In 2009 ahead of the release of his album Malice ‘n’ Wonderland, Snoop Dogg decided to ride the wave of hype attached to the multi-Oscar-winning movie Slumdog Millionaire. The film won ten Oscars, including ‘Best Motion Picture of the Year’, and the buzz surrounding the movie was at a fever pitch. Wanting a slice of the pie to shine a spotlight on his project, the Long Beach musician released an unofficial single entitled, ‘Snoop Dogg Millionaire.’
However, the Death Row legend (real name Calvin Broadus) didn’t head to Dr Dre or Pharrell Williams for a beat but instead chose to ride an instrumental made by the legendary Uk production duo Chase & Status.
A far cry from hip-hop, Chase & Status are known for their work in UK Bass Music, an umbrella term encompassing genres such as Grime, Dubstep, Drum ‘n’ Bass and Garage. For ‘Snoop Dogg Millionaire,’ Broadus specifically chose the iconic instrumental ‘Eastern Jam,’ a heavily distorted and bass-driven Dubstep song that samples ‘Silsila Ye Chaahat Ka’ by Shreya Ghoshal and Nusrat Badr.
The choice of instrumental by Snoop showed his willingness to explore new sounds and work with contemporary artists. However, the non-reciprocal music flow between the UK and the US was never more evident than when Broadus made this song.
Due to the prevalence of American hip-hop in Britain alongside UK Bass music, British emcees can flawlessly flow over instrumentals ranging from 90 to 170 bpm. On the contrary, US artists (except for artists such as Twista and Busta Rhymes) struggle with tempos exceeding 120 beats per minute.
Although Snoop is an undeniably skilled rapper, the track polarised fans as his flow on the 140 bpm instrumental was slow and rudimentary when compared to how Grime MCs attack beats of that kind. Many considered it a fantastic and much-needed endorsement of Dubstep, while others felt he desecrated the revered track. Irrespective of what fans thought, the tribute to Slumdog Millionaire was an interesting move by Broadus in 2009.
You can hear the track in the video below.
