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Thursday (Aug. 6), the worlds of hip-hop, reggae and rock will unite in Asbury Park when the Blazed and Confused tour, featuring Snoop Dogg, Slightly Stoopid, Stephen Marley and Mickey Avalon rolls into the Stone Pony.
When asked to define the common thread that unites all of the acts on the eclectic bill, Snoop Dogg, speaking via e-mail, made it clear: "Dope music. We all luv to party. And when u add that ish up u can't go wrong, ya dig?!?"
The hip-hop icon, who will be performing on the Blazed and Confused tour with DJ LT and Tha Snoopadelics, recently took the time to speak with Metromix Jersey Shore through an e-mail interview which touched on everything from his upcoming LP to the influence of the Marley family to the recent 15th anniversary of his classic album "Doggystyle."
How have live audiences been responding to the diverse lineup (of the tour) so far?
Luvin it. Knock on wood it's been real smooth and good shows every nite. Shout out to Slightly, Mickey and Stephen for rockin it every nite and givin tha fans their money's worth.
Without spoiling any surprises, are there any live collaborations between different acts on the bill over the course of the show?
A surprise is called a surprise for a reason, ya dig?!? But I'm sure u won't be disappointed.
Also on the bill for the Blazed and Confused tour is Stephen Marley. What kind of impact do you feel his family's work has had on music in general, and on your work and career specifically?
A lot. I got a picture of Bob in my studio. That family's spirit and energy is very special and sumthin that you definitely wanna be a part of.
Earlier this summer you were at the Bonnaroo Music and Arts festival, which is mainly a rock and jam band festival where you performed for about 80,000 people. What was that experience like? Also, do you adjust your set depending on what type of crowd you're playing for?
Wow! Unreal. Crazy. Big ass party. I really didn't change it up, but I did have a couple more smoke breaks in that show.
Last year marked the 15th anniversary of the release of "Doggystyle." How do you think you've grown or evolved as an artist in that time?
I think I've managed to make timeless music and keepin tha fans happy at tha same time. Legends like Frank Sinatra, Bob Marley, Jimi Hendrix -- they consistently made music that banged and also stayed relevant at tha same time -- its a formula that u gotta master to stick around in this game. If not and u make 1 radio or ringtone smash u really aint shit.
Can you give us a little information on what fans can expect to hear on your 10th album, "Malice in Wonderland," when it's released later this year?
Droppin in 4th quarter around Thanksgiving. I got classic ish on there for ya. More timeless music. Lalo Shifrin, Dr Dre. Gucci Mane, The Dream -- and much much mo surprises.
On newer tracks, such as "I Became a Snoop Dogg Millionaire" and the title track from "Singh is Kinng," you're working with Bollywood styles of music. What inspired you to go in this direction, and do you think more American artists will follow suit in the future?
I'm Snooperman -- I go in tha booth and come out makin sure its bangin. And I think we did it twice with those hits. I'm pretty sure its gonna stay around -- we'll see who will run with it after me, ya dig?!?
