‘Vato’: Snoop Dogg’s final gangsta rap anthem before becoming an “uncle”
Snoop Dogg’s sound has adapted and evolved several times over the years. Since he first emerged as Dr Dre’s protégé in the early 1990s, his sound has modernised, and life changes have prompted some of his decisions to upgrade his style. The Doggystyle creator is not just a father but also an uncle and even a grandfather.
That said, some of these milestones in his life, such as the birth of his children, made him reevaluate his style and creative direction. The 2006 track ‘Vato’ was one of the Long Beach legend’s last gangster anthems before he became “Uncle Snoop.” Produced by The Neptunes, it paid homage to the Latino community of Los Angeles and the Hispanic gangs in places such as Long Beach and Compton.
The track features Cypress Hill’s B-Real, who speaks in the chorus saying, “Vato, you won’t believe what I saw / I saw this pack of guys, and they act real hard / They twist their fingers, say,” ‘You know who we are’ / He said, ‘I don’t give a fuck, I’m Snoop Doggy Dogg!'”
The Neptunes were a big part of changing Snoop Dogg’s sound. When the production duo and the West Coast icon began working in 2002 on his album Paid tha Cost to Be da Boss, tracks such as ‘Beautiful’ proved to be very successful, and as he entered the 2000s, songs like ‘Drop It Like It’s Hot’ also became anthems. Snoop and Pharrell were undoubtedly a dynamic duo.
However, he was moving away from his G-funk sound. Still, ‘Vato’, which appeared in Snoop Dogg’s 2006 project, The Blue Carpet Treatment, was one of the last tracks that heard the weed-lover speak about his former life as a gangbanger. With lyrics about Snoop going into his trunk to get his gun and start firing, ‘Vato’ is a regular rap track, but this kind of image wasn’t serving Snoop well in the long run and aged 35, he knew he wouldn’t be able to keep it up much longer.
Over the next few years, Snoop softened his image and moved away from songs like ‘Vato’. Instead, he began to put his approachable, more humorous side forward and began to highlight his status as a devoted family man.
That said, as he aged, this side of the emcee began to become profitable for Snoop Dogg and earned him lots of endorsements and opportunities. For example, in 2007, he got his own reality show, Snoop Dogg’s Fatherhood.
He also began to form relationships with figures such as Martha Stewart and became known as hip-hop’s “Uncle.” As such, he then began to appear on shows such as Family Feud, and his authentic, mature family man image arguably began after ‘Vato’ and the release of The Blue Carpet Treatment.
Snoop Dogg still raps about his former life here and there. However, nowadays, on albums such as Missionary, he is far more introspective, reflective and outspoken about his love of weed. The latter has never changed and never will.