“The Next Episode” by Dr. Dre (ft. Snoop Dogg, Nate Dogg and Kurupt)
It can be a bit challenging concisely describing a Dre/Snoop song, even though their quintessential works, such as “The Next Episode”, are very formulaic. But this track came out back in the days when you could more or less tell which part of the United States a rapper came from based on his lyrics.
So with this piece coming out in 2000 and featuring a number of references to ‘smoking weed’ and consuming alcohol, that’s a pretty clear sign that it was a West Coast-inspired Aftermath track. Indeed these types of homeys didn’t harp on being rich and famous as much as their affinity for ladies and some hard chillin’. And Snoop Dogg especially lets us know that he’s a party-oriented character, one who revels in his uniqueness when in the house.
Also concerning West Coast rap, you probably don’t need us to tell you that Los Angeles, where all four of the vocalists for the most part trace their origins to, is a place where street gangs are rampant. As such ample lyrics are also dedicated to shouting out the ‘hood in a gang-like manner, such as the C-P-T (aka Compton, Dr. Dre’s hometown), the L-B-C (Long Beach, where Snoop Dogg and Nate Dogg come from) and the DPGC (or Dogg Pound Gangsta Crips, a moniker which alludes to the Dogg Pound being affiliated with the Crips).
And in terms of honoring the West Coast, Dre even mentions “California Love“, the 1995 track he dropped with Tupac, even though shortly thereafter Pac turned into one of the Doctor’s most-outspoken enemies.
Kurupt and Nate Dogg
Meanwhile Kurupt’s contribution is more in an adlibbing capacity, while the gone but not forgotten Nate Dogg holds down the outro.
Takeaway
As implied earlier, it isn’t really easy to derive a thesis sentiment from this piece. But taking the title also into consideration, it can be deemed that Dre and Snoop are advising the audience to look out for even more hard sh*t coming their way via the vocalists at hand, who by this time had already established themselves as one of the most-successful partnerships in rap music history.
Facts about “The Next Episode”
Interscope Records and Aftermath Entertainment made this song public on the Fourth of July, 2000 as the third single from “2001”. “2001” is the titled of Dr. Dre’s second album as a soloist.
Dr. Dre, despite being able to hold his own as a rapper, is known to be even more talented as a behind-the-scenes’ man dating back to his N.W.A. days. As such, even though “2001” may officially be a solo album, almost all of the songs therein feature additional vocalists. And in the case of “The Next Episode”, Dre teamed up with regular collaborators Snoop Dogg and Nate Dogg (1969-2011), as well as Dogg Pound member Kurupt.
Dre produced this track alongside another musician he worked with closely back in those days, who goes by the name of Mel-Man. These two producers also get writing credit with Snoop, Kurupt, Hittman (a rapper signed to Dre’s Aftermath label) and the D.O.C. (a longtime homey of Dre’s).
Reportedly, the reason this song is named “The Next Episode” is because it is a sequel to “Nuthin’ But a “G” Thang“, one of the first singles Dre and Snoop dropped together. (In fact “the next episode” is a phrase derived from the chorus of that track.) Said track is also sampled into “The Next Episode”, as is “The Edge” (1968) by David McCallum.
Success of “The Next Episode”
“The Next Episode” reached number 2 on the UK R&B Chart and number 3 on the UK Singles Chart. It however, didn’t fare as well on the Billboard Hot 100, where it peaked at 23rd place. This song has also achieved platinum certification in the UK and Denmark.
The 2022 Super Bowl (LVI) Halftime Show, with the event being held in Dr. Dre’s home city of Los Angeles, was headlined by the rapper. And the first song on the setlist was “The Next Episode” alongside Snoop Dogg.
All of the GTA fans in the audience probably already know that this track made an appearance on 2013’s Grand Theft Auto V, which set records in terms of sale of an entertainment product when it came out.
