In a smoky room where Snoop Dogg smoked weed, rappers and songwriters get together on the eve of Grammy Awards to share inspirations and creative process of making hit singles.
- February 10, 2013
AceShowbiz -
Snoop Dogg gave insight into the process of writing hits at BMI's annual pre-Grammy discussion on "how I wrote that song." The rapper was joined on the panel by fellow MCs like B.o.B and Busta Rhymes. Country songwriter Luke Laird and pop songsmith Evan Bogart were also there.
The "La La La" rhymer lighted up a big blunt and briefly shared it with B.o.B before smoking it to ash. Moderated by BMI VP writer/publisher relations Catherine Brewton, they talked about songs from every generation from rap-gangsta classic "Nothing But a G Thang" to Hot Chelle Rae's "Tonight Tonight".
Dogg said of the former track, "I wrote that in jail," while Bogart came clean by saying that the latter song was kind of "Jackson-5 ripoff-y." Laird gushed about how Dogg's work with Dr. Dre influenced him, "Let me just say, the album everyone was listening to was 'The Chronic'."
In an impromptu performance, Laird had everyone bobbing their heads as he played his hit "Hillbilly Bone" (recorded by Blake Shelton) acoustically in its original form, a rap song. "Now I feel like more than ever you see these influences crossing genres," he said.
In other anecdotes of note, B.o.B said he recorded "Don't Let Me Fall" in a closet of his apartment. Billboard reported that Rhymes, meanwhile, said the verses on Tribe Called Quest's "Scenario" weren't heard by other rappers until after they were recorded.
