THESE NOTES ARE NOT A SUBSTITUTE FOR THE ACTUAL SONG OR DISCUSSIONS WITH FELLOW MARGINAL HIPSTERS. STUDENTS WHO ATTEMPT TO USE THEM IN THIS WAY ARE NOT ONLY DENYING THEMSELVES THE PRIVILEGE OF BEING INDOCTRINATED BY CORPORATE MUSIC COMPANIES, BUT ALSO FROM EXPERIENCING THE JOY OF CAPITALISM AND ADDING NEW CD’S TO THEIR COLLECTIONS.
GIN AND JUICE
CAST OF CHARACTERS
Snoop Doggy-Dogg
The main narrator of the composition, his take is rife with instances exhibiting his irremediable case of adolescent effervescence.
Dr. Dre
Snoop’s “homey”. Dre’s contributions to Snoop’s party which include Tanqueray, “bubonic chronic”, and “bitches from the city of Compton” serve to further young Snoop’s hedonistic tendencies.
Sadie
She is macked on by Snoop in the middle of the street. Unlike the rest of the nameless “bitches” and “ho’s” in the Snoop cosmos, she is given the distinction of both having a name and being a former possession of another of Snoop’s friends.
CRITICAL COMMENTARY
When delving into the works of Snoop Doggy-Dogg, one cannot deny the multitude of complex social and literary theory he incorporates into his prose. Some ideas that he elaborates on are as timeless as Greek philosophy, while he also endeavors upon new and innovative forms of self-expression. The term “be-otch”, for instance, is Snoop’s stylistic derivation of the word “bitch”.
The use of two rappers during the various stanzas is highly reminiscent of the Socratic method of invention through the use of the dialectic. Observe:
SNOOP: “…and start mackin’ on this bitch named Sadie”
FELLOW RAPPER: “Sadie?”
SNOOP: “She used to be my homeboy’s lady”
MEMBER OF THE DOGG POUND: “Oh… that bitch…”
Through the dialectic, a universal accepted notion of truth is established. A concrete interpretation of Sadie’s persona is created through mutual dialogue. The participation of young Snoop’s peers, the Dogg Pound, is similar to that of the Athenian chorus in Greek tragedies.
Snoop’s philosophical insight is pessimistic as he is fully cognizant of the prevalence of objectivist attitudes within his gathering. “I’ve got me some Seagram’s gin/ everybody’s got their cups but they ain’t chipped in/ now this type of shit happens all the time/ you gotta get yours before I gotta get mine.” He is clearly disgruntled at the objectivist ethos surrounding him, yet he exhibits the same tendencies in his treatment of women (“we don’t love you ho’s/ I’m out the do’…”) thus enforcing the universality of his views.
The chorus line,”I’ve got my mind on my money and my money on my mind” raises many questions. Snoop never discusses financial matters throughout the song but instead tends to focus on his sexuality. Could it be that young Snoop is well versed in the theories of conspicuous consumption and is following in the footsteps of Theodore Dreiser and Edith Wharton in presenting Veblenesque ideas? Certainly Snoop’s line “pocket full of rubbers” (a play off of the old expression “pocket full of dollars”) wholly supports the notion that sex and money are synonymous in the L.B.C.
CONCLUSION
The enduring power of this Doggy Dogg classic lies not in its evocation of many of the most controversial ideological developments of the twentieth century. In point of fact, Doggy Dogg’s true power lies in his astute illumination of the resilience of the human spirit: “But I, somehow, some way,” he writes, “keep coming up with funky-assed shit/ Like every single day…” A powerful pronunciation reminiscent of Faulkner’s assertion (cited in his Nobel Prize acceptance speech) that man will not only succeed “he will prevail”. While many modern poets have sought to articulate the trials and tribulations of urban city life, none match the endearing prose employed by this generation’s consummate “ghetto poet”-A! Snoop Doggy-Dogg. Word!
