The soul legend who gave Snoop Dogg an intervention about misogyny in his lyrics
Lyrics have always been an essential part of hip-hop. Although some rappers pay more attention to their rhymes than others, what is undeniable is that they are an integral part of rap music. That said, Snoop Dogg is known for his exceptional lyricism, but one iconic soul singer didn’t find his lyrics very appropriate.
The issue of misogyny has been present in hip-hop since the 1980s, and it continues to be a problem. However, Snoop Dogg, as a husband, father and grandfather, is not someone who has ever been an excessively misogynistic character within the culture.
Still, Legendary R&B vocalist Dionne Warwick once had to check Snoop Dogg about his lyrical content during what she described as an intervention. In 2021, the singer released a CNN documentary entitled Don’t Make Me Over, during which she revealed some interesting, behind-the-scenes meetings she had with Snoop.
In the documentary, Warwick unveiled that the Long Beach rap icon and his Death Row label mates were invited to her home at 7am for a serious conversation about what she perceived to be misogynistic content in their lyrics. Recalling the day she checked the Doggystyle rapper, Dionne Warwick told viewers, “They all showed up and, yeah, it did work. I think what it was was that they needed to hear me.”
She continued, “I told them, I said, ‘You guys are all going to grow up. You’re going to have families. You’re going to have children. You’re going to have little girls. And one day, that little girl is going to look at you and say, ‘Daddy, did you really say that? Is that really you?’ What are you going to say?’ I think it got through to them.”
In an interview with CNN about the day, Snoop admitted that he was actually nervous about meeting Warwick and waited in Warwick’s driveway from 6:50am. Reflecting on the group’s emotions in the lead-up to the meeting, the emcee detailed, “We were kind of, like, scared and shook up. We’re powerful right now, but she’s been powerful forever: 30-some years in the game, in the big home with a lot of money and success.”
Snoop vividly remembered when the vocalist welcomed Snoop and his peers into her home. According to the ‘Drop It Like It’s Hot’ hitmaker, Warwick told him to call her a bitch, a phrase that he knew he used a lot in his tracks. Reflecting on what the singer was doing, Snoop told CNN, “She was checking me at a time when I thought we couldn’t be checked. We were the most gangsta as you could be, but that day at Dionne Warwick’s house, I believe we got out-gangstered that day.”
According to Snoop, the conversation worked and led him to make uplifting albums like Bush in 2015 and The Bible of Love in 2018, detailing, “I made it a point to put out records of joy — me uplifting everybody and nobody dying and everybody living. Dionne, I hope I became the jewel that you saw when I was the little, dirty rock that was in your house. I hope I’m making you proud.”