The Meaning of Snoop Dogg’s “Drop It Like It’s Hot”

Snoop Dogg’s 2004 club hit “Drop It Like It’s Hot” has had booties shaking on the dance floor for the better part of two decades now.

First released as a single from R&G (Rhythm & Gangsta): The Masterpiece, the track features Pharrell on the first verse with a beat from Pharrell’s production duo with Chad Hugo, The Neptunes.

“Drop It Like It’s Hot” was a smash hit, reaching number one on the Billboard Hot 100 in December 2004 and staying there for three weeks. It was Snoop’s first number one hit, eclipsing even the fame of “Gin and Juice”, and it was named the most popular rap song of the 2000s by Billboard in 2009.

The track contains three verses, one from Pharrell and two from the Doggy himself. Pharrell shoots down his “nice guy” reputation by first explaining how rich he is, telling women to cheat on their man to get ahead, and finally talking about his connections in the street, telling haters to think before they “fuck wit lil’ skateboard P”.

Snoop Dogg raps about his reputation as a gangsta rapper, but asserts that he’s got more to offer than just gangsta rap, as evidenced by this song.

Still, Snoop couldn’t help himself, as he still drops references to being in the Crips, rapping “I keep a blue flag hanging out my backside / but only on the left side, yeah that’s the Crip side.”

“Drop It Like It’s Hot” Meaning

While the verses do contain some heat, the hook is what really makes this song memorable:

When the pimp’s in the crib ma
Drop it like it’s hot
Drop it like it’s hot
Drop it like it’s hot
When the pigs try to get at you
Park it like it’s hot
Park it like it’s hot
Park it like it’s hot
And if a n*gga get a attitude
Pop it like it’s hot
Pop it like it’s hot
Pop it like it’s hot
I got the Rollie on my arm and I’m pouring Chandon
And I roll the best weed ’cause I got it going on

Hook to Snoop Dogg’s “Drop It Like It’s Hot”.

Here Snoop rhymes three different ways with “Drop It Like Its Hot”, each one with a different meaning.

First, he raps, “When the pimp’s in the crib ma, drop it like it’s hot.” By this, he means that when Snoop Dogg (or another pimp) is around, she better drop her booty to the floor and shake it.

Next, Snoop raps, “when the pigs try to get at you, park it like it’s hot”. This means that when the police try to pull you over, park your car as if it were overheating.

Finally, Snoop raps, “and if a n*gga get a attitude, pop it like it’s hot.” Here he means that if somebody starts to have a bad attitude towards you, don’t hesitate to punch him in the face.

Or perhaps, knowing Snoop Dogg, he may be talking about popping them with a gun.

The track was released along with a music video that features Snoop and Pharrell rapping the song over a black & white backdrop, with expensive cars and of course, women dropping to the floor and shaking their booties. Watch it below.