Who: Dr. Dre f. Snoop Dogg, Kurupt & Nate Dogg

What: “The Next Episode” 

When (was it released): December 1999

Where (was it featured): Dr. Dre’s 2001 album

Why (did the song happen): After shifting the course of rap with Death Row Records in the early 1990s, Dr. Dre didn’t produce any songs on Tha Dogg Pound’s 1995 album, Dogg Food. The Good Doctor mixed several songs on the project, but his production polish was both missed and clamored for by people wanting the type of selections that made Death Row Records rap’s most popular and acclaimed recording home just three years earlier on The Chronic. Disses followed after Dr. Dre’s Death Row departure, but the snide commentary did little to slow his progress or his output. As Dr. Dre’s Aftermath Entertainment showed it was rap’s new powerhouse thanks to Eminem’s chart-topping success, the former N.W.A member was also working on his next project and reconnected with Snoop Dogg for “B Please” and “Buck’Em,” two of the best songs from Snoop Dogg’s 1999 album, No Limit Top Dogg. Bridges had been mended. The band was getting back together.

How (it became iconic): Dr. Dre built “The Next Episode” off of David McCallum’s “The Edge” (also used in a similar fashion previously by both Missin’ Linx on “M.I.A.” and by Tash on “Fallin’ On”). Dr. Dre, of course, manipulated the source material differently and added several distinct sonic wrinkles to “The Next Episode.” With some falsetto singing, Snoop opens the track before Kurupt kicks in, sending the song to a furious level and serving as a hype man of sorts to Snoop, who returns with the first verse. “CPT LBC, yeah, we hookin’ back up,” Tha Doggfather raps, a nod to his lyrics on “Nuthin’ But A ‘G’ Thang.” Kurupt returns to hype Dre before his verse. Dre shouts out several Southern California staples in his lyrics, which he delivers with a husky confidence. Nate Dogg swoops in to close the song, singing in his gruff manner about his crew’s potency. As stunning as the song is sonically and as forceful as it is lyrically, it is also surprisingly short for a smash single. “The Next Episode” clocks in at less than three minutes. Much shorter than the standard single, it nonetheless marked a triumphant return for both Dr. Dre and his high-powered protégés. The song’s video also stands out for its party/strip club vibe and Snoop Dogg’s immaculate Shirley Temple curls. Performing “The Next Episode” at the Super Bowl LVI Halftime Show makes too much sense, though the late Nate Dogg will be missed.