"Return of the Dogg"
(MTV)

SNOOP DOGG: Everything is cool man, everything is lovely.

JOHN: You got a record coming out in a little over a week, you got a new family I guess you'd say, and a new medallion around your neck. Would you say in any way this is a new start for you?

SNOOP: Yeah, basically. It's like a rebirth. It's more or less...it's like a rebirth so you know, it's cool. I accept it and I appreciate it and I'm glad to have the opportunity to be able to bounce back and come back in the right game with the same magnitude and the same force I left with. I left as Snoop Dogg and now I'm back as Snoop Dogg.

JOHN: Do you really feel like you left, though? I mean the spell hasn't been that long.

SNOOP: No, I didn't really leave, I just...a lot of things going down you know in my life and in my music career, and like I said it's like a rebirth to be able to get a second chance and to do it all over again from scratch and come with a whole new clean slate with a new group of people, whole new atmosphere, new surroundings...it just feel good to be going in the right direction.

JOHN: How...how did it come about? When did you first meet (Master) P and did you guys...were you guys talking about this possibility of a change for a long time before it actually happened?

SNOOP: Well I met P from uh...just coming up from Priority Records 'cause I have a lot of love for Priority Records. You know I would always be up there dealing with Mac 10 or just the people up there I knew You know we would see each other, me and P and we'd just holler, "what's happening, what's up?' And so I got at him and told him I wanted to participate on one of his groups, you know, albums or whatever...if anything is coming out and he let me know Mystikal's album was coming out and I went and did something with him and it just grew from there you know. I wanted to be a part of them, I wanted to, you know, do music with them as a homey and then I wanted to get out of my situation and do a one album deal with a label. Mack 10 approached me and it didn't work out but it was still cool 'cause that's my homeboy and then P approached me and was like, "you know, I don't want to give you just a one album deal. I wanna give you the full situation and uh, you know, you're giving all these other labels the opportunity to do it, give me the opportunity." So I gave him the same opportunity that I gave all the big labels.

JOHN: So what was it about No Limit? I mean you could've...P said this before when I was talking to him. You could've gone with virtually any major (label). Why them?

SNOOP: They couldn't have gave me what No Limit given me. And that's...they made...they making Snoop Dogg feel like Snoop Dogg. Couldn't no other label do that for me.

JOHN: I get the feeling it's a real family atmosphere.

SNOOP: Yeah...it is. It's more of a...see if I was on any other label it would be business. This is family, you know what I'm saying? It's a family business. It's like, you know it's like they respect my music and respect Snoop Dogg as a artist and they know where he's supposed to be and what he's supposed to sound like and what he's supposed to be rappin' about so me getting with them was like, it helps me and it helps them on the same note because they learn from me and I learn from them and we gradually grow as a family.

JOHN: How bad had it gotten with Death Row? I know you'd been interested in leaving for quite a long time, but earlier this year you were quoted as saying...you feared for your career as well as your life if you stayed with that label. How bad was it?

SNOOP: I mean, you know...my vision on that is really blurry right now 'cause I can't even see that no more 'cause I moved past that, you know what I'm saying? But, like I said...

JOHN: Is there no bitterness?

SNOOP: Nah, there's none at all...like I said when I was there I had fun, I mean that's what...that's what got me to this level. That's what taught me what I know...I mean, the business, the rap, everything I learned. What I know from them, you know, being in the game and, you know, having the creative freedom to do what I want to do and expand and put homey's in the game and they gave me the room to do that and I appreciate them for that and you know, it was like...

JOHN: But financially, you weren't...

SNOOP: (continuing over John's comment) It was like a marriage though. I look at it like it was a marriage you know. If you're married to somebody for you know, a long time...six, seven years, you understand them and they understand you and if it just don't work out, the divorce is gonna be sorta kinda ugly but at the end of the day, you give them your respect and they give you their respect and you start your new family, they start their new family and hey...no bitterness...

JOHN: But you put so much into that marriage...did the marriage, if, to use that comparison, you put so much into it and from everything I've read that you've said, I mean, were not...were so under compensated for what you were...had given to them. I mean, I can't believe there's not some, some kind of resentment left over.

SNOOP: Nah, I ain't trippin' man, 'cause I got my head on straight, you know what I'm saying? The opportunity to do it again and have a second wind and to be able to get with No Limit and Master P and the soldiers and you know, rekindle my fire is better than crying over the spilt milk over there. You know, I established them and they established me so we learned from each other, we grew from each other. They made what they made off me, I made what I made off of them...continued success to them 'cause I'm continuing my thing over here with my new family and no love lost, I'm doing what I'm doing. You never know, maybe in the future we could do some business if the money is right, you know what I'm saying? But right now, in the meantime, I'm over here establishing for No Limit, doing what I do, they doing what they do...no love lost, it was fun while it lasted.

JOHN: Are you a lot more of a cautious person now entering any...into any kind of a deal as a result of the way things went down with Death Row?

SNOOP: I'm my own manager now, basically, you know...but uh, P and the No Limit soldiers and the business side of No Limit is so real and so family that you know, even if they was managing me, they wouldn't charge me, you know what I'm saying? Because they love me and they look out for my behalf as far as creatively, business wise and personally, you know what I'm saying? A lot of labels couldn't provide that for me. They would just be able to throw me a lot of money then turn their back on me when things get real sour.

JOHN: But see, I'm just surprised you could have trust anymore after feeling like you had been taken advantage of to an extent at Death Row.

SNOOP: Well, you know...

JOHN: You can? You still can?

SNOOP: You live and you learn man.

JOHN: Yeah.

SNOOP: You gotta...you gotta be able to...it's like, you know, that's what life is built on. You know, you might strike out with this girl right here you had a bad relationship, so whatchya' gonna do?

JOHN: Give up on...

SNOOP: You gonna stop trying to get at girls, what's happening, you know what I'm saying? You're gonna find somebody you're gonna fall in love with and you're going to trust her the same way, you're gonna buy things for her, you're gonna...

JOHN: But you might be more cautious the next time is all.

SNOOP: You just gonna be a little more...alert.t's not about cautious, it's being a little more alert, you know what I'm saying and there's no love lost like I said there was. Things I learned from them that I wouldn't have wanted to go to college for. I wouldn't have wanted to go to college for seven years and sit in no class and learn what Death Row records taught me and I couldn't of learnt that in college, so the game that I learned from them was worth the money that I made for them. It's cool to me.

JOHN: Right. Did you wanna try and make it work with them 'cause I remember you know, I was a...as you know, we were at the, the trial a lot and Sug was there. He was apparently showing his support you know, for you at the time and I would imagine in the wake of the trial after the verdict came down that you wanted to try and make things work with them.

SNOOP: I did. I stayed there and I made music. I made a record. I put the Dogg vibe out then I tried to put a dogumentary EP out and nobody...

JOHN: And that got shut down.

SNOOP: Exactly. So it was like, it wasn't his fault because he had to worry about you know, his situation as far as him being locked up and not being free so I couldn't fault him but he was the only one who ran the company so I can't fault nobody but him. And then it's like I feel bad that I'm faulting him because he's incarcerated and I understand that situation but on the same time, I'm not getting paid, my family not eating. So, what am I to do? And I can't do a record with this artist 'cause y'all won't let me and this won't go down so...it was just a big...

JOHN: Your hands are tied.

SNOOP: (continuing)...mess, because he wasn't out here. If he was out on the streets it probably still be the same. I'd probably still be over there doing my thing or either I would've got out in a smoother fashion...I don't know, you know what I'm saying? But by him being incarcerated he put a lot of you know, negativity in the game because it was he say/she say, we wasn't able to communicate...there's never been a conversation between me and him since he's been incarcerated so it's basically him reading about me or me reading about him or hearing about somebody in his organization gonna do this to me or say this to me...You know, people talk on the streets, you know how it is, and more or less I'm to the point to where my respect level for him is too big to be tripped. You know, I respected him too much when he was on the streets so I'm going to respect him while he locked up. You know, I just want to move forward and do business and establish myself on No Limit Records...everything I did over there with them was fun, I had a great time doing it, I learned a lot, I made a lot of money, and it's...it's the reason why I'm here now and I'm thankful for it.

JOHN: I want to move on to No Limit, the final thing I want to ask you about Death Row though is what...'cause we'd heard stories that threats were made in verbally or in other forms, threats were made when you wanted to leave the company. What...is that true or....

SNOOP: Nah...I never got no threats when I was wanting to leave, it was business...it's a business therefore when Snoop Dogg is a business, two different businesses and we just had to come up with a business agreement, you know just like if you've got a...a business over here and there got a president and a chairman...if the chairman want to leave, he gotta holler at the board and the board just ain't gonna let him go, they gotta see what they gonna get out of the situation, what, you know what I'm saying? It's business. It's the code of law, it's business.

JOHN: Okay. How are you financially now? Things are OK? Improved?

SNOOP: I'm cool.

JOHN: How is...how is being with No Limit? Tell...I mean, 'cause I want to ask you about the new album. How is being with No Limit? Do you think it's gonna affect your music? When people listen to the new record, are they gonna say this sounds like a new Snoop Dogg or different...different kind of Snoop Dogg or is it gonna be pretty much true to form?

SNOOP: It's just a good album, man. The Snoop Dogg at his best and that's what I think people want to hear...they want to hear Snoop Dogg at his best and the production at it's best and the promotion at it's best and the vibe and me happy and illustrating and doing what I do to the fullest and doing it to the best of my ability. That's what they want to see and hear you know what I'm saying? 'Cause that's what they've grown accustomed to. All that other...ain't really necessary or needed because it means nothing. When you buy the record and you put it in, you pop it in; you want to enjoy yourself. What goes down on the side doesn't matter long as the record is good and I'm saying what you want to hear and the music is right, that's cool and that's what I'm getting out of this No Limit vibe.

JOHN: Can you talk a little bit about the album? Name of the album and some of the tracks on it that...do you know the first single?

SNOOP: Yeah. The name of the album is "Da Game Is to Be Sold, Not to Be Told," and uh...that's on No Limit Records. August 4...

JOHN: When does that album...what does that title mean to you?

SNOOP: (sigh) You gotta buy the album and see. That's what it means. I mean, like I got a lot to say but I'm not gonna say it to you...buy the album and expose it...it exposes itself. And the first single off of the album...is uh, "Still a G Thang" produced by my uh...producer Meech Walls from Dogg House Productions. And um...it's just one of those records that's just, just needed right now in the world.

JOHN: What do you think of what's...because as you said, you haven't really been away from the scene, but things since...last time I sat down with you which was when the Doggfather was about to come out which is almost two years now. Things have come and gone in hip-hop and you know, the...the Puffys and Maces of the world have dominated for a while...things seem to be swinging back a bit. I don't know if you have any thoughts on the fact that artists like DMX, Big Pun seem to be making a lot of, you know...noise in the charts right now. Does it just seem like it's going back the other direction now?

SNOOP: That's what it's supposed to do though, that's what the hip-hop game was built on. It was built on gradually growing and, and helping develop each side of the planet. I mean, right now it's meant for the East Coast to dominate and regulate and now you see the South doing what they doing and the West Coast sliding back in the game. That's the competitiveness of the game...that's what's going to keep it alive...that's why hip-hop is here to stay...that's why it's like rock and roll you know? People want to say well, hip-hop will be over within two years, three years...they've been saying that for what, fifteen years now? It's still going on.

JOHN: Exactly. Front page of today's "LA Times" calendar section...all about Master P and No Limit and the relevance of hip-hop. Let me...you were talking about...that you mentioned that, you know...Southern hip-hop sort of coming to the fore now. Was that a...was that a connection at all between you and P...the fact that you're originally from Mississippi, he's from Louisiana?

SNOOP: That helped me some 'cause we both got that Southern hospitality about ourselves and we openhearted and we both caring individuals and he know that I'm loyal. He can see my loyalty by just being able to read a person from coming up off of them streets. You can read the real the same way I read the real with him and I knew that his business hand was real major because he was blowing up artists that people had never even heard about and they was selling millions of records and you know, an artist of my status. What you think he would do with me?

JOHN: Right.

SNOOP: If he could do this for artists that don't nobody really know about but in the next six months this artist is the biggest artist in the world.

JOHN: It's made me wonder how the people at No Limit reacted to someone who's already an established star coming in with...I mean, was it all...were you welcomed totally...totally well when you...when you came there?

SNOOP: I mean it was all love and respect because I came into the situation doing for No Limit so it wasn't like I just came in and just jumped in the way and pushed everybody out the way...I came in participating on projects for No Limit and you know, putting my hand down and showing that I'm wanting to be affiliated so it was more of me stepping to them and when they needed me, I stepped to them and then when I needed them, that was them stepping back to me saying "Snoop Dogg, we love you, we appreciate you, you can come into this No Limit family with no love lost, no hate...none of that. When you come in, wherever P puts you at, we accept it, 'cause whatever he say go."

JOHN: So it's kinda showing you're willing to be part of the team.

SNOOP: I didn't have no...I mean, I had...I told P what I wanted to do, when I wanted my album to come out...he told me he could do this for me...it's done. Holler at me in a week, my album will be out.

JOHN: So do you feel in a way this is back to square one at all for you or do you feel it's just building on where you've been?

SNOOP: It's square one plus one. Because now I'm aware and knowing is half the battle and now I know. You know last time I went in without knowing but it's cool to go in not knowing sometimes because you get that uncut knowledge in. You know a lot of times people share that knowledge that they wouldn't share with you if you knew. You know, like if I'd of went in knowing, they probably wouldn't of been so open to show me all the stuff I learned from there that's gonna be helpful to me right now.

JOHN: Do you look back on any mistakes you might of made business wise and think...you know, how stupid could I have been or?

SNOOP: Never that...I don't regret nothing I done. Everything I've done, was done for a reason.

JOHN: Yeah. So can you tell me about...is your first video on the way from the new record?

SNOOP: Yeah..."Still a G Thang" it's uh...we'll have it ready in about a week.

JOHN: Any...anything you can say about it...

SNOOP: Nope! I don't even want to say nothing about it...it's just a video, you know what I'm saying...you know, Snoop Dogg don't like to do all that extra in videos but you know I like the old videos that do have that all in it, but my video is just real simple you know what I'm saying? It's still a G thang!

JOHN: You got a role in this...'cause I know you've got a part in "Thug Girl." Can you talk a little bit about what you are doing in there?

SNOOP: Yeah, I got the second verse on the song "Thug Girl." You know we made that song at the rock house, you know what I saying. A secret location. We put it down, so it's time to do a video you know, unite. Get at all the thug girls out there. We lookin' for thug girls. Where they at, where they at, where they at?

JOHN: Tell me a little bit about "Bones." Is that done, and when is that going to be out?

SNOOP: It's being wrote right now from the writers of California. And um, you know New Line Cinema gonna get with me, we're gonna sit down and negotiate a price and we're gonna do it. It's a project in the near future. There's a couple of projects that I have that will be out before that. The one feature film that I got out that will be with this movie "The Game of Life" will be out August 18 on No Limit Films, straight-to-home video and that's a cold movie.

JOHN: Reflects the album?

SNOOP: It reflects me sorta kinda. It's like a real live story, you know what I'm saying? It's so close to my persona.

JOHN: And it includes some of the things that have happened to you over the last couple of years...or not really.

SNOOP: Mmm...in a way. In a way...in a way not really. Like hand for hand like just directly, but it's more of an elevated Snoop Dogg so...that's more or less behind me, just the elevation.

JOHN: I mean this straight-to-video thing is one of the many ways in which P seems to have rewritten the rules about how you go about working the business, marketing things...um...another rule that he seems to sort of defy is this idea that you don't want to over-saturate the market. You don't want to put too much product out there. You...um...do you have any thoughts on that...the way it seems like all the...all the records coming off of No Limit are straight in the top five, top 10?

SNOOP: It's quality product. I mean, when you're going into a project with a quality mind and a quality product and a quality artist and producers, you come out with the quality and then you got the people like No Limit and Priority that know how to push records and get it out there on the streets and get it to where people want to see it, hear it, touch it and love it, so that's all it take.

JOHN: Is it? How different is it, this company...this family if you want to call it that, compared to Death Row even in the best days of Death Row.

SNOOP: I really don't have time to compare because it was all original. Everything in Death Row is original. My relationships there were genuine. They were original and it was more of a turf thing, you know. There was more West Coast defy gravity, you know, Suge and them was Bloods and I'm a Crip and we defy gravity by doing business and things together and loving each other and looking out for each other and supporting each other through good/bad, thick and thin you know what I'm sayin'. That was a different level of how we were doin' it out there. And now here it's more of a family--straight love; no gang; rule; tides; none of that, just straight family--I love you, I'm with you, love what you do, down with you.

JOHN: I read about you, I think it was the "Source" article in May, this track called "Death Row Killers," is that still in the album or is there any Death Row tracks in the album?

SNOOP: No, I scratched that song you know. I felt bad about that song. I snatched that song down but you know, it was done. It was done.

JOHN: So the album doesn't have anti-Death Row, or that kinda thing?

SNOOP: Nah, nothing negative about Death Row.

JOHN: I mentioned the "Bones" thing, is there more acting or writing projects that you can talk about as far as that goes?

SNOOP: Yeah, I got a project I'm doing called "Doggy's Angels."

JOHN: A feature film?

SNOOP: Yeah, probably a home video thing, yeah. But I got a lot of stuff that I'm working on that I haven't really developed yet. I was just hollering at P today telling him I really wanted to get involved at the movie game, someone to really get behind me and push me to make a helluva movie star with the concepts and surroundings that I need to be in because after y'all see this movie, "The Game Of Life," it will show I should of been in big movies. Instead of people using me for little roles they should of use me for big roles because they put my name, "starring Snoop Dogg," and I'm only in the movie for 30 seconds and they get five million people to come and see it man, when they could of got 10 million people to come and see it if they gave me 20 more minutes.

JOHN: Yeah, what kind of movies would you want to do: drama, comedy, action?

SNOOP: I want to do gangsta movies, straight gangsta movies with gangsta comedy; gangsta drama; action, just straight gangsta movies.

JOHN: Fighting with all the money situations that you had before, do you feel that everything has settled on the money table or is there still money owed to you?

SNOOP: Nah, no I don't feel like that at all. I feel good about everything. I feel blessed you know what I'm sayin'.

JOHN: Because it's been an up and down couple of years, I would imagine that you feel you're do for things to get back on track.

SNOOP: That's my second chance. I mean me havin' a second chance to be with P and No Limit. If I can't get it this way with a fresh start I wasn't meant to have it. I can't cry over that you know what I'm sayin'. I can't cry over that. (Looks at the camera) Please believe it when I tell you this, nephew.

JOHN: Is it possible to sustain a long career in hip-hop?

SNOOP: I think I've been in the hip-hop game for a long time. I've been in since '91,'92 and it's gonna be '99. It's cool and it's easy to sustain if you keep your head and yourself surrounded in the right people and the right production; the right material, but it's hard to get mislead and it's hard to keep focused but you got to know to keep focused cause it's easy to get on top but when you get on top, can you call that spot.

JOHN: 'Cause it seems like so much in hip-hop these days is about the quick hit, the quick "who's hot this week" kinda thing, or singles put out here and there and hopefully you can write it for a while. Do you feel like people aren't as interested in doing albums and sorta building careers now?

SNOOP: It's harder to do an album; it's easier to do a single. You can sell it with a single, but an album is hard. Ever since I've been in the game I've been selling albums. I've never sold singles. Always sold albums, so by me coming into No Limit they know how to work albums and sell albums. Never know, we might break a record or something.

JOHN: Were you disappointed at all with Doggfather?

SNOOP: Nah, not at all. I made a lot of money off of that. I made a lot of friends. I went on tour, did Lollapalooza, went oversees; a lot of festivals, I helped a lot of people out. Charlie Wilson from the Gap band went with me. Had a great time with him. I mean, my relationship with people got real big. I expanded my head. I meet the FOI and you know what I'm sayin', it was real cool.

JOHN: Speaking of which�the FOI was with you when we saw you in Spring Break. Are you not tripin' about as much with security now, is that not much of a concern to you?

SNOOP: Not really. My creative thing is more of a concern and that was the problem. I needed to get in the situation where I could just think about making records and being creative and not have to worry about my security and my life and this and that and that, you know what I'm sayin'. I had to worry about all of that, and try to make records.

JOHN: Does being in No Limit help as far as that goes?

SNOOP: Definitely. I'm just worrying about my music now.