Beautiful

Album: Paid Tha Cost To Be Da Boss (2003)
Charted: 23 6
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Snoop Dogg was a prime offender when it came to denigrating women in rap songs, an unfortunate trend in the '90s - a blatant example is his 1992 collaboration with Dr. Dre, "B-tches Ain't S--t."

    "Beautiful" finds him changing his tune, celebrating women, particularly his wife Shante. It marked a turning point for Snoop, who abandoned the misogynistic lyrics from his early years.
  • Pharrell Williams sang the hook on "Beautiful" and produced the song with his Neptunes partner Chad Hugo. It was Williams who convinced Snoop to make a song uplifting women.

    "I never would have done a song like that in the '90s," he told People.

    According to Snoop, Pharrell said, "You've been rapping about women, calling them hoes. When are you going to take time to show them you love them?"

    "Since then I respect my queen rather than use derogatory words to explain my feeling toward females," he said.
  • Snoop prides himself on being a devoted family man, but you wouldn't know that from his early albums. He married Shante, who was his girlfriend in high school, in 1997, and they had three kids together, including daughter Cori in 1999. Snoop and Shante separated in 2004 but got back together, renewing their vows a few years later. Since then, Snoop has been more visible as a husband and father, often posting about his family on social media. He often speaks of his commitment to Shante - "We married till death do us part."
  • The Neptunes had the bumpin' beats that powered many songs from this era. "Hot In Herre" by Nelly and "Rock Your Body" were two of their biggest hits. In 2004, the year after "Beautiful," The Neptunes produced Snoop's #1 hit "Drop It Like It's Hot," which also has a hook from Pharrell.
  • Charlie Wilson of The Gap Band added vocals to this track. He and Snoop are tight and often collaborate. Wilson appears on Snoop's 1996 album Tha Doggfather and on his 2008 song "Can't Say Goodbye."
  • "Beautiful" helped Snoop change his image to gain enormous popular appeal and become one of the most marketable entertainers in history. By celebrating women instead of disparaging them, he endeared himself to family friendly brands and became a pitchman for everything from Pepsi to Hot Pockets. He even teamed up with Martha Stewart in 2016 for a cooking show on VH1. Peak Snoop probably came when he was a highly visible NBC's correspondent at the 2024 Olympics in Paris, which found him bringing wholesome but relatable insights to events like swimming, gymnastics and fencing.
  • The music video finds Snoop and Pharrell in Rio de Janeiro with troupe of beautiful women.

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