Snoop Dogg Discusses History of Misogynist Lyrics: ‘I Have No Regrets’

Iconic rapper Snoop Dogg has been no stranger to controversy over the years. With a reputation intricately linked with drug use, being an ex gang member, and porn director, it’s no surprise that 43-year-old Snoop is making headlines once more. This time, he’s making headlines for the content of his lyrics. Following the release of his newest album Bush earlier this month, Snoop has addressed the accusations he has received over the years about derogatory content in his music.

Snoop recently revealed that Pharrell Williams, the record’s producer, challenged him on much of the content used in the album, allegedly describing it as sexist.

It wouldn’t be the first time Snoop Dogg has received accusations of the derogatory treatment of women however, as Oprah Winfrey spoke out about the musician’s behavior in 2007, dubbing the rapper a misogynist.

But now, Snoop has spoken out in an interview with Sky News, explaining how he does not regret the music he performed in the past, and how it is a vivid illustration of how far he has come. When asked directly about his views on women in the past compared to where he is in life now, Snoop Dogg explained “Definitely my attitude has changed towards women. I am more sensitive and more vulnerable writing-wise, and accepting of a woman for being a beautiful person, as opposed to me saying she is a b**** or w**** because that was how I was trained when I first started.”

Snoop describes how he was a product of the culture he built his life and career within. Misogyny was a part of the industry at the time, it was an element of the gang culture influential within many of his formative years. Through the years, however, Snoop explains how time has given him the ability to see past the attitudes he learnt in his youth.

“As I grew I fell in love with my wife and started to love my mother, my grandmother and my daughter. I understood what a woman was and I started to write about and express that.”

Taking steps in his life now to be a moral accepting and loving man, Snoop looks back on his past without disappointment, not wishing he could take back the attitudes he expressed. “I have no regrets because I didn’t have that in my life, but when I got that in my life, I bettered myself,” Snoop explained, “Once I figured out there was room to grow and learn and to be a better person then I incorporated that in everything I was doing.”

Snoop’s change in attitude is a huge leap for the hip-hop industry, that still deals with deeply misogynist content today. The performer’s heavyweight role in the culture offers these revelations the potential to forge a new path for many artists and fans to learn by his example. Good work, Snoop!

[Image credit: Mark Metcalfe via Getty Images]