Snoop Dogg is one of hip hop’s most beloved MCs. Rising to prominence by the side of Tupac and Dr Dre on Death Row Records, the rapper (real name Calvin Broadus) is loved for his unique tone, funky West Coast raps and laidback delivery. Known as hip hop’s marijuana maestro, Snoop is an iconic figure in the culture.
Dr Dre is an iconic figure as well. Both artists worked alongside each other during the 1990s on Death Row Records and with Dre’s ingenious churned-out G-funk classics. Whether it’s The Chronic or Doggstyle, both artists are legendary, which is why we’re revisiting the time they reincarnated the late rapper Tupac Shakur as a hologram for fans at the Coachella festival 10 years ago.
Having been friends for 30 years, Dr Dre was introduced to Snoop Dogg through his step-brother, Long Beach rapper Warren G, in 1992. Looking to sign artists to his newly formed label, Death Row Records, Dre was highly intrigued when he heard Snoop Dogg on a 213 demo Warren G was playing for him. In fact, Dre was so fascinated he told his step-brother to bring Snoop down to the studio.
Before long, Snoop Dogg was signed to Death Row as their prodigy child teenager that same year. Dre introduced Snoop to the world as his protégé on the legendary track ‘Deep Cover’ in 1992, and since then, the two have gone on to make iconic and legendary music together but also with other artists.
One of the most iconic and legendary artists the two got to work with is Tupac Shakur (stylised Pac), who joined the Death Row family in 1995. Shakur would join the record label and, alongside Suge Knight, would make it the epicentre of the infamous and bloody East Coast vs West Coast beef that resulted in his early demise.
However, in 2012 to celebrate 20 year anniversary of Death Row and their friendship, Snoop Dogg and Dr Dre done something that had never been seen before and brought back Pac from the dead in the form of a hologram to perform at the iconic Coachella festival in California.
Performing ‘2 of Amerikaz Most Wanted’ alongside Snoop Dogg for many younger fans in the audience, it was designed not only to celebrate 2pac but to recreate the experience of seeing 2pac perform live. Furthermore, it gave Snoop closure. Now, 30 years on from when Snoop met Dre in 1992 and ten years on from the iconic hologram performance, you can experience the glory of Death Row Records in the video below.
