Say what you want about Snoop Dogg, but the guy is hilarious.
And he has pretty good taste in country music, too…
Years back, Snoop said that he was a big fan of Johnny Cash, calling him “a real American gangster,” and even dedicating the song “My Medicine (featuring Willie Nelson), from 2008 Ego Trippin’ record, to Johnny:
“I’d like to dedicate this record, right here, to my main man Johnny Cash… a real American gangster.”
It takes one to know one, I guess… and seeing as they’re fellow inmates and legends in their own respective genres, it’s cool to see that Snoop has such deep admiration for the Man in Black.
And not only is Snoop a big fan of Johnny’s music, he remixed “I Walk the Line” on the 2009 Johnny Cash tribute album, Johnny Cash Remixed, which was produced by Johnny’s son, John Carter Cash.
Of course, “I Walk the Line” is synonymous with Johnny Cash, and is one of the most recognizable country songs of all time. Written and recorded by Johnny in 1956, it became his first #1 on the Billboard charts.
Producers of the remix album say Snoop was their top choice to have on the record, which also included acts like Alabama 3 and The Heavy.
Snoop recorded his rendition alongside Teddy Riley and DJ Quik from Cash’s own studio in Hendersonville, Tennessee, and spoke a little bit about what it meant to him in a documentary about the project, saying:
“My approach on ‘Walk the Line’ was to just go in with the right spirit. The spirit as if I was in the studio with Johnny Cash. Just add on to something that was a tremendous song without my lyrics on it already.
I did the song, I went to Nashville to shoot the video, and eventually met his son. Got the opportunity to come to his house, his cabin, just to be apart of something that was historic.
You know, the place where Johnny Cash called home, I was able to sit on his steps… shoot footage, it just felt so good. And I was like, if I had the chance to rap on this song, what would I say? And I said what I say.”
I really don’t even know what to say about it, other than it is interesting…
And I have no idea what Johnny would’ve thought about it, either, but it’s pretty clear that Snoop is a big fan and took the chance to be associated with the country icon very seriously:
Here’s a little bit of that behind the scenes documentary and Snoop talking about his remix:
And of course, Johnny’s timeless original version of “I Walk the Line”:
