Gin and Juice

This article is about the Snoop Dogg song. For the cocktail, see Gin and juice (cocktail). For the DeVante Swing song, see Gin & Juice (DeVante Swing song).

"Gin and Juice"
Single by Snoop Doggy Dogg
from the album Doggystyle
ReleasedJanuary 18, 1994 (1994-01-18)
Recorded1993
Genre
Length3:31
Label
Songwriter(s)Calvin Broadus
Producer(s)Dr. Dre
Snoop Doggy Dogg singles chronology
"Who Am I? (What's My Name?)"
(1993) 		"Gin and Juice"
(1994) 		"Doggy Dogg World"
(1994)
Music video
"Gin and Juice" on YouTube

"Gin and Juice" is a song by American rapper Snoop Dogg. It was released on January 18, 1994, as the second single from his debut album, Doggystyle (1993). The song was produced by Dr. Dre and contains an interpolation from Slave's "Watching You" in its chorus and a sample from George McCrae. Tony Green created its bassline; additional vocalists on the song include Dat Nigga Daz, Jewell, Heney Loc, and Sean "Barney" Thomas. "Gin and Juice" peaked at number eight on the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States. It earned a gold certification from the RIAA and sold 700,000 copies.[5][6]

"Gin and Juice" was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Rap Solo Performance at the 37th Annual Grammy Awards. It was listed as number eight on VH1's "100 Greatest Hip-Hop Songs".[7]

Critical reception[edit]

Stephen Dalton from NME wrote, "The Snoopster slopes back with a slinky low-rider of a groove and a spliffed-up wibbly-wobbly rap about smooching down the boulevard sipping happy juice in the sunshine. Slow, low beats and cheesy disco synth effects give a Parliament-style space-funk vibe, and Mr Dogg is obviously a cool drink of water on a hot afternoon, but his chilled-out musings are hardly a patch on Ice Cube's ultra-laid-back gangsta anthem 'It Was a Good Day'."[8]

Lyrics[edit]

The lyrics depict a party filled with sex, marijuana, and alcohol continuing into the small hours of the morning. The iconic chorus, sung by David Ruffin Jr (D-Ruff),[9] the son of former Temptation David Ruffin is:[10]

Rollin' down the street smokin' indo
Sippin' on gin and juice
Laid back (with my mind on my money and my money on my mind).

One critic describes the chorus as representative of "the G-funk tableau" emphasizing cruising culture, consumption of depressants, and materialism.[11] The last line is an example of antimetabole, a figure of speech in which two or more clauses are related to each other through a reversal of structures. The focus on money is shared throughout hip hop, including It's All About the Benjamins,[12] Money Makes the World Go Round, Get Money, and Foe tha Love of $.[13]

Music video[edit]

The song's music video features a teenaged Snoop Dogg throwing a wild house party after his parents leave. His parents return home angry and evict the partygoers to confront Snoop Dogg. Ricky Harris plays Snoop's father, and Dr. Dre, Warren G, Nate Dogg and Daz Dillinger make cameo appearances. Six-year-old rapper Lil Bow Wow plays Snoop's little brother who is jumping on the couch in the intro. "I was in the 'Gin and Juice' video," comedian Eddie Griffin recalled. "I pop out of this little Volkswagen full of weed smoke with my hair standing on end."[14]

The small-budget idea was later re-purposed in videos such as J-Kwon's "Tipsy" and Oowee's "Why Cry", which features Snoop and is a shot-by-shot remake of the "Gin and Juice" video. The music video was parodied in the video for "DPG/K", where Snoop, carried on the front of a bicycle by Daz, gets hit by a car driven by B.G. Knocc Out and Dresta, two of Eazy-E's protégés with whom Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre had feuds at the time.

Live performances[edit]

Snoop performed the song live at the American Music Awards of 1994 on February 7, 1994, and on Saturday Night Live on March 19, 1994.

Track listing[edit]

  • 12-inch single
  1. "Gin and Juice" (radio version—no indo)
  2. "Gin and Juice" (radio version)
  3. "Gin and Juice" (Laid Back remix)
  4. "Gin and Juice" (Laid Back radio mix)

Charts[edit]

Certifications[edit]

Region Certification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[28] Gold 400,000‡
United States (RIAA)[30] Gold 700,000[29]

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history[edit]

Region Date Format(s) Label(s) Ref.
United States January 18, 1994
  • 12-inch vinyl
  • cassette
[30]
United Kingdom January 31, 1994
  • 12-inch vinyl
  • CD
  • cassette
 [31]

Merchandising, retail, and promotions[edit]

In February 2024, Snoop and Dr. Dre created a line of drinks called Gin & Juice. The first four flavors were apricot, citrus, melon, and passionfruit. Southern Glazer's Wine and Spirits handled distribution.[32]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "The 30 best G-Funk tracks of all time". Fact Magazine. July 26, 2016. Retrieved June 1, 2021.
  2. ^ "Snoop Dogg: Bush". Pitchfork. Retrieved June 1, 2021.
  3. ^ Spanos, Brittany (August 12, 2015). "Readers' Poll: The 10 Best Hip-Hop Songs of the 1990s". Rolling Stone. Retrieved June 2, 2021.
  4. ^ "Snoop Dogg: Bush". Pitchfork. Retrieved July 7, 2021.
  5. ^ "American certifications – Snoop Dogg – Gin and Juice". Recording Industry Association of America.
  6. ^ "Best-Selling Records of 1994". Billboard. Vol. 107, no. 3. January 21, 1995. p. 57. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved May 5, 2015.
  7. ^ "VH1's 100 Greatest Hip-Hop Songs". prefixmag.com. Retrieved October 1, 2011.
  8. ^ Dalton, Stephen (February 5, 1994). "Singles". NME. p. 43. Retrieved August 3, 2023.
  9. ^ Semple, Isaac (February 23, 2023). "Behind The Mic: 'Gin And Juice' the Snoop Dogg G-funk jam". hiphophero.com.
  10. ^ Shapiro, Fred R. (2006), The Yale Book of Quotations, Yale University Press, p. 717, ISBN 0-300-10798-6
  11. ^ Quinn, Eithne (2005), Nuthin' But a "G" Thang: The Culture and Commerce of Gangsta Rap, Columbia University Press, p. 144, ISBN 0-231-12408-2
  12. ^ Banfield, William C. (2004), Black Notes: Essays Of A Musician Writing In A Post-Album Age, Scarecrow Press, p. 138, ISBN 0-8108-5287-X
  13. ^ Werner, Craig Hansen (2006), A Change Is Gonna Come: Music, Race & the Soul of America, University of Michigan Press, p. 314, ISBN 0-472-03147-3
  14. ^ Blender, 2004, precise date unknown
  15. ^ "Snoop Doggy Dogg – Gin and Juice". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved June 30, 2016.
  16. ^ "European Dance Radio Top 25" (PDF). Music & Media. May 7, 1994. p. 18. Retrieved May 23, 2023.
  17. ^ "Snoop Doggy Dogg – Gin and Juice". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved June 30, 2016.
  18. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved June 30, 2016.
  19. ^ "Dance Singles" (PDF). Music Week. February 12, 1994. p. 22. Retrieved April 24, 2021.
  20. ^ "The RM Club Chart" (PDF). Music Week, in Record Mirror (Dance Update Supplemental Insert). February 12, 1994. p. 4. Retrieved May 15, 2023.
  21. ^ "Music: Top 100 Songs | Billboard Hot 100 Chart". Billboard. March 26, 1994. Retrieved June 30, 2016.
  22. ^ "Doggystyle – Snoop Dogg | Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved June 30, 2016.
  23. ^ "Snoop Dogg Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved June 30, 2016.
  24. ^ "Rap Music: Top Rap Songs Chart | Billboard". Billboard. March 12, 1994. Retrieved June 30, 2016.
  25. ^ "Snoop Dogg Chart History (Rhythmic)". Billboard. Retrieved June 30, 2016.
  26. ^ "1994: Year-End USA Charts (Singles)". Billboard.com. Retrieved June 12, 2009. (archived by Top40-Charts.com)
  27. ^ "The Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop Songs - Year End Charts 1994". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media.
  28. ^ "British single certifications – Snoop Dogg – Gin and Juice". British Phonographic Industry.
  29. ^ "Best Selling Albums and singles of 1994". Billboard. January 21, 1995. Retrieved July 28, 2015.
  30. ^ a b "American single certifications – Snoop Dogg – Gin and Juice". Recording Industry Association of America.
  31. ^ "Single Releases". Music Week. January 29, 1994. p. 25.
  32. ^ "'Gin and Juice' redux: Dre, Snoop collab on pre-mixed cocktail 30 years after hit song". USA TODAY. Retrieved February 15, 2024.
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