Snoop Dogg is easily one of the most identifiable figures in hip-hop, and pop culture as a whole, but perhaps, that wouldn’t have happened without 2Pac.
During a recent appearance on The 85 South Comedy Show, Snoop Dogg explained that he was never comfortable with embracing a flamboyant fashion sense until 2Pac pushed him towards it. He recalled still dressing in khakis and Chucks after the success of Doggystyle. However, ‘Pac said that he needed to elevate his style to appeal to a wider audience.
“[2Pac] like, ‘Me and you finna have a meeting… We stepping our game up. We gotta change your look, Snoop Dogg. You a pimp, n***a. Bitches love you. You fly. You gotta start showing your fly side,” Snoop recalled. “‘I’ma get you suited up.’ ‘I’ma call this n***a Dion Scott, get your suits fitted, get your hair laid, get your nails done. Put some pimpin’ on screen, n***a.’”
The result of the pep talk inspired the look in 2Pac and Snoop’s “2 of Amerikaz Most Wanted” music video in 1996, which certainly marked a shift in Snoop’s career. However, Snoop explained that he wasn’t necessarily comfortable with making the stylistic shift at first.
“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? I hope I don’t look sweet ’cause these pants tight as a muthafucka!’” Snoop Dogg continued, explaining that ‘Pac had him in “all this Italian that” that he “couldn’t even spell or pronounce.”
“Once I got comfortable with it, then it was like, ‘OK, this n***a’s teaching me how to be a star.’ Like, levels and layers,” Snoop continued. “‘We know you gangsta, dawg, but can you go higher than that? What if a n***a call you to be in a movie where they want you to be a lawyer? What if a n***a wants you to be a detective?’”
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