Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre go together like McCartney and Lennon, Simon and Garfunkel, and Michael and Quincy. Despite their success as separate entities, they are two men who will always be intertwined in the popular consciousness.
And for good reason.
AD LOADING...
Following the chaotic demise of N.W.A in 1991, Dr. Dre co-founded Death Row Records along with Suge Knight, The D.O.C., Dick Griffey and Michael “Harry-O” Harris, through which he would take gangsta rap to even greater heights.
At the same time, a teenage rapper from Long Beach, California going by the name of Snoop Doggy Dogg was shopping his demo. Through a connection to Warren G (who just so happens to be Dre’s stepbrother), that tape ended up in the hands of the legendary producer who immediately signed Snoop to the fledgling label.
AD LOADING...
While Dre’s post-’90s career would be somewhat marred by stop-start projects and years of inactivity (owing to a relentless pursuit of sonic perfection, so the story goes), the period in his life from when Snoop Dogg Crip Walked through the door until the implosion of Death Row remains arguably the most impactful of his career.
In that time, the pair would produce The Chronic and Doggystyle, two landmark albums in Hip Hop and popular music, powered by Dre’s polished G-Funk sound and Snoop’s idiosyncratic delivery of gangsta rap through his smooth, charismatic voice. It’s a potent partnership that in just a few short years and only two full-length projects defined a generation.
AD LOADING...
While their post-Doggystyle working relationship would never again be as prolific, it has conjured up moments of magic. From their late ’90s/early ’00s reunion on Dre’s 2001 and Snoop’s No Limit Top Dogg and Tha Last Meal to later collaborations such as those for the unreleased Detox and 2015’s Compton, Dre and Snoop never lost their chemistry.
2024 has brought with it plenty of turbulence in Hip Hop, but it has also gifted us the long-awaited Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre reunion with Missionary, the cheekily-titled successor to Doggystyle. From what we have heard so far, neither man is resting on past glories with the Sting-assisted “Another Part of Me” feeling particularly evolutionary with its reggae vibes, clever Police sample and Snoop actually singing.
AD LOADING...
Ahead of Missionary’s release on Friday (December 13), HipHopDX counts down the 20 greatest collaborations between Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre.
20. “Kush”
Dr. Dre feat. Snoop Dogg & Akon (2010)
“Kush” was supposed to be the lead single from Detox and was appropriately smooth and catchy. But as we all now know, Dre got cold feet about the long-awaited album, meaning “Kush” has largely faded into the ether despite some initial commercial success.
19. “Chin Check”
N.W.A feat. Snoop Dogg (1999)
Taken from the soundtrack to Next Friday, “Chin Check” marked a strange time in the late ’90s when an N.W.A reunion was being mooted but with Snoop Dogg taking the place of the late Eazy-E. Despite the track boasting some throwback heat, fans didn’t really buy into the idea of Snoop sitting in Eazy’s seat so soon after his death.
AD LOADING...
18. “Buck ‘Em”
Snoop Dogg feat. Sticky Fingaz (1999)
The opening salvo from his return-to-form album No Limit Top Dogg, “Buck ‘Em” features a sparse Dre beat that harks back to the horrorcore of “Natural Born Killaz,” while Onyx’s Sticky Fingaz comes through with a vital hook. The recurring chant of “buck ’em!” throughout the song is pure earworm candy.
17. “Just Dippin'”
Snoop Dogg feat. Dr. Dre & Jewell (1999)
Something of a lost gem in Snoop’s expansive back catalog, “Just Dippin'” and No Limit Top Dogg marked the first time he had worked with Dr. Dre since Death Row’s implosion — and it was a groovy return to form. This is the most throwback-sounding of their three joints on the 1999 album and would not have been out of place on Doggystyle.
AD LOADING...
16. “Ain’t No Fun (If the Homies Can’t Have None)”
Snoop Dogg feat. Nate Dogg, Warren G & Kurupt (1993)
G-Funk pushed to its extreme, “Ain’t No Fun” would probably not make it past most record executives or radio station directors these days due to its sexually explicit lyrics, but its raucous horniness is part of what made Doggystyle a classic.
15. “Imagine”
Snoop Dogg feat. Dr. Dre & D’Angelo (2006)
A surprisingly introspective collaboration between the West Coast titans, “Imagine” sees Snoop and Dre in a more reflective mood as they question the positive and negative impact that Hip Hop has had on the world. The D’Angelo-assisted cut was also the first time that Dre had produced on a Snoop album in six years after Tha Doggfather had reinvented his sound with The Neptunes.
AD LOADING...
14. “Tha Shiznit”
Snoop Dogg (1993)
Snoop is famous around the world for his lingo, and “Tha Shiznit” is an early example of his popularization of West Coast slang. Tha Doggfather’s nimble yet laidback flow also turns one of Dre’s most ominous, pulsating beats into something that could be played at everything from a summer cookout to a street corner cypher.
13. “Lodi Dodi”
Snoop Dogg feat. Nancy Fletcher (1993)
A G-Funk tribute to the great Slick Rick, “Lodi Dodi” is one of Dr. Dre’s most inventive creations, with hypnotizing horror movie synths that merge the best of Los Angeles and New York, just before cracks began to appear between the two coasts. For those who don’t like it, eat a dick.
AD LOADING...
12. “Bitch Please”
Snoop Dogg feat. Xzibit & Nate Dogg (1999)
After some time apart, Snoop and Dre reunited for the thumping “Bitch Please” in 1999, complete with a guest verse from the ascendant Xzibit and a killer hook from Hip Hop’s crooner-in-chief Nate Dogg. A sequel to the tingly track would appear on Eminem’s The Marshall Mathers LP a year later.
11. “Lay Low”
Snoop Dogg feat. Master P, Nate Dogg, Butch Cassidy & Tha Eastsidaz (2000)
Snoop’s time on Master P’s No Limit Records produced mixed results, but “Lay Low” — from his final album on the down south label, Tha Last Meal — stands the test of time. A particular highlight is Nate Dogg’s menacing yet melodic hook.
10. “Doggy Dogg World”
Snoop Dogg feat. Tha Dogg Pound & The Dramatics (1993)
“Doggy Dogg World” is best remembered for its Blaxploitation-themed video starring Pam Grier, but there is also a great song underneath the expensive theatrics. Lush and expansive, Dre’s production evokes the golden ages of R&B while Snoop and Tha Dogg Pound deliver standout verses. The real MVP, however, is the harmonic hook by ’70s soul group The Dramatics.
9. “Lil’ Ghetto Boy”
Dr. Dre feat. Snoop Dogg, Nate Dogg & Daz Dillinger (1992)
Featuring a reggae-flavored hook that flips the Donny Hathaway classic, “Lil’ Ghetto Boy” is one of The Chronic‘s breeziest songs, a contrast to its intricate lyricism about gang life and murder. Snoop steals the show with not one but two profound verses that prove he was always an OG at heart.
AD LOADING...
8. “Murder Was the Case”
Snoop Dogg feat. Daz Dillinger (1993)
Snoop is not typically renowned for his introspective or autobiographical lyricism, but “Murder on the Case” came off the back of him being charged with first-degree murder over the shooting death of an L.A. gang member. Not coincidentally, the spine-chilling song sees him explore weighty themes such as bucking your ideas up if you want to have any kind of future.
7. “Fuck Wit Dre Day (And Everybody’s Celebratin’)”
Dr. Dre feat. Snoop Dogg & Jewell (1992)
There’s a certain generation of fans who bumped this song on Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas‘ in-game radio while mowing down every pedestrian in sight. For those a little older, it confirmed the demise of N.W.A as Dre took venomous shots at Eazy-E and his then-manager Jerry Heller (and possibly Ice Cube). Not many songs better embody Dre’s signature early ’90s sound.
AD LOADING...
6. “Who Am I (What’s My Name)?”
Snoop Dogg (1993)
Snoop Dogg’s aptly-titled debut solo single introduced him as a superstar in his own right and made sure the whole world knew his name by having it as the hook. A genius hook from Snoop and a great use of George Clinton’s “Atomic Dog” by Dre behind the boards.
5. “The Next Episode”
Dr. Dre feat. Snoop Dogg, Kurupt & Nate Dogg (1999)
A sequel of sorts to “Nuthin’ But a ‘G’ Thang,” “The Next Episode” has a cinematic flair thanks to its sample of David McCallum’s “The Edge,” unconventional song structure and iconic, weed-laced curtain closer courtesy of Nate Dogg. Smoke weeeed every day.
AD LOADING...
4. “Gin & Juice”
Snoop Dogg feat. Daz Dillinger (1993)
So impactful that the duo have named their spirits company after the song, “Gin & Juice” perfectly captures Calvin Broadus’ unique harmonic delivery and Andre Young’s “funky worm” sound. Bartenders in L.A. probably never had more requests for this drink than in the weeks after this song was released.
3. “Deep Cover”
Dr. Dre feat. Snoop Dogg (1992)
The somewhat overlooked debut single for both Dre as a solo artist and Snoop as a budding star, “Deep Cover,” recorded for the gangster movie masterpiece of the same name, is every bit as explosive as the pair’s more famous collaborations. Over a beat that merges Dre’s old school, drum-heavy N.W.A sound and the G-Funk that would come to dominate the decade, the pair prove their chemistry was electric from the very beginning as they trade storytelling bars with the precision of a well-drilled two-man weave.
AD LOADING...
2. “Still D.R.E.”
Dr. Dre feat. Snoop Dogg (1999)
The most famous piano riff in Hip Hop history, “Still D.R.E.” effectively reintroduced Dr. Dre to the public following the demise of Death Row and his disappointing compilation album that launched Aftermath. With its verses penned by JAY-Z — something that is very evident when Dre is rapping — “Still D.R.E.” is, as Snoop once said, “flawless.”
1. “Nuthin’ But a ‘G’ Thang”
Dr. Dre feat. Snoop Dogg (1992)
The song that started it all. Nearly 35 years on from its release, “Nuthin’ But a ‘G’ Thang” remains a Hip Hop staple and the song that simultaneously announced Snoop Dogg to the world and proved Dr. Dre’s mettle as a solo artist after departing N.W.A the year before. Pretty much everyone you know can rap the opening line.
