Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg’s “Still D.R.E.” is an all-time hip-hop classic, and last year, Snoop dropped a major knowledge bomb about it: Jay-Z wrote the whole song. It was known previously that he had worked on the track, but it was a surprise to learn that Jay was behind all the lyrics. Now, Jay has spoken about the song and the reference track he made for it, on which he raps both Dre and Snoop’s parts.
Chatting on an episode of HBO’s The Shop, Jay said, “On that reference track, I’m doing Dre and Snoop, both of them. […] The reference track, it sounds like them.” He added with laughter, “I’m glad nobody can find that one.”
He continued, “But yeah, you gotta have like somewhat of a reverence for them. The music they were making and The Chronic and all of that. In order for me to really nail the essence of Dre and Snoop, it had to be like a studied reverence of what they were doing.”
Snoop previously said of Jay’s work on the song, “Jay-Z is a great writer to begin with for himself, so imagine him striking it for someone he truly loves and appreciates,” Snoop said. “He loves Dr. Dre and that’s what his pen showed you, that I can’t write for you if I don’t love you.”
Watch Jay talk about the song above.
