Today In Hip-Hop: Snoop Dogg Drops “Gin and Juice”

On this day, January 15, in hip-hop history...

1994: Twenty years ago today, Snoop Dogg (then known as Snoop Doggy Dogg) released "Gin and Juice," his second single off his iconic debut album, Doggystyle.  During the days Death Row Records reign supreme, Snoop got his big shot in 1993 after being heavily featured on Dr. Dre's classic The Chronic. Doggystyle was a huge commercial success, mixing funk with West Coast gangsta rap. His first single off the album was "Who Am I? (What's My Name?)"  which quickly caught the attention of everyone. After was "Gin and Juice" and the rest is history.

"Gin and Juice" peaked at number 8, making it back to back top 10 hit singles on the Billboard Hot 100 for Snoop. The song was nominated for the 1995 Grammy Award for Best Rap Solo Performance. It was produced by Dr. Dre and used the melody of the chorus from Slave's "Watching You" and sampled George McCrae's "I Get Lifted." The iconic song has been covered, alternated, or used by a wide range of artists over 18 times since it's release.

Snoop's "Gin and Juice" continues to be mentioned by fans as one of the top records of all-time and one of the most influential of all time in hip-hop. Snoop Dogg recently performed it for President Obama as part of the 2013 Kennedy Center Honors last week.  The record will live on in hip-hop history.