One is known for being fly and spitting the hottest rhymes this side of the Mississippi, the other for breathing fire and flying around on his little dragon wings, laying waste to his haters and foes while on the lookout for magic gems. Snoop Dogg and Spyro the dragon might seem like they don’t have much in common, but.it turns out one is a huge admirer of the other. While the majority of artists from LA were out and about this past weekend, rocking sets at Camp Flog Gnaw Carnival or sneaking off for late-night recording sessions at the studio, Snoop was settled in with a copy of Spyro’s new game, Spyro Reignited Trilogy, which was delivered to him by the titular dragon “himself” ahead of its release tomorrow, November 13. Check it out:
It’s a cute, funny promo and an interesting way to pique interest in the game itself, which is a collection of remasters of the original Spyro PlayStation trilogy. Created by Toys for Bob, the California-based developer responsible for the toys-to-life spin-off, Skylanders, it’s the purple dragon’s first foray into modern console gaming since 2006’s Spyro: A New Beginning. Fittingly, to celebrate the occasion, a “life-size” model of Spyro was built as a drone and went on a nationwide tour to promote the release, starting from New York City’s Liberty State Park and hitting locations in West Virginia, Tennessee, Missouri, Colorado, and Utah in scenes inspired by the game’s locations and mini-games, before concluding by landing in Los Angeles with Snoop.
I got the chance to interview Snoop via email about his involvement with the project and his well-documented love of video games and participation in them over the years. The conversation also touched on hip-hop’s impact on video games and vice versa, why he and Spyro have both turned into enduring pop cultural fixtures, and what kind of games the big Dogg gets down with in his time off. Check It out below.
How did you find out about this opportunity with Spyro?
Spyro was the man back in the day, so I had to check him out in Spyro Reignited Trilogy. I actually got into Spyro’s return from the very beginning this year when the game was first revealed. I shared some love for my nephew Spyro’s return on my Instagram, and it’s dope to see how many fans shared the love for the little purple fella. It feels good to know that he’s making a special stop for me on his US tour so that I can get an early copy of the game. Tour life is no joke, so I appreciate him coming through.
You and Spyro are both pretty enduring characters. Why do you think that is?
We both got the goods! Fans know that we’re going to bring that fire every time and that’s how we’ve both been in the game for 20+ years.
Aside from Spyro, are you a fan of any other platform adventure games?
I like to pick up the controller from time to time when on tour or just hanging at my house. But I’m on that Spyro as soon as its delivered. It’s going to be fun revisiting the remastered games after all these years.
You’ve been made into a video game character a few times. Which was your favorite and why?
I love it when I get a chance to actually be part of a game. There have been quite a few games, but one of my favorites was giving some fun one-liners for players in Call Of Duty: Ghosts.
But in a matter of days, I’ll get to meet a real-life, flying and fire-breathing Spyro. That will be an ultimate video game moment for me!
Why do you think people are so fascinated by the intersection between hip-hop and gaming?
Any time you have two huge forms of entertainment crossing each other, it’s a big deal. Video games and hip-hop were made for each other if you think about it. We both have huge social media and online presence with fans, tons of interaction and innovation, and many of video games’ biggest fans are rappers.
While many other rap elder statesmen have largely retired from releasing new music, you do so regularly. What makes you want to continue creating in that way despite all the other business opportunities you have cropping up?
‘Cause I ain’t done yet. I’m constantly working on new hits. My fans wanna hear it and I’m a champ of the people.
Spyro Reignited Trilogy will be available on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One on November 13.
