On Monday (Aug. 8th), NYC’s Snoop Dogg fans were invited to the Highline Ballroom to spectate as he sat down with Elliot Wilson as part of the latest installment to his #CRWN series.
Doors opened at 7; the warm-up playlist consisted of some of Snoop Dogg’s greatest hits. It pumped of the crowd, which was eagerly awaiting for him to make an appearance. At 8pm, Wilson comically introduced the legendary artist as a man who “enjoys that weed a little bit”. The Doggmeister walked on stage wearing killer shades, his long braided hair held back in a ponytail, and sporting grey Chucks that matched his loose-fitting jersey.
The prolific journalist picked the iconic rapper’s brain to get his take on current political issues, modern hip-hop, his past collaborations, the evolution of his career, and his plans for the future. Snoop Dogg spat out some major wisdom and rewarded the audience with insightful words to live by. We’ve got the inside scoop on the highlights of the talk.
On Wiz Khalifa and his forthcoming album, ‘Coolaid’
Wilson dove into the conversation by asking him about his relationship with Wiz Khalifa, who will be joining him on his upcoming ‘The High Road’ tour. He had nothing but good things to say about Wiz, highlighting support and respect as the key to maintaining a solid friendship. When asked what his favorite Wiz song is, he cited Pull Up as the lit-est track he’s put out. We found out that Wiz’s favorite Snoop song is the intro track of ‘Coolaid’, Legacy. He cited Beyonce’s ‘Lemonade’ as a major inspiration for the album, stating that he wanted to “say something to look out for my nephews and to represent the men…She had lemonade, I wanted to open up a Coolaid stand.”
On his roots and the ever-present issue of police brutality
Snoop outwardly spoke about his background and addressed the difference between knowing where you come from and where you’re going:
“Where I came from, what I am…it’s like a permanent jacket that I can’t take off. But where you come from doesn’t define where you’re going to go.”
When asked about police brutality, he said that the severity of the issue stems from “too many years of miscommunication in law enforcement.” One of his primary missions in making music is to use it as a tool to flip the script and challenge the system, without having to resort to the use of violence. He brought up the notorious gangs, the Bloods and the Crips as an example of “straight demonstration and no communication”. The key to infiltrate the system, he claimed, is “to target the leader. If you can get to the leader you’ll avoid having to terrorize an entire community.”
On Politics
“Obama did a great job during the 8 years that he was in office. He took a lot of flak for things that he was just trying to clean up. You know, it wasn’t a clean house when he got there. He had to straighten up a whole lot, rearrange the furniture, change the TVs. Then, when he finally got it right, he was able to do his thing thing.”
The rapper said that he’s not on the Republican’s side nor is he on the Democrat’s side, he just wants someone who is smart, sensible, and able to communicate with other countries to that tourists can continue coming here and we can be part of a global community. Snoop is definitely on Team Communication.
On the feud between the East and West
“New York is the mecca of hip-hop”
Tha Doggfather touched on the immense value that came with earning respect from NYC, especially coming from the West coast. When asked about the infamous Pac vs. Biggie altercation, he said that he’s always believed Tupac really loved Biggie – “when you hate someone so much, it means you really love them.” Wilson went on to ask him about his love for revisiting old rap classics and sampling them in his songs, such as La Di Da Di. “Without them, I wouldn’t be here,” Snoop said, “paying hommage to these artists ensured that they’d get paid again!”
On his time running Death Row and competition between rappers
Snoop didn’t hold back in claiming the credit for being the mastermind behind the induction of ’91 record company, Death Row.
“I’m the one that recruited the whole Death Row team.”
He stressed on the importance of friendly competition in hip-hop. He gave the example of rappers – namely Jay Z and himself – using the same producers and video directors.
On his relationship with Pharrell and the success of Drop It Like It’s Hot
He described his relationship with fellow rapper, Pharrell, as a brotherhood that translated into a sound that can only be described as magic. “I liked him because he was different,” Snoop commented, “he was the first one to predict the immense success of Drop It Like It’s Hot.” He went on to say that he knew it was going to be a hit when Dr. Dre gave them the seal of approval,
“Dr. Dre doesn’t like nothin! But when he heard this record he said, ‘Ay baby dawg, this motherfucker is alright!'”
On the rise of the New West
“It’s great. Young homies doing something different. They’re not trying to be me – they’re being themselves. Record labels can’t tell them what to do, they drive their own careers.”
