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Snoop Dogg - Snoop Therapy

Author: Sancho Sanchez
Monday, October 27, 2008

After some serious hassling from Australian customs, rap royalty Snoop Dogg is finally returning to Australia. 3D’s Los Angeles-based Argentinian reporter Sancho Sanchez caught up with the D O double G in his Californian crib to talk egos, Frank Sinatra and why Hollywood sucks.

Your latest album’s called Ego Trippin’. What does that means to you-

What it means to me is that I’m allowing other people to write for me and be a part of my thought process on letting my ego go, so that I’m not tripping at all by, you know, allowing people to be part of the process of creating my album. I’d usually do it all by myself but on this album I brought in writers, producers – the whole nine [yards] – to try to get me a different look and a different feel.

Tell us who you worked with on this album and how you think it’s different from your previous work-
I worked with a lot of different producers: Scoop De Ville, Teddy Riley, DJ Quik, Terrence Martin [Niggaracci]… But, ah, the thing that’s different from any other record as far as I’m concerned is my allowing so many artists to write for me. To create songs and give me what they think is best for Snoop Dogg and for me to accept it and do it with the right sprit and to let people know that somebody wrote it for me – glamorising their name and giving them fame behind what they have written for me so that’s the difference.

So was that letting go of control-
On this particular album that is exactly what it was.

So why now-
Because I was ego trippin’ and that’s what they called it for. I gave the album a title many moons ago and once I started creating the album it took on a life of its own.

Who’s the person that knocks you into shape when your ego does get too big- Does your wife kind of pull you up and….
Yeah, she talks shit. She gets on my nerves ’cause she’s the type of person that’s like a mother figure. When I say she gets on my nerves and talks shit, that’s good for me and I need that, you know what I’m saying- Any time that something’s good for you, you gonna fight it – you know, like medicine. ‘I don’t want to take this medicine.’ ‘It’s going to make you better though. Taste it.’ ‘No I don’t want it.’ And then you take the medicine and you get better. But you don’t like the way it tastes. That’s what it is about her. I don’t like the taste that she’s giving me, but she’s always telling me some shit I need to hear – to straighten me out. And I might not listen right there, but at the end of the day I end up listening.

You created a song to Johnny Cash. Why on this particular album-
It wouldn’t have worked on any other album. It’s perfect for this record – my ninth solo record. Ego Trippin’s where I’m doing every style of music that I like, and country music falls right in.

What’s the best and worst thing about now-
The best thing about now is that people still wanna hear me and they respect me, and I’m able to create a lane to be different still. The worst thing about now is that I gotta do all of the work. Like a brand new artist all over again.

But you already have a huge following- Why do you think you have to-
Because you never wanna lose focus or communication and having that accessibility with people. And if I depend on my label to do it, it won’t get done so I have to do it myself.

Do you still think you have something to prove-
I got nothing to prove but I got a lot to do. I’m not the one trying to prove nothing to nobody – I just love what I do.

What keeps you motivated- You obviously have the money and the success and all the other things, so what keeps you going-
Just challenged by these new sounds and new artists and fly MCs. I love being relevant. I don’t like being not talked about. I like being in the mix. When you mention rap, you gotta mention me.

What do you like doing in your spare time-
Listening to music that relaxes me.

What music do you like at the moment-
I like old school music – I was just listening to some Frank Sinatra before ya’ll got here. Ol’ Blue Eyes.

You said he was the original gangster-
Frank Sinatra- Definitely.

Why-
Why not- Do you know who Frank Sinatra is-

Yeah.
Do you know anything about him-

Yes.
He was a guy who stood up for Sammy Davis, Jr. Sammy was the first black Jew. They used to make Sammy walk through the back of the club in Vegas. Frank made them allow Sammy to walk through the front. Sammy was black during the ’60s and he was respected and loved because Frank Sinatra loved him. When Frank loves you, the whole world loves you. Frank Sinatra took Marilyn Monroe from the president John F Kennedy. Frank Sinatra had a homegirl that played in that movie, Rosemary’s Baby – he told her if she do the movie, he gonna quit her. She did the movie and he quit her. That was gangster.

What musicians do you respect-
Old school. Mayfield, Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, Quincy Jones, Clark Terry, Count Basie, Ella Fitzgerald

Any of the new artists-
Snoop Dogg.

He’s been around for a while though...
Yeah, he still here. He here to stay, baby. Don’t think he ever goin’ away. He made some mistakes along the way, to become the G he is today.

What about film roles- Are you looking into doing more movies-
Hollywood is tricky, you know- They want you to play what they want you to play. They don’t ever let you play the roles you feel you could play so I’m to the point now where I’m trying to create my own movies with my own roles ’cause I’m kinda unhappy with Hollywood now and how they perceive me. I feel like I can be given better roles and better opportunity and since they won’t give them to me, I’m [gonna] create ’em.

How do you think Hollywood sees you-
As a n***a that can just make people laugh and get ticket sales and ‘Let’s use him as a sample and put him in the movie with a couple of real stars and market his name but he only in the movie for ten minutes but we gonna treat it like he is all the way in the movie and fool people.’ As opposed to giving me a whole movie where I can be the fully-fledged star, where I can carry the movie with great actresses and actors to go alongside me, directed by a great director, financed by a great movie company. I’ve yet to play that role.

You’re heading back to Australia. Any stand out memories from the first time round-
I had a good time recording. I did a week out there in the studio and I had a great time working with some great musicians. I worked with a singer called Connie Mitchell [Sneaky Sound System] and some real great engineers and producers. I had a great time out there you know. Just had fun.

WHO: Snoop Dogg
WHAT: Plays Acer Arena
WHEN: Friday 31 October & Saturday 1 November
MORE: myspace.com/snoopdogg

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