Snoop Dogg has been dubbed one of rap’s OGs for years now, a fitting title for the LBC rapper whose contributions to hip-hop during the height of the G-funk era kept him in the thick of hip-hop conversations decades after his early-’90s debut.
The seasoned veteran is readying his fifteenth studio album — due out on Friday (May 19) — and in preparation for the album’s release, Uncle Snoop stopped by Jimmy Kimmel Live! on Tuesday night (May 16) to reveal which rappers hold the top three spots on his all-time list.
In the clip, Snoop reveals that Brooklyn rapper Jimmy Spicer’s “Adventures of Super Rhyme” inspired a young Snoop to pick up the mic, before Kimmel asks the hip-hop vet about his top three MCs ever. “Who are your top three greatest rappers of all time?,” Kimmel asks and with a slight hesitation, Snoop Dogg responds: “Slick Rick, Ice Cube… and Snoop Dogg.”
Snoop’s answer may come as a surprise, given that his top three rap picks exclude his late friend Tupac Shakur, whom he inducted in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame back in April. During the induction of Tupac into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Snoop delivered an emotional speech on Tupac’s legacy, praising his “brother” as “the greatest rapper of all time”.
Slip of the tongue? Possibly. Watch the snippet of Snoop Dogg on Jimmy Kimmel below.