It’s August 20, 2020 and the Dogg Days of Summer time are nonetheless right here — the Snoop Dogg Days. Whereas many people stay in the home ready out the worldwide pandemic, Snoop Dogg is on the go. The laid-back MC is boarding a personal jet en route from Los Angeles to Atlanta, and simply because the metallic hen carrying the forever-hustling celebrity ascends into the stratosphere, former President Barack Obama sits down along with his workers a couple of thousand miles away. Obama and firm go over notes and assembly agenda, then the beloved forty fourth Head of State places out the mandate, “Get Snoop Dogg.”
In a couple of hours, Obama can be talking on the digital Democratic Nationwide Conference and he needs Snoop to introduce him to the viewers tuning in to observe on the Twitch channel Behind the Rhyme TV.
When Snoop lands late within the afternoon in ATL, he gladly accepts Obama’s invitation (the collaboration on the DNC was abuzz with CNN writers). Later, the Dogg settles in his lodge room, he fires up some smoke and listens to some alternatives from his new group on a conveyable speaker.
“We ain’t announce it but, however me, Ice Dice, E-40 and Too $hort simply made a bunch cuz,” Snoop says with a smile. “We already began on the album and that s–t is jammin.’ We’re having a ball making it. It’s gonna be massive.”
And historic. The teaming up of Mount Westmore is the primary time a collective of this magnitude has formally come collectively in rap. All 4 MCs have over been dropping hits for at the very least 4 a long time. This 12 months marks Too $hort’s fortieth anniversary in rap, whereas final April Snoop celebrated the thirtieth anniversary since he debuted on Dr. Dre’s “Deep Cowl.” Dice and 40 got here out the Wild Wild West within the ‘80s. All people within the group is over the age of fifty, and nonetheless exudes double vitality that’s beloved by the tradition. Most significantly, they’ve all been pals for years.
Northern California natives 40 and $hort have been Bay Space fixtures each individually and collectively, starting from collaborative albums to their mutual affinity for the championship-winning Golden State Warriors. The ties between the Southern Californian half of Mount Westmore run deep too: In any case, Snoop took half within the N.W.A reunion within the early 2000s, standing in for the late nice Eazy-E alongside Dice and Dre. All 4 have collaborated as solo acts and carried out on the identical live performance payments all through the years, too many occasions in complete to depend.
The 4 are so shut, assembling Mount Westmore was as simple as making a couple of cellphone calls. A couple of months earlier than Snoop bought the decision from Obama — when COVID-19 first put the world in lockdown — E-40 wanted a distraction from making frequent journeys to the kitchen. Ask 40 himself, and he’ll joke that he was consuming a lot, his fridge instructed him it wanted a breather. The legendary rapper’s culinary break would come within the type of making music. His manger put the battery in his again to make the most of his downtime by teaming up along with his iconic brethren.
“That sounds groovy like a drive-in film,” 40 recollects pondering when the concept of supergroup got here up. The Vallejo King of Lingo hit up Ice Dice first. “‘What you concentrate on placing a bunch collectively, man?” 40 requested Dice who was “doing lots of nothin’” himself at residence. “Who you speaking about?” Dice retorted, pondering 40 was joking round. “Me, you, Too Quick and Snoopy,” 40 replied. After a couple of seconds of processing, Dice responded with two phrases: “Hell yeah!” “What we gonna name it then?” 40, getting excited, questioned in his signature excessive pitch. Dice dropped one other two phrases on him: “Mount Westmore.”
The group identify was impressed by the nice hip-hop debates by media and followers of who belongs on hip-hop’s Mount Rushmore. Two and a half years faraway from the pandemic (or as E-40 calls it, “the Plan-Demic”), Too $hort’s compound in LA is serving as headquarters for 3 quarters of Mount Westmore. Whereas Snoop has been again within the ATL taking pictures a movie and touring the states on tour, the opposite group members have been holding down the publicity run duties. It was solely 4 days till the collaborative undertaking Snoop Dice 40 $hort hit streaming companies and showcased the West Coast legend’s rap prowess.
As we speak although, whereas Dice and Quick are ready on 40 to reach, the highly effective South Central LA avenue narrator offers some nice tales about his Oakland counterpart’s youthful days on the come up. Dice relays making calls from the street whereas they have been on tour, playfully teasing him and Dr. Dre as a result of they “have been nonetheless at residence” and weren’t common sufficient to carry out concert events in numerous cities but. Dice additionally reveals that “A Gangsta’s Fairytale,” off his traditional solo debut AmeriKKKa’s Most Needed, was initially written for Eazy. Dice then additional delves into the development of Mount Westmore.
“Once I see his identify come throughout [my phone], I all the time know he’s gonna say one thing slick,” the rap hyphenate says about 40. “I all the time look ahead to speaking to him, ‘trigger you gonna hear some new s–t you ain’t heard earlier than.”
Virtually on cue, you possibly can hear 40’s signature squeaky voice within the adjoining room getting nearer. In walks 40 Water with a smile and joke to greet everybody. “He has on a Raiders shirt and 49ers pants,” Dice says about 40’s plain black tee and purple denims when seeing his good friend. The three snicker concurrently. “I’m mixing it up!” 40 retorts with a smile.
Though they share a brotherhood, soccer is one factor the foursome don’t agree upon. An enormous debate takes over the room once they speak in regards to the New 12 months’s Eve NFL matchup between the visiting Niners and the Las Vegas Raiders, which 40, Dice and $hort can be attending. E-40’s allegiance is to the Niners, whereas Dice and Quick give him one million the reason why they’re going to lose to their group, the Raiders.
When the impromptu hip-hop model of ESPN’s First Take is completed, the three peel again among the layers of their new album. Regardless that the Mount Westmore members have been separated in the course of the COVID outbreak, each MC had a studio of their residence, so recording the LP was comparatively simple.
“All of us bought observe data for making actually good, traditional, timeless music,” $hort surmises. “So that you gotta belief the method of every person that they know what they like.”
All of them known as upon acquainted producers that they used all through their careers, comparable to Ant Banks, FredWreck, Rick Rock and 40’s son Droop E.
“You gotta discover X quantity of songs that every one 4 folks like on the similar time,” $hort explains. “That’s the magic. So it couldn’t be only one producer. We put the phrase out, the floodgates opened up.”
Each time every member of Westmore bought a beat they preferred, they despatched it to a bunch textual content. If not one of the three different MCs responded, then the collective knew that observe wasn’t it. The songs started to take form when one or two of the opposite MCs responded to the group textual content by sending again the tracks with a verse on it. $hort took cost of holding observe of all of the track recordsdata.
“I believe the method was dope, as a result of while you layer it like that, the following individual is definitely constructing on what the final one stated,” $hort says. “Versus all of us sitting within the studio and we’re gonna make this track at some point whereas we’re right here. This was totally different. You had somewhat second to take a seat at residence. I’ll hearken to what 40 did or hearken to what Snoop did. ‘All proper, so he stated all that, I’m gonna include this.’”
The spirit of the Mount Westmore undertaking lies in its versatility. The 4 members weren’t afraid to rhyme on soundscapes that will have been out of their wheelhouses. There was only one agreed upon mandate: Every MC needed to deliver their signature model to the desk.
“It’s enjoyable to be in a bunch,” Dice certifies. “That is my third group; N.W.A, Westside Connection and now Mount Westmore. It’s all the time enjoyable, since you’re not carrying the entire load. You bought f–kin’ Corridor of Famers you possibly can move it to. That might be a degree the place you chill out — however with us, we don’t chill out. We all know we’re all going to be on level and present one another why we’re right here. We don’t take one another without any consideration. Everyone knows we gotta shine.”
Snoop Dice 40 $hort has slappers all through. The supergroup goes anthemic proper out the gate with “California,” they contact the golf equipment with “Too Massive” (with Dr. Dre talking on the intro) and “Lace You Up” offers unapologetic actual speak recommendation to the youthful technology. “How Many” broaches the topic of snitching, and on “Good Day,” Ice Dice discusses how folks tried to cancel him for being involved with the Trump administration.
“In 2020 they was attempting to cancel me,” Dice describes of the track that was made proper after the controversy. “So to me, it was to get it off my chest on how I used to be feeling. Lots of people bought their political group, or folks they wish to be down with. I ain’t bought no group politically. I don’t care about Democrats or the Republicans. All I care about is, are we successful as Black folks? Are they breaking bread or are they serving to us make our lives higher?”
Dice got here beneath fireplace as a result of he offered his “Contract With Black America,” an financial plan for monetary reform for Black Individuals to the Democrats in addition to the Republicans. Some folks blew it out of proportion and accused Dice of working with Donald Trump, which he clarified as being unfaithful. He merely needed Black folks to get the next proportion of the wealth in America and needed to get info to see what each events have been going to do for the Black group.
“It was cool to have a file to have the ability to get s–t off like that, ‘trigger the whole lot I stated in that file is true,” Dice continues. “Have a look at the kind of folks attempting to cancel [you]. That’ll let what you’re coping with. It’s lots of gatekeepers out right here who wish to push the established order trigger someway, a way, they receives a commission off of it. These are those that wish to cancel you. Not those which might be going via it and need a totally different manner. Not those attempting to determine how one can break [the destructive] psychological and political cycle that we’re beneath.”
Mount Westmore look to just do that, whether or not or not it’s overtly or subtly. Larger than any assertion they may make artistically, the aligning of Snoop, Dice, 40 and $hort reveals all the Black group that 4 kings can come collectively, put egos and politics to the aspect, construct on friendships and kind a enterprise. Mount Westmore isn’t only a group identify: The 4 have formally began a LLC with the identical identify, making them an precise company. All of them promise massive offers between their crew, in addition to excursions and extra music, in fact.
The gathering of legends made in extra of fifty songs for his or her present undertaking, and solely 16 have been chosen for the ultimate tracklist. Whereas a couple of of the remaining data can be rationed out for his or her varied solo efforts, $hort guarantees at the very least one follow-up Rushmore LP, greater than possible two.
“If I sat right here proper now and stated, ‘Let’s go within the studio’ and I performed you 20 songs that didn’t make the album, you’d be like, ‘What the f–ok? Why the f–ok that ain’t on there?’” $hort particulars. “You’ll be mad. We bought some s–t. The following degree, it’s going to proceed. It’s gotta be a minimum of two albums. Simply three.”
“We’re probably the most enjoyable group in hip-hop proper now,” Dice attests. “Ain’t no one having extra enjoyable than us. It’s an excellent story for hip-hop within the sea of tragedy [going on right now]. This can be a feel-good story in lots of methods. Listening to our file, the sh-t is enjoyable. It feels enjoyable and we’re exhibiting the kids, that is how you are able to do it. It’s essential. This ain’t a file. This can be a motion.”
Cheers to that. Earlier than everybody leaves out, 40 pulls out two bottles of his Earl Stevens Candy Crimson Wine and makes everybody repeat after him as he offers his “conventional toast.”
“I ain’t above you,” Dice and $hort say following their associate’s lead. “I ain’t under you. However I’m proper beside you.”
