telling me that want an x ammount of dollars, he want this, want that. So we had a meeting at my house, and he had the tape, cause we didn't have it on a CD we had it on a tape, and he broke the tape and said "I don't wanna be in the group no more!" He broke the tape down. I looked at Tray Deee like "What you wanna do?" He was like "I'm staying down!" So Lil Style shook, broke the whole group up, that's why on my album Tha Doggfather, I had Techniec, Bad Azz, Tray Deee on there, all of them except Lil Style. Everybody was on Tha Doggfather except him.

Dubcnn: That was a crazy combination though man.

That was gonna be the first album that I produced! The LBC Crew album!

Dubcnn: Most of the songs leaked somehow, but all of it never really leaked.

Actually, that's how me and Shaquille O'Neal got real cool, cause of that particular album. There's a song called "Dippin' In My Low-Low", he wanted that song that muthafuckin' bad, the nigga came to my studio like "Nigga I need to get that song!!!" I was like "Nigga that's Shaq!" I gave him the song and me and him ended up making some music together and we became cool after that. But you know me, like I said, I done made a lot of classic shit that I don't even remember or don't even know where the fuck it's at! I think I done been a part of atleast a thousand songs. And I've been a part of atleast a hundred hit records!

Dubcnn: You probably would make a lot more money if you dug up all the old shit and sold that shit! Cause people would go crazy for it, it's so many people hunting unreleased songs.

Trust me, I told you what I'm doing, I'm selling 12 beats with no lyrics on them for $500! So imagine when I start saying "Okay, I just found some old Snoop Dogg music that I'm selling." But I am selling an unreleased Snoop Dogg, but I'm only selling for $25,99, cause I don't want to scare you away. Get the first for $25, and you'll be like "Damn I ain't never heard that one!" Then on the next one, I'ma go get some shit from WAY BACK! So this one is gonna cost a little bit more cause this shit is hard to find, this is shit that I had to pay a nigga to get this shit. I got shit I did with DJ Glaze and niggas that own cassettes and 8track mixers from 1987, 88, 89 that I got, that I ain't never released on a nigga, where I can just pop that and be like "Boom!" I even got the first 213 song! "Long Beach Is A Muthafucka"!

Dubcnn: You got that in full? We've heard like 14 seconds of that *laughs*

I got the nigga that produced the record, so he got everythang!

Dubcnn: You should just leak that muthafucka!

Man that shit was hard as fuck homie!

Dubcnn: How about this one? *plays Snoop Dogg - County Blues Original Version from early 90's*

Send me that cuzz! Send me that on the MP3 real quick!

Dubcnn: Alright I'ma send it right now.

I want that muthafucka right now! That shit is banging cuzz!

Dubcnn: *keeps playing songs* I told you I got some shit!

Yeah that's Snoop Dogg right there! I didn't have no deal when I made that! That was over that WC track, "Pay Yo Dues". Man give me that shit, let me have that shit Nima!

Dubcnn: Yeah I'm sending it to you right now.

Okay put in some other Snoop Dogg songs that you might got cuzz! And I'ma send you some of this new shit! You send me that old shit. Done deal.

Dubcnn: I got you. *plays LBC Crew - I Just Wanna Be From D.P.G.*

That's my shit that I produced, cuzz! "I Just Wanna Be From D.P.G." That's me on the vocoder! That's when I started fuckin' with that, niggas was laughin, I was on that vocoder going crazy cuzz!

Dubcnn: *plays LBC Crew - Getup To Get down*

That's me on the vocoder too! Give me them songs and quit bullshitting cuzz!

Dubcnn: *laughs* Aight!

And I'ma send you some something right back too!

Dubcnn: But you know, we gotta get back to what's going on right now. You recorded the "Bigg Squeeze" album. How did you come up with the idea to that record?

That's got you wanting more, we know! Lookout for Part 5 of this epic interview this week where we discuss the new album "The Bigg Squeeze," the recent appointment of JT Bigga Figga as his VP, the independent game, and so much more in our exclusive interview.
Stay tuned to dubcnn!