The reason Snoop Dogg hung up on Dr Dre the first time he called
Snoop Dogg almost changed the trajectory of his career by putting the phone down on Dr Dre when he called him out of nowhere one day. Today, the pair’s chemistry is one of the most legendary in hip-hop history following the signing of Snoop to Death Row in 1991.
Dre produced the entirety of his debut album Doggystyle, which was released in 1993, with the duo combining for rap classics such as ‘Still D.R.E.’, ‘The Next Episode’ and ‘Nuthin’ but a ‘G’ Thang’ that have gone on to become some of the biggest songs of all time.
Before knowing each other and creating their seamless connection, a young Snoop Dogg received a call from Dr Dre that he thought was a prank. After introducing himself as Dre, Snoop concluded that it wasn’t actually him, so he put down the phone.
“I hung up like, ‘N-gga, this ain’t no muthafuckin’ Dr Dre,’” Snoop said on an episode of the HBO documentary series The Defiant Ones. “[Dre] called back and was like: ‘N-gga, be at the studio, Monday.’” That studio session ended up being iconic, leading to the making of The Chronic.
Snoop Dogg and Dr Dre’s bond is still just as strong to this day, with the pair currently working on the sequel to Doggystyle, the equally sexually-titled Missionary. “It was much more fun, to be honest, because we were kids at that time,” Dre told Entertainment Tonight about Doggystyle, comparing it to their upcoming album. “Snoop may have been 18 or 19 years old and I think I’m six years older than him, so we were kids at that time.”
He continued, “This one’s gonna show a different level of maturity with his lyrics and with my music. I feel like this is some of the best music I’ve done in my career. I’m not playing. The musicians I’m working with right now and some of the writers in the studio that are helping us. Snoop is really excited about this and so am I. I think people are gonna really enjoy this.”
Snoop Dogg is proving to be just as ambition as he was in the early 1990s. While Dre wanted to put together a 14-song album, Snoop wanted to push things a little bit further by extending the Missionary tracklist to 16 songs. The plan is for the project to be released in November.
“As soon as we finish this I have to go downstairs and start mixing,” Dre said. “I wanted 14 songs, Snoop wants 16, so we have that thing happening [bumps his fists together],” he said. “I’m on song number 11 as far as the mixes go. I have to be done and delivered by September 1st to have a November release.”
Hopefully, the two West Coast legends can combine once again to provide some of the magic they’ve gifted fans over the last few decades. Snoop acquired Death Row himself in 2022, so it’ll be a true return home for the Long Beach rapper.