Watch Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, 50 Cent Discuss Hip-Hop Legacy on ‘Kimmel’
Dr. Dre made his first late-night television appearance in three decades last night, stopping by Jimmy Kimmel Live after earning a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. The rapper spoke to host Jimmy Kimmel in a lengthy interview about his career, with Snoop Dogg and 50 Cent later joining the conversation.
During the interview, Dr. Dre shared his enthusiasm for getting the star, his unlikely fans (which have apparently included a group of nuns), and the collaborative process of making music. “Do artists from other genres often approach you and ask you to work with them?” Kimmel inquired after reading a lengthy list of musicians the rapper has worked with.
“Yes, all the time, but, you know, my love is with hip-hop,” Dr. Dre replied. “It really depends on the relationship. If I meet somebody that we click and what have you then I’ll go in the studio and get down.”
“Even if it’s not your type of music?” Kimmel asked. “Like let’s say Dolly Parton wanted to record.” “I love Dolly Parton!” Dr. Dre said. “Yes, absolutely. ‘Jolene’ is one of my favorite songs… Absolutely I could do that, but hip-hop is my love.”
After Snoop joined, telling Kimmel he is Dr. Dre’s “biggest fan,” the duo recalled their first meeting in the studio after being connected by Warren G. “Snoop had no idea about song structure or anything like that,” Dr. Dre recalled. “He just came in here rapping.” He added, “I’ve never found an artist from a demo tape other than Snoop and Eminem.” The pair then remembered making Dre’s 1992 LP The Chronic, with Kimmel asking who came up with the name for the album.
“That’s a good question,” Dr. Dre said. “Okay. My first time smoking weed I was in the car in my driveway and I think we were halfway through the album and there was a female. I’m not going to say her name. So yeah, it’s my first time smoking weed and I asked her what it was and that’s what she told me and boom here we are.”
The two rappers also confirmed they are still working on new music together. “The first album I’ve done with Snoop was in 1993 and it’s the only album I’ve ever produced on Snoop,” Dr. Dre said. “Thirty years ago. So now, believe it or not, we’re getting together again and we’re almost done with the album. The first album was called Doggystyle, so we decided to flip it and call this one Missionary.”
Snoop added of the album’s release date, “Oh, it’s going to come out. Dr. Dre will begin mixing in mid-April.”
Elsewhere on the late-night show the rappers and Kimmel created a trailer for a riff on Grey’s Anatomy called Dre’s Anatomy with the help of Eminem.
Dre and Snoop previously confirmed they were working on Missionary in 2022. Snoop told Stephen A. Smith on podcast K[no]w Mercy, “Me and Dr. Dre have been working on an album for the past two months. And it will be done in November, and it’s produced by Dr. Dre. It’s our 30th anniversary to Doggystyle. And the name of the album is Missionary.” Snoop added that the album will be released via Death Row/Aftermath, although it still has yet to get an official release date.