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Snoop Dogg Defends Macklemore and Iggy Azalea's Role in Hip Hop

"They got soul. They’re inspired by hip hop," he says.

Next week, Snoop Dogg and Pharrell will be releasing their collaborative album BUSH. Before it hits stores, the hip hop veteran sat down with The New York Times, where he delved into the sound of BUSH, the different vibes found in his discography, the Baltimore uprising and more.

Snoop was very open in his responses, admitting BUSH is very funk-inspired because he felt the need to fill a void for that style of music. He also said he would have been an R&B singer if hip hop never existed. “I would have been like Rick James, though — an edgy renegade.”

When asked about posting images from Baltimore on his Instagram, he responded that everyone is united for a cause and it’s something that shouldn’t go unnoticed. “You’ve got Bloods and Crips and Muslims now uniting for some kind of cause. Despite that man losing his life, so many people are gonna come together behind that — people who wouldn’t have talked, who would have been killing each other, now they’re gonna be with each other.”

Snoop also had an interesting perspective on two polarizing figures in rap: Macklemore and Iggy Azalea. While both of them have received criticism for their pop rap and white privilege in hip hop, he actually welcomes their efforts in making the genre flourish. “Rap is supposed to grow. One thing about Iggy and Macklemore: They got soul. They’re inspired by hip hop. I don’t care how you’re gonna take it to your people and flip it and dip it and serve it.”

BUSH comes out next Tuesday on May 12.

 (Photo: Kevin Winter/Getty Images for iHeartMedia)

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