It begins with a drive-by shooting that leaves the rapper for dead, before he makes a deal with the devil – and ends up facing time in prison for murder.Ħ. Exploring a theatrical death, this dramatic track is lyrically one of Doggystyle’s finest moments, and the vocal delivery is sensational. Nonetheless, the lyrical theme of the track is closer linked to a fictional deal with the devil, often linked to Snoop’s deal with Suge Knight’s Death Row Records (from which he severed ties after the trial). In 1995 Snoop participated in a documentary about the case, titled Murder Was the Case, named after a song from his debut album. Snoop was placed under house arrest until the trial took place two years later, and the occasionally violent nature of his lyrics didn’t seem to help matters: they were, in fact, used against him by the prosecution. In September 1993, Snoop Dogg and his then bodyguard McKinley Lee were arrested after the MTV video music awards and charged with murder, in connection with the death of a gang member named Philip Woldemariam. Suddenly, gang culture was part of the pop culture mainstream. On top of one of hip-hop’s most recognisable hooks – a loose interpolation of Slave’s Watching You – Snoop’s lyrics tackled a number of social issues, among them street gangs, something of which Snoop Dogg has always been closely linked, having controversially associated himself with one of California’s biggest gangs, the Crips. Gin & Juiceĭoggystyle’s lead single was Who Am I? (What’s My Name), but Gin & Juice was the real jewel in the crown. Not only does the heavy sampling of George Clinton’s Atomic Dog lend Snoop his strongest hook, it also provides the basis for one of the most infectious hip-hop choruses of all time. Who Am I? was a self-indulgent single that became one of his signature tracks, Snoop promoting himself as the young gangster rap pioneer – at this point the idea that he would become one of music’s most adored figures would have been laughable. The time for Snoop Doggy Dogg to shine as a solo artist had arrived. By the time Snoop’s Doggystyle arrived in November 1993, the rapper had already begun to accrue his own following off the back of his work with Dr Dre.

Famous snoop dogg songs