In a recent interview, Snoop Dogg revealed the unique way he used to write his raps. The West Coast legend appeared on “The 85 South Show” to talk about the early years of his career with hosts Chico Bean, Karlous Miller, DC Young Fly and others.
The rapper surprisingly revealed that he used to write rhymes on a typewriter he borrowed from fellow artist 2Scoops from the G-funk group The Dove Shack. DC hilariously began imitating the sounds of someone’s fingers using a typewriter.
“2Scoops that was in the group, when I first started writing raps, I used to use that n—- typewriter,” Snoop said at the 43:21 mark. “I was writing on paper cuz, and I would lose all my s—, and this n—- typewriter was organized.”
It was easy for Snoop to get acclimated to the writing tool, he said, thanks to a typewriting class he took in school. The “Beautiful” artist recalled being able to type “65 words a minute.”
“On the real though, that was a skill I took up at a little white junior high school I went to,” said the 51-year-old. “I was one of them students that I took a wood class, metal class. I took typing, I took home economics. I took classes that was different.”
Snoop continued, “I didn’t want to just be in class with the homies and s–t and go home and get a whooping and get in trouble for f—– up. I was trying to pick classes that was different.”
Snoop expressed that he also picked his classes based on his adolescent attraction to girls. “Some of them classes had some bad b—– in there too,” he told the 85 South cast.
In the interview, Snoop talked about his transition to becoming the owner of Death Row Records — the label that released his classic debut album, “Doggystyle.” He also talked about his relationship with former Death Row signee Tupac Shakur.
The “Let Me Ride” artist said back then, he was used to dressing like guys “from the ‘hood” in khakis and Chuck Taylors. He claims the late rapper taught him how to embrace stardom and helped create his “pimp” persona.
Snoop said, “That n—- like, ‘Me and you finna have a meeting … We stepping our game up. We gotta change your look, Snoop Dogg. You a pimp, n—-. Bitches love you. You fly. You gotta start showing your fly side!”
The “Gin & Juice” artist was used to plaid shirts and baggy clothing. But he credits Pac for teaching him how to embrace the lifestyle and clothing of the rich and famous.
“He dressed me up in Louis Vitton, Gucci. S— I couldn’t even spell or pronounce. All this Italian s—,” Snoop said. “Just look at how I’m standing next to cuh when I’m wearing it. I’m trying to figure it out! I’m like, ‘Do I look right?’ ”
Snoop is one of many West Coast rap legends that represent Los Angeles culture. He recently dropped a collaboration album with Ice Cube, Too Short and E-40 as the supergroup Mount Westmore. The project is titled “Snoop, Cube, 40, $hort.”
The “Doggyland” rapper explained how their group came about during an interview with Billboard.
“We did that record when the pandemic was going down and it finally came out so we been working hard on trying to get that record…get it to people so people can hear it,” Snoop said. “We been a brotherhood, we been a family for a long time, so we decided to make a record. And that’s what it’s all about. Mount Westmore, all four.”
