Today marks the 15th anniversary of R&G (Rhythm & Gangsta): The Masterpiece, Snoop Dogg’s first and only release on The Neptunes‘ Star Trak Entertainment imprint. The album features the lead single, “Drop It Like It’s Hot,” which became the California rapper’s first No. 1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100. In a 2014 appearance on Snoop’s own GGN YouTube series, Neptunes member Pharrell Williams recalled how he was pressured in the studio by Crip gang members who were waiting for him to produce a hit.
After Snoop described the unintelligible lyrics Pharrell used while creating the song, the Virginia Beach native recalled the tense atmosphere in the studio.
“But you know why that came out. You were there in the room,” Pharrell said. “It was like 40 Crips in there, dark blued out. These guys are just standing around…”
“Waiting on a motherfucking hit record,” Snoop said, finishing Pharrell’s sentence. “‘Nigga, you gave JAY-Z some hits. Get Dogg one.’ You pulled that motherfucking rabbit out your hat.”
Pharrell further described the gang members' effect on creating the song. “I was reading the room. I was in there with all that Crip,” he remembered. “That’s what it was. That, and a hell of a lot of contact [high]. I made the beat, I started putting spray cans on the beat.”
Snoop, who grew up around Crips in Long Beach, continued the conversation by remembering how Pharrell forced him to rewrite his second verse on the song.
“I did the first verse, then I did a second verse. You said, ‘Nah, you gotta write that over,’” Snoop recalled.
He then recited the opening four lines of his rewritten verse:
I’m a bad boy, with a lot of hoes
Drive my own cars, and wear my own clothes
I hang out tough, I’m a real boss
Big Snoop Dogg, yeah he’s so sharp
After Snoop praised The Neptunes' work on the song, Pharrell credited his production partner Chad Hugo for adding the synthesizer drop that Snoop described as “the candle on the cake.”
The track became a critical and commercial success thanks to its minimal, sparse production and catchy chorus—written by Pharrell—when Snoop says:
When the pimp’s in the crib, ma
Drop it like it’s hot, drop it like it’s hot, drop it like it’s hot
The latter line comes from Lil Wayne’s outro on Juvenile’s late ‘90s hit, “Back That Azz Up.” Weezy acknowledged this reference on The Dedication track, “Nah This Ain’t the Remix.”
Over the “Drop Like It’s Hot” beat, Wayne flips a line JAY-Z infamously used to diss Nas, rapping:
Nah, I ain’t a hater, don’t get me wrong
I made it a hot line, you made it a hot song
In addition to topping the Hot 100, “Drop It Like It’s Hot” netted Snoop his first No. 1 hit on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, as well as Grammy nominations for Best Rap Song and Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group.
Comparatively, R&G was a moderate success, debuting at No. 6 on the Billboard 200 with 225,000 copies sold during its first week. However, the album was still certified Platinum within a month.
Genius previously broke down Snoop Dog’s legacy in hip-hop:
Watch the full interview above, and catch up on all the lyrics to Snoop Dogg’s “Drop It Like It’s Hot” on Genius now.
