"Doggfather" is a

single Single may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Single (music), a song release Songs * "Single" (Natasha Bedingfield song), 2004 * "Single" (New Kids on the Block and Ne-Yo song), 2008 * "Single" (William Wei song), 2016 * "Single", by ...

by American rapper

Snoop Dogg Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr. (born October 20, 1971), known professionally as Snoop Dogg (previously Snoop Doggy Dogg and briefly Snoop Lion), is an American rapper. His fame dates back to 1992 when he featured on Dr. Dre's debut solo single, " ...

featuring vocals by American musician Charlie Wilson. It was released on August 26, 1997 as the third and final

from Snoop's second album ''

Tha Doggfather ''Tha Doggfather'' is the second studio album by American rapper Snoop Doggy Dogg, released on November 12, 1996, by Death Row and Interscope Records. After the success of his debut album ''Doggystyle'' (1993), Snoop was arrested and charged with ...

'' (1996).

Daz Dillinger Delmar Drew Arnaud (born May 25, 1973), known professionally as Daz Dillinger (formerly Dat Nigga Daz and commonly Daz), is an American rapper and record producer. In the 1990s at Death Row Records, aided the catapult of West Coast rap and ga ...

produced "Doggfather", and wrote it with Snoop Doggy Dogg and Charlie Wilson. The hip hop song samples "

Humpin' "Humpin'" is a 1980 song by The Gap Band, from their fifth album ''The Gap Band III'' released as a single in 1981. The original B-side, "No Hiding Place", was originally released on ''The Gap Band II''. The song had mixed chart success, only peak ...

" from Wilson's group

The Gap Band The Gap Band was an American R&B and funk band that rose to fame during the 1970s and 1980s. The band consisted of three brothers: Charlie, Ronnie, and Robert Wilson, along with other members; it was named after streets (Greenwood, Archer, an ...

. "Doggfather" didn't chart in the US, but peaked at number 20 in both New Zealand and the UK. The song's

music video A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a m ...

is shot in black-and white and features Snoop in a 1940s

gangster A gangster is a criminal who is a member of a gang. Most gangs are considered to be part of organized crime. Gangsters are also called mobsters, a term derived from ''mob'' and the suffix '' -ster''. Gangs provide a level of organization and ...

club setting.

Background

"Doggfather" features Charlie Wilson and it is produced by Snoop Doggy Dogg's

Death Row Death row, also known as condemned row, is a place in a prison that houses inmates awaiting Capital punishment, execution after being convicted of a capital crime and sentenced to death. The term is also used figuratively to describe the state of ...

label-mate

and mixed by

DJ Pooh A disc jockey, more commonly abbreviated as DJ, is a person who plays recorded music for an audience. Types of DJs include radio DJs (who host programs on music radio stations), club DJs (who work at a nightclub or music festival), mobile ...

. The song samples

, a 1980 song by featured performer Charlie Wilson's longtime group,

. Throughout the song, there are subtle references to Snoop's murder trial which took place prior to the album's release. At the end of the second verse, Snoop raps "Man, you know I ain't tryin' to floss; but ermm murder (murder) murder was the case that they lost". There is a remix of the song produced by

Timbaland Timothy Zachery Mosley (born March 10, 1972), known professionally as Timbaland, is an American record producer, rapper, singer, songwriter, and record executive. He has received widespread acclaim for his innovative production work and distinc ...

that was found on the original single and most currently on ''The Death Row Singles Collection''.

Music video

In the music video it shows Snoop and actor

Dave Foley David Scott Foley (born January 4, 1963) is a Canadian actor, stand-up comedian, director, producer and writer. He is known as a co-founder of the comedy group The Kids in the Hall, who have appeared together in a number of television, stage and ...

(in the character of a

Peter Lorre Peter Lorre (; born László Löwenstein, ; June 26, 1904 – March 23, 1964) was a Hungarian and American actor, first in Europe and later in the United States. He began his stage career in Vienna, in the Austro-Hungarian Empire, before movin ...

inspired club owner) sitting at a table in a 1940s-based mansion discussing how Snoop's friends are abusing their power and how they need to "get a jobby job" (referencing the intro from the Gin & Juice music video). Snoop slaps the surprised club owner across the face, leading into the song with Snoop stating "play it again Sam". It shows classic dancing like the

boogie Boogie is a repetitive, swung note or shuffle rhythm,Burrows, Terry (1995). ''Play Country Guitar'', p.42. Dorling Kindersley Limited, London. . "groove" or pattern used in blues which was originally played on the piano in boogie-woogie mus ...

and Snoop performing on stage for the rich people in the mansion. Later, Foley's character walks back to Snoop telling him he has no respect for him, and he will no longer stand it and again gets hurt; this time by using Foley's finger to light a

cigarette A cigarette is a narrow cylinder containing a combustible material, typically tobacco, that is rolled into thin paper for smoking. The cigarette is ignited at one end, causing it to smolder; the resulting smoke is orally inhaled via the opp ...

. The whole video was filmed in

black and white Black-and-white (B&W or B/W) images combine black and white in a continuous spectrum, producing a range of shades of grey. Media The history of various visual media began with black and white, and as technology improved, altered to color. ...

to give it a "classic gangster feeling".

Track listing

Charts

References

{{authority control 1996 songs 1997 singles Snoop Dogg songs Songs written by Snoop Dogg Gangsta rap songs Songs written by Daz Dillinger Songs written by Charlie Wilson (singer) Death Row Records singles