Snoop Dogg is undoubtedly one of hip hop’s most beloved MCs and is so for a good reason. With lyrical versatility and an extremely likeable character, Snoop Dogg has a bit of something for everyone. Snoop Dogg’s rise to prominence happened right in the thick of the East Coast vs West Coast beef. So in 1997, when The Notorious B.I.G was killed, and the feud ended, Snoop had a clean slate.
Having managed to escape the East Coast vs West Coast era alive and without many enemies, Snoop, like his friend Dr Dre, had to find an identity outside of Death Row and the West Coast. Furthermore, he had to establish his own sound.
Having parted ways with Death Row in 1998, Snoop knew he had to give the G-Funk sound a break if he was to survive in the industry for another decade. Looking to diversify his sound, Snoop worked with many different producers during the 2000s but saw the most success alongside the Neptunes.
With regard to Snoop Dogg’s collaborative tracks, it is evident that the Long Beach rapper only works with people he respects and thinks he will artistically gel with. Snoop’s choice of collaborations over the years has seen him collaborate with people from all over the US and abroad. He has tried to fuse almost every genre with hip-hop in a way that works for him in his quest to experiment, and he has some fantastic tracks as a result of this. Below are our top five picks for must-hear Snoop Dogg collaborations.
The give greatest Snoop Dogg collaborations:
5. ‘1800’ featuring Lil Jon – Malice ‘N’ Wonderland, (2009)
A seemingly unusual pick, however, this collaboration was the first time Snoop Dogg ever stepped into the world of Crunk music. Extremely Stripclub-orientated, this track definitely marks the first time Snoop attempted to make any overtly southern hip hop.
This collaboration was a seminal one for Snoop Dogg because with his laidback, West coast, weed-blowing aura, it was the first time listeners got to hear Snoop over a beat that was aggressive. Something that was perhaps a bit more brash and electronic than what Dr Dre or the Neptunes would make for Snoop, but it worked. ‘1800’ is an extremely underrated and highly slept-on track.
4. ‘Signs’ featuring Charlie Wilson, Justin Timberlake & The Neptunes – Rhythm & Gangsta, (2004)
This is just one of several hits Snoop Dogg was gifted by The Neptunes. There was an obvious synergy between Pharrell, Chad and Snoop because every time the producer duo collaborated with the Long Beach rapper, it spawned some kind of hit.
This one was released as the jazzy, uptempo third single for Snoop’s 2004 album Rhythm & Gangsta, which included a lot of production from The Neptunes. Talking to Pharrell Williams and Scott Vener for a special live taping of OTHERtone, Snoop Dogg even credits Pharrell with teaching him as he revealed, “You taught me how to tap into that, how to write for the women instead of about the women.”
3. ‘That’s That Sh*t’ featuring R Kelly – The Blue Carpet Treatment, (2006)
This song was an undeniable hit. Not produced by The Neptunes but produced by Dr Dre, ‘That’s That Sh*t’ featured the disgraced R&B singer R Kelly and was the second single for Snoop’s 2006 album The Blue Carpet Treatment.
The song features a sample from the Coming to America soundtrack. The track peaked at number 20 on the Billboard Hot 100. However, the song quickly became a club classic. Speaking to AllHipHop.com about how Dr Dre and D.O.C helped him write the track Snoop disclosed that Dre told him: “‘Take all your lyrics off, I don’t like ‘em. They’re wack.’ I even go through that shit too. To this day, you know what I mean? I ain’t too big to take criticism. He made me take all my lyrics off, and me and D.O.C. had to come up with some more shit that was just extraordinary.”
2. ‘Drop It Like It’s Hot’ featuring Pharrell – Rhythm & Gangsta, (2004)
Produced by The Neptunes, this track is probably one of Snoop’s most popular tracks, especially among those who weren’t around for his G-funk days. The track is actually something different for both parties. It was not reminiscent of anything The Neptunes had produced before, and the same can be said for Snoop.
A sparse hip-hop track laced with the sound of spray paint cans and human tongue clicking, it was certainly different. However, the video has 226 million YouTube views and even more streams on Spotify. A fantastic track and nearly his best collaboration track.
1. ‘Beautiful’ featuring Pharrell – Paid Tha Cost To Be Tha Boss, (2002)
Undeniably Snoop’s best collaboration, this was his second-ever track with The Neptunes. His first track produced by The Neptunes was ‘From Tha Chuuuch To Da Palace’. However, ‘Beautiful’ was the single that stuck.
The song is arguably one of Snoop’s best, being both soulful and hard-hitting. The music video for the single was filmed in Rio De Janeiro across multiple locations, including Copacabana, Parque Lage and Escadaria Selarón and according to the rapper cost between $400k – $500k to make.
