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Dr. Dre feat. Snoop Dogg & Akon

Kush (feat. Snoop Dogg & Akon)

Dr. Dre feat. Snoop Dogg & Akon

1 SONG • 3 MINUTES • JAN 01 2010

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1
Kush (feat. Snoop Dogg & Akon)
E
03:55
℗© 2010 Interscope Records

Artist bios

Dr. Dre’s impact on rap, hip-hop, and pop music in general is nothing short of revolutionary. His production informed the dominant trends for several decades of rap, updating the noisy clamor of Public Enemy’s Bomb Squad-produced tracks by bringing in funky rhythms for his breakthrough work with his group N.W.A., single-handedly inventing G-Funk in the ‘90s by reworking George Clinton’s spaced-out party funk into something aggressive yet still commercially viable, and then abandoning the style when it became too ubiquitous by the early 2000s. Dre’s rap skills were never as impressive as his production, but he played to his strengths by giving game-changing proteges the majority of time on the mike, first introducing the world to Snoop Dogg’s laid-back charisma and then to Eminem’s staggering technical abilities. Dre’s multifaceted role in the music industry saw him forming labels Death Row and Aftermath, the latter of which released massively important records by 50 Cent, Kendrick Lamar, and Anderson .Paak. Along with production duties, label CEO status, and other business ventures like his celebrity headphones-turned-streaming platform Beats by Dre, the good doctor continued to slowly and steadily release music of his own as the years went by, bolstering a discography full of groundbreaking work like his 1992 debut The Chronic with projects like his 2015 full-length Compton, and his six-song EP The Contract, released in conjunction with Grand Theft Auto in 2022.

Dre (born Andre Young, February 18, 1965) became involved in hip-hop during the early '80s, performing at house parties and clubs with the World Class Wreckin' Cru around South Central Los Angeles and making a handful of recordings along the way. In 1986 he met Ice Cube, and the two rappers began writing songs for Ruthless Records, a label started by former drug pusher Eazy-E. Eazy tried to give one of the duo's songs, "Boyz-n-the Hood," to HBO, a group signed to Ruthless. When the group refused, Eazy formed N.W.A. -- an acronym for N*gg*z With Attitude -- with Dre, Cube, MC Ren, and DJ Yella, releasing their first album in 1987. A year later, N.W.A. delivered Straight Outta Compton, a vicious record that became an underground hit with virtually no support from radio, the press, or MTV. N.W.A. became notorious for their hardcore lyrics, especially those of "Fuck tha Police," which resulted in the FBI sending a warning letter to Ruthless and its parent company, Priority, suggesting that N.W.A. should watch their step.

Most of the group's political threat left with Cube when he departed in late 1989 amid many financial disagreements. While Eazy appeared to be the undisputed leader following Cube's departure -- and he was certainly responsible for the group approaching near-parodic levels with their final pair of records -- the music was in Dre's hands. On both the 1990 EP 100 Miles and Runnin' and the 1991 album Efil4zaggin ("Niggaz4life" spelled backward), he created dense, funky sonic landscapes that were as responsible for keeping N.W.A. at the top of the charts as Eazy's comic-book lyrics. While the group was at the peak of its popularity in 1991, Dre began to make efforts to leave the crew, especially after he was charged with assaulting Dee Barnes, the host of a televised rap show, in 1991. The following year, Dre left the group to form Death Row Records with Suge Knight and N.W.A. affiliate the D.O.C. According to legend, Knight held N.W.A.'s manager at gunpoint and threatened to kill him if he refused to let Dre out of his contract.

Dre released his first solo single, "Deep Cover," in the spring of 1992. Not only was the record the debut of his elastic G-funk sound, it was also the beginning of his collaboration with rapper Snoop Doggy Dogg. Dre discovered Snoop through his stepbrother Warren G, and he immediately began working with the rapper -- Snoop was on Dre's 1992 debut, The Chronic as much as Dre himself was. Thanks to the singles "Nuthin' But a 'G' Thang," "Dre Day," and "Let Me Ride," The Chronic was a multi-platinum, Top Ten, Grammy-winning smash, and the entire world of hip-hop changed with it. For the next four years, it was virtually impossible to hear mainstream hip-hop that wasn't affected in some way by Dre and his patented G-funk. Not only did he produce Snoop's 1993 debut Doggystyle, but he orchestrated several soundtracks, including Above the Rim and Murder Was the Case (both in 1994), which functioned as samplers for his new artists and production techniques, and he helmed hit records such as Blackstreet's "No Diggity," among others, including a hit reunion with Ice Cube, "Natural Born Killaz." During this entire time, Dre released no new records, but he didn't need to -- all of Death Row was under his control, and most of his peers mimicked his techniques.

The Death Row dynasty held strong until the spring of 1996, when Dre grew frustrated with Knight's strong-arm techniques. At the time, Death Row was devoting itself to 2Pac's label debut, All Eyez on Me (which featured Dre on the breakthrough hit "California Love"), and Snoop was busy recovering from his draining murder trial. Dre left the label in the summer of 1996 to form Aftermath, declaring gangsta rap dead. While he was subjected to endless taunts from his former Death Row colleagues, their sales had slipped by 1997, and Knight was imprisoned on racketeering charges by the end of the year. Dre's first album for Aftermath, the various-artists collection Dr. Dre Presents...The Aftermath, received considerable media attention, but the record didn't become a hit despite the presence of his hit single "Been There Done That." Even though the album wasn't a success, the implosion of Death Row in 1997 proved that Dre's inclinations were correct at the time. Dre's de facto sophomore solo album 2001 -- which scored him a second Grammy for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group for "Forgot About Dre" -- followed in 1999. That same year, Dre unveiled his next protégé, a young Detroit rapper named Eminem.

Dre's focus then shifted to work with his label and production for other artists. A third, and final, album titled Detox had been announced, but as the producer devoted time to Aftermath artists like 50 Cent and Eminem, the album suffered numerous delays. Work for the Game, Snoop Dogg, Jay-Z, and others brought Dre to 2006 when he partnered with Jimmy Iovine and launched the celebrity headphones company Beats by Dr. Dre. After sports figures and other celebrities adopted the headphones en masse, Beats' success skyrocketed. By 2010, the company was valued at just under a billion dollars. Dre dipped back into rapping by dropping two singles: "Kush" featuring Snoop Dogg and Akon and "I Need a Doctor" with Eminem and Skylar Grey. He continued to tease Detox, but ended up returning to the studio to focus on his next big breakout act, Compton's own Kendrick Lamar. At the start of 2014, Beats launched a streaming music service, Beats Music. Beats was acquired by Apple Inc. later in the year, as Dre announced he was the "first billionaire in hip-hop." In 2015, the Academy Award-nominated N.W.A. biographical drama Straight Outta Compton was released in theaters and influenced the producer to scrap Detox in favor of an LP inspired by the film. The album Compton: A Soundtrack by Dr. Dre landed that same year with Kendrick Lamar, Anderson. Paak, Ice Cube, the Game, Eminem, and many more on the guest list.

With N.W.A.'s cultural resurgence and mainstream recognition of their legacy in the history of rap and hip-hop, the group received another honor for their contribution to music with their induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2016. In December of 2021, video game Grand Theft Auto Online used six previously unreleased Dre songs in an updated version of the game. These songs were eventually released in 2022 as EP The Contract. In February of 2022, Dr. Dre performed at the Superbowl LVI half-time show with Eminem, Mary J. Blige, Kendrick Lamar, and others. Around this time, Dre gave interviews saying he was working on new music with Blige, as well as with Floetry vocalist Marsha Ambrosius. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

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One of the most iconic figures to emerge from the early-'90s G-funk era, Snoop Dogg has evolved beyond his gangsta rap beginnings to become a lovable pop culture fixture with forays into television, movies, football coaching, and wrestling while expanding his musical reach far beyond his primary genre. Introduced through Dr. Dre's Top Five rap hit "Deep Cover" (1992), Snoop quickly became one of the most famous stars in rap, partially due to his drawled, laconic rhyming, and the realistic violence implied in his lyrics. His own Doggystyle (1993) become the first rap debut album to enter the Billboard 200 at number one, and featured the Top Ten pop hits "What's My Name" and "Gin and Juice." After the popularity of gangsta rap waned in the late '90s, he proved himself to be a masterful chameleon, riding his pot-loving image in various directions that helped buoy his career through the 2000s. His biggest hits as a lead artist during the first decade of the 21st century included "Beautiful" (2003) and the chart-topping "Drop It Like It's Hot" (2004), and he was also featured on a slew of major hits by fellow rappers, R&B crooners, and pop groups alike. The 2010s saw him branch out into reggae (2013's Reincarnated), house (as a DJ), and gospel (2018's Bible of Love), but he has remained hip-hop at his core, releasing projects in the 2020s such as The Algorithm (2021), his first album as executive creative consultant for Def Jam, and BODR (2022), which marked a return to Death Row Records, his first label home. In 2024, Snoop released his 20th studio album, the Dr. Dre-produced Missionary.

Nicknamed Snoop by his mother because of his appearance, Calvin Broadus was raised in Long Beach, California, where he frequently had trouble with the law. Not long after his high school graduation, he was arrested for possession of cocaine, beginning a period of three years when he was often imprisoned. He found escape from a life of crime through music. Snoop began recording homemade tapes with his friend Warren G, who happened to be the stepbrother of N.W.A's Dr. Dre. Warren G gave a tape to Dre, who was considerably impressed with Snoop's style, and began collaborating with the rapper.

When Dre decided to make his tentative first stab at a solo career in 1992 with the theme song for the film Deep Cover, he had Snoop rap with him. "Deep Cover" started a buzz about Snoop that escalated into full-fledged mania when Dre released his own debut album, The Chronic, on Death Row Records late in 1992. Snoop rapped on The Chronic as much as Dre, and his drawled vocals were as important to the record's success as its P-Funk-inspired bass grooves. Dre's singles "Nuthin' But a 'G' Thang" and "Dre Day," which prominently featured Snoop, became Top Ten pop crossover hits in the spring of 1993, setting the stage for Snoop's much-anticipated debut album, Doggystyle. While he was recording the album with Dre in August, Snoop was arrested in connection with the drive-by shooting death of Phillip Woldermarian. According to the charges, the rapper's bodyguard, McKinley Lee, shot Woldermarian as Snoop drove the vehicle; the rapper claimed it was self-defense, alleging that the victim was stalking Snoop. Following a performance at the MTV Music Awards in September 1993, he turned himself in to authorities.

After many delays, Doggystyle was finally released on Death Row in November of 1993, and it became the first rap debut album to enter the charts at number one. Despite reviews that claimed the album was a carbon copy of The Chronic, the Top Ten singles "What's My Name?" and "Gin & Juice" kept Doggystyle at the top of the charts during early 1994, as did the considerable controversy over Snoop's arrest and his lyrics, which were considered exceedingly violent and sexist. During an English tour in the spring of 1994, tabloids and a Tory minister pleaded for the government to kick the rapper out of the country, largely based on his arrest. Snoop exploited his impending trial by shooting a short film based on the Doggystyle song "Murder Was the Case" and releasing an accompanying soundtrack, which debuted at number one in 1994. By that time, Doggystyle had gone quadruple platinum.

Snoop spent much of 1995 preparing for the case, which finally went to trial late in the year. In February 1996, he was cleared of all charges and began working on his second album, this time without Dre as producer. Nevertheless, when The Doggfather was finally released in November 1996, it bore all the evidence of a Dre-produced G-funk record. The album was greeted with mixed reviews, and it initially sold well, but it failed to produce a hit along the lines of "What's My Name?" or "Gin & Juice." Part of the reason for the moderate success of The Doggfather was the decline of gangsta rap. 2Pac, who had become a friend of Snoop's during 1996, died weeks before the release of The Doggfather, and Dre had left Death Row to his partner Suge Knight, who was indicted on racketeering charges by the end of 1996. Consequently, Snoop's second album got lost in the shuffle, stalling at sales of two million, which was disappointing for a superstar.

Perhaps sensing something was wrong, Snoop began to revamp his public image, moving away from his gangsta roots toward a calmer lyrical aesthetic. He also began making gestures toward the rock community, signing up to tour with Lollapalooza 1997 and talking about two separate collaborations with Beck and Marilyn Manson. The solo Da Game Is to Be Sold Not to Be Told, Snoop's first effort on No Limit, followed in 1998; No Limit Top Dogg appeared a year later, and Dead Man Walkin' the year after that. Tha Last Meal followed in December of that same year. The heavy release schedule resulted in varying musical quality from album to album, but by the turn of the century, Snoop had become such a cultural phenomenon that his albums became almost secondary to the personality behind them. An autobiography appeared in 2001, followed by a stream of movie roles in several high-profile pictures. Late in 2002, Snoop released his first album for Capitol, Paid tha Cost to Be da Bo$$. He then switched to Geffen for 2004's R&G (Rhythm & Gangsta): The Masterpiece. The hit album spawned Snoop's first number one single, the Pharrell Williams-produced "Drop It Like It's Hot," as well as the hit "Signs" with Justin Timberlake and Charlie Wilson. R&G was followed a year later by Welcome to tha Chuuch: Da Album, a collection of tracks from the Welcome to the Chuuch mixtape series. That same year, he hosted a West Coast peace summit in hopes of squashing all beefs.

In 2006, he appeared on Tha Dogg Pound's Cali Iz Active and Ice Cube's Laugh Now, Cry Later. Toward the end of the year, the intentionally leaked "My Peoples" freestyle appeared. The track paid tribute to many of those involved in Cali's Latin rap community, so it was no big surprise when "Vato," with Cypress Hill's B Real, became his next album's lead-off single. The hard and very G-funk Tha Blue Carpet Treatment triumphantly capped off a year of heavy West Coast activity. In late 2007, he recruited two hip-hop veterans -- new jack swing legend Teddy Riley and West Coast hero DJ Quik -- and formed the production team QDT Muzic. The team oversaw Snoop's 2008 album, Ego Trippin', which included the single "Sensual Seduction."

In 2009, he issued Malice N Wonderland, the maiden release of a new alliance with the reactivated Priority label, which also signed him on as its creative chairman. He promoted the album a couple months prior to its street date when he hosted the live wrestling television broadcast WWE Raw. A year later, the CD/DVD set More Malice rounded up some odds and ends from the album and packaged them with a DVD featuring the Malice N Wonderland short film. He maintained his mainstream image with a star appearance on Katy Perry's "California Gurls," nabbing Snoop his third number one on the Billboard Hot 100. In 2011, he released Doggumentary, an album he considered the sequel to his classic debut. The record featured production from the likes of Swizz Beats, DJ Khalil, and Scott Storch, with guest artists including Kanye West, John Legend, Wiz Khalifa, and Willie Nelson. Also arriving that same year was a feature film with Khalifa, Mac + Devin Go to High School, along with its accompanying soundtrack.

After a 2012 trip to Jamaica, Snoop Dogg returned rechristened as Snoop Lion, and with the help of producer Diplo, he released his first all-reggae album, Reincarnated, on RCA in 2013. Another name change came later in the year when he became Snoopzilla and joined modern funkster Dâm-Funk for the project/album 7 Days of Funk. He returned to Snoop Dogg in 2015 when he partnered with Pharrell Williams for the hip-hop effort Bush. The album included the single "Peaches N Cream" and featured guest appearances from Stevie Wonder, Justin Timberlake, Robin Thicke, and Charlie Wilson. Coolaid, a back-to-basics effort for which Swizz Beatz served as executive producer, was released in 2016. That same year, Snoop teamed up with Martha Stewart for VH1's Martha & Snoop's Potluck Dinner Party, a variety show that featured bits with guest actors and performances by hip-hop musical guests. The show aired into 2017, the same year that Snoop issued the simultaneously nostalgic and in-the-moment Neva Left, which referenced classics by Biz Markie and A Tribe Called Quest.

For his 16th set, Snoop once again changed course, this time dipping into the gospel world for 2018's Snoop Dogg Presents Bible of Love. The collection featured guests from both the gospel and hip-hop worlds, topping the Billboard Gospel Albums chart upon release. A year later, Snoop returned to the streets for his 17th album, I Wanna Thank Me, a nostalgic set that celebrated his legacy while asserting his enduring place in contemporary hip-hop. In addition to guests YG and Slick Rick, the LP also included an appearance by the late Nate Dogg. In 2020, while locked down in quarantine due to the global threat of COVID-19, Snoop released the restless single "I Wanna Go Outside," setting his feelings of housebound frustration and concerns for the world's health to a funky, old-school instrumental. The swaggering "C.E.O." appeared in early 2021 on From tha Streets 2 tha Suites, a brief set which included appearances by Mozzy, Devin the Dude, and Larry June, and was released on April 20. Snoop was hired as Def Jam's executive creative consultant in June, and his first album with the label, The Algorithm, appeared in November. The sprawling set included guests such as Usher, Benny the Butcher, Mary J. Blige, Too $hort, and dozens of others. Snoop offered yet another album only four months later. The February 2022 release of BODR -- short for "Bacc on Death Row" -- coincided with Snoop acquiring the trademark rights to the label that issued his first two albums. 2022 also brought the debut album from supergroup Mount Westmore, which included California rap legends Snoop, Ice Cube, E-40, and Too $hort. The appropriately named album Snoop Cube 40 $hort was first released via blockchain, but later found its way to streaming services with additional material. Snoop's next solo effort was the 2024 album Missionary, his 20th album and one that reunited him with producer Dr. Dre. As the duo neared the 30th anniversary of 1993's groundbreaking Doggystyle, Missionary returned to the thick, party-focused, G-funk sound of Snoop's earliest albums. Missionary included guest appearances from Eminem, 50 Cent, Method Man, Sting, and Jelly Roll, just to name a few. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine & Neil Z. Yeung

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Senegalese-American singer, producer, and entrepreneur Akon mixes smooth R&B vocals with hip-hop grooves. He first gained fame with the single "Locked Up," from his 2004 debut album Trouble. A Top Ten hit in the U.S. and U.K., the song helped Trouble go platinum, a certification achieved several times over on subsequent albums including 2006's Konvicted and 2008's Freedom. Along with his music, Akon founded his own Konvict label, helping launch the careers of artists including T-Pain, Lady Gaga, and Kardinal Offishall. He has showcased these label connections on 2013's Konvict Mixtape, Vol. 1 and 2017's Konvict Kartel, Vol. 2. In 2019, he delivered both the Latin-infused El Negreeto (featuring the Becky G collaboration "Como No"), and the Afrobeat-inspired Akonda. Following EPs like 2023's Afro Freak, he returned with the single "Beautiful Day" in 2024.

Born Aliaune Damala Badara Akon Thiam in St. Louis, Missouri, in 1973, Akon grew up in Senegal before he and his family (including his father, jazz percussionist Mor Thiam) returned to the United States and settled in New Jersey when he was seven. There he discovered hip-hop for the first time, as well as crime. He was eventually jailed, but he used the time -- a total of three years, he claimed -- to work on his musical ideas. Upon release, Akon began writing and recording tracks in a home studio. The tapes found their way to SRC/Universal, which eventually released Trouble, Akon's debut LP, in June 2004. The album was an interesting hybrid of Akon's silky vocals with East Coast- and Southern-styled beats. The success of the song "Locked Up," a Top Ten Billboard Hot 100 hit, made Akon a star and desired collaborator. After appearing on Young Jeezy's "Soul Survivor," his number of guest appearances seemed to multiply each month. Konvicted, his second album, was released in November 2006. Soon enough, two of the album's singles, "I Wanna Love You" and "Smack That," made their way to the upper regions of the Billboard charts.

A significant stylistic shift occurred with Freedom, his third album. The December 2008 release avoided the rugged hip-hop/R&B hybrid of his earlier work and courted a broader audience with a dance-oriented Europop sound. Despite the bold change, the album repeated Konvicted's chart success by peaking within the Top Ten of the Billboard 200; "Right Now (Na Na Na)," its most successful single, reached the Top Ten of the Hot 100. Akon slowed his own output but subsequently collaborated with dozens of artists, including David Guetta (the world-wide smash "Sexy Bitch," 2009), Artists for Haiti ("We Are the World 25 for Haiti," 2010), parodists the Lonely Island ("I Just Had Sex," 2010), and close friend Michael Jackson ("Hold My Hand," 2010). A fourth album, Stadium -- originally planned for a 2010 release -- was delayed several times and eventually abandoned altogether. However, the single "Angel" did emerge in September 2010. Also that year, Akon collaborated with Dr. Dre on the track "Kush."

Another stand-alone single, "Dirty Work" featuring Wiz Khalifa, arrived in February 2013 and was followed that November by "So Blue." After signing a new contract with Atlantic, Akon issued several singles in 2015 and 2016 including "Want Some," "Hypnotized," and "Good Girls Lie." He then joined Chris Brown and Gucci Mane for the Michael Jackson-tribute single "Moon Walk." The following year, he issued the mixtape Konvict Kartel, Vol. 2.

In 2019, Akon released the Latin-influenced non-album single "Get Money," featuring Puerto Rican rapper/singer Anuel AA. It was soon followed by "Como No," featuring Becky G, which worked as the first track from his fourth studio album, 2019's El Negreeto, issued on his own Akonik imprint. Along with Becky G, the album included guest spots by Pitbull, Farruko, and Anitta. A fifth album, the Afrobeat-influenced Akonda, also arrived that same year. Over the next few years, Akon delivered a series of EPs, including 2020's Ain't No Peace, 2023's TT Freak, and 2023's Afro Freak. He teased another album with 2024's "Beautiful Day." ~ Johnny Loftus

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