Deep Cover (song)
Encyclopedia
"Deep Cover", also known as "187
", is Dr. Dre
's debut solo single
, his first song since the N.W.A.
break up. It was made for the soundtrack from the film Deep Cover
(1992). The song features Snoop Dogg
making his first appearance on record.
albums chart at #166 on July 25, 1992. Apart from the soundtrack compilation, it also appeared as a single and on Dr. Dre's First Round Knock Out
(1996), which spent 2 weeks on the Billboard 200 starting at #52 and later on several greatest hits albums, including: Doggy Stuff and Doggy Style Hits.
Like the artist indication on the original 12" vinyl says, "Dr. Dre introducing Snoop Doggy Dogg", it is the first time Snoop Dogg was featured on a record. As a single it had no major breakthrough regarding sales, but it launched Snoop Dogg's career. It samples a number of 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s funk
acts, such as Undisputed Truth's "(I Know) I'm Losing You" and Sly & the Family Stone's
"Sing a Simple Song
" (which provided the drumbeat). The single was set to be released on The Chronic
(1992), but fallout from Body Count's
banned song, "Cop Killer
", prevented it since this song is also about killing police officers.
The film itself did not have much success (it only received 2 nominations on the Independent Spirits Awards in 1993), but the song was well received. The song was featured in the video game Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
, on the radio station Radio Los Santos. During the 2007 VH1
Hip Hop Honors show, T.I.
and B.G.
performed this song during Snoop's honor ceremony.
and Jeff Goldblum
. An undercover cop goes deep in the hierarchic pyramid of the underground mafia
to get the bosses locked up, and "goes deep" also by getting addicted to drugs while trying to not reveal himself. The video begins in the first scene with Snoop (Snoop's first appearance in a music video), Dre and a black kingpin in a smoky office in the middle of an initiation where Snoop has to decide between the pipe and being caught up.
After that introduction the music starts but the rest of the video is rather cut-to-cut and is a mixture of some five seconds long takes in black and white and some pictures from the motion picture. The scenes take place in a filthy concrete bungalow with several crack addicts and a projector flashing the movie itself on the wall. The house is later raided by the drug squad. There's also a scene with Snoop and Dre wearing business suits in a car, but it has no additional meaning to the plot.
187 (murder)
187 is a slang term for the crime of murder; it refers to Section 187 of the California Penal Code, which defines the crime of murder. The number is commonly pronounced by reading the digits separately as "one-eight-seven", or "one-eighty-seven", rather than "one hundred eighty-seven".The number...
", is Dr. Dre
Dr. Dre
Andre Romelle Young , primarily known by his stage name Dr. Dre, is an American record producer, rapper, record executive, entrepreneur, and occasional actor. He is the founder and current CEO of Aftermath Entertainment and a former co-owner and artist of Death Row Records...
's debut solo single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
, his first song since the N.W.A.
N.W.A.
N.W.A was an American hip hop group from Compton, California, widely considered one of the seminal acts of the gangsta rap sub-genre....
break up. It was made for the soundtrack from the film Deep Cover
Deep Cover
Deep Cover is a 1992 crime thriller film starring Laurence Fishburne and Jeff Goldblum and directed by veteran actor Bill Duke. It is also notable for its theme song of the same name, composed by Dr...
(1992). The song features Snoop Dogg
Snoop Dogg
Calvin Cordozar Broadus, Jr. , better known by his stage name Snoop Dogg, is an American rapper, record producer, and actor. Snoop is best known as a rapper in the West Coast hip hop scene, and for being one of Dr. Dre's most notable protégés. Snoop Dogg was a Crip gang member while in high school...
making his first appearance on record.
History
The album peaked on the Billboard 200Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
albums chart at #166 on July 25, 1992. Apart from the soundtrack compilation, it also appeared as a single and on Dr. Dre's First Round Knock Out
First Round Knock Out
First Round Knock Out is a compilation by rapper/producer, Dr. Dre. The album was released in 1996 for Triple X Records and was mostly produced by Dr. Dre, as well as Cold 187um and Chris "The Glove" Taylor, who produced one song each . Artists featured on the album include Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg,...
(1996), which spent 2 weeks on the Billboard 200 starting at #52 and later on several greatest hits albums, including: Doggy Stuff and Doggy Style Hits.
Like the artist indication on the original 12" vinyl says, "Dr. Dre introducing Snoop Doggy Dogg", it is the first time Snoop Dogg was featured on a record. As a single it had no major breakthrough regarding sales, but it launched Snoop Dogg's career. It samples a number of 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s funk
Funk
Funk is a music genre that originated in the mid-late 1960s when African American musicians blended soul music, jazz and R&B into a rhythmic, danceable new form of music. Funk de-emphasizes melody and harmony and brings a strong rhythmic groove of electric bass and drums to the foreground...
acts, such as Undisputed Truth's "(I Know) I'm Losing You" and Sly & the Family Stone's
Sly & the Family Stone
Sly and the Family Stone were an American rock, funk, and soul band from San Francisco, California. Active from 1966 to 1983, the band was pivotal in the development of soul, funk, and psychedelic music...
"Sing a Simple Song
Sing a Simple Song
"Sing a Simple Song" is a 1968 song by the soul/rock/funk band Sly & the Family Stone, the b-side to their #1 hit "Everyday People". The song's lyrics, sung in turn by Sly Stone, Freddie Stone, Rose Stone, and Larry Graham, with spoken word sections by Cynthia Robinson, offer a simple solution for...
" (which provided the drumbeat). The single was set to be released on The Chronic
The Chronic
The Chronic is the solo debut album of American hip hop artist Dr. Dre, released December 15, 1992, on his own record label Death Row Records, and distributed by Priority Records. Recording sessions for the album took place in June 1992 at Death Row Studios in Los Angeles and at Bernie Grundman...
(1992), but fallout from Body Count's
Body Count
Body Count is an American heavy metal band formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1990. The group is fronted by rapper and actor Ice-T, who founded the group out of his interest in heavy metal music, taking on the role of vocalist and writing the lyrics for most of the group's songs. Lead guitarist...
banned song, "Cop Killer
Cop Killer (song)
"Cop Killer" is a song by American band Body Count, from its 1992 self-titled debut album. The lyrics are sung from the point of view of an individual who is outraged by police brutality and decides to take the law into his own hands by killing police officers...
", prevented it since this song is also about killing police officers.
The film itself did not have much success (it only received 2 nominations on the Independent Spirits Awards in 1993), but the song was well received. The song was featured in the video game Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas is a 2004 open world action video game developed by British games developer Rockstar North and published by Rockstar Games. It is the third 3D game in the Grand Theft Auto video game franchise, the fifth original console release and eighth game overall...
, on the radio station Radio Los Santos. During the 2007 VH1
VH1
VH1 or Vh1 is an American cable television network based in New York City. Launched on January 1, 1985 in the old space of Turner Broadcasting's short-lived Cable Music Channel, the original purpose of the channel was to build on the success of MTV by playing music videos, but targeting a slightly...
Hip Hop Honors show, T.I.
T.I.
Clifford Joseph Harris, Jr. , better known by his stage name T.I., is an American rap artist, film and music producer, actor and author. He is also the founder and co-chief executive officer of Grand Hustle Records....
and B.G.
B.G. (rapper)
Christopher Dorsey , better known by his stage name B.G. , is an American rapper and actor, from New Orleans, Louisiana. He began his music career signed to Cash Money Records in 1993 with Lil Wayne as half of the duo The B.G.'z...
performed this song during Snoop's honor ceremony.
Track Listing
-
- Deep Cover (U-N-C-E-N-S-O-R-E-D)4:27
- Deep Cover (Radio Version) 3:48
- Deep Cover (Instrumental) 3:54
Music video
The plot of the video resembles that of the same-titled movie starring Laurence FishburneLaurence Fishburne
Laurence John Fishburne III is an American film and stage actor, playwright, director, and producer. He is perhaps best known for his roles as Morpheus in the Matrix science fiction film trilogy, as Cowboy Curtis on the 1980's television show Pee-wee's Playhouse, and as singer-musician Ike Turner...
and Jeff Goldblum
Jeff Goldblum
Jeffrey Lynn "Jeff" Goldblum is an American actor. His career began in the mid-1970s and he has appeared in major box-office successes including The Fly, Jurassic Park and its sequel Jurassic Park: The Lost World, and Independence Day...
. An undercover cop goes deep in the hierarchic pyramid of the underground mafia
Mafia
The Mafia is a criminal syndicate that emerged in the mid-nineteenth century in Sicily, Italy. It is a loose association of criminal groups that share a common organizational structure and code of conduct, and whose common enterprise is protection racketeering...
to get the bosses locked up, and "goes deep" also by getting addicted to drugs while trying to not reveal himself. The video begins in the first scene with Snoop (Snoop's first appearance in a music video), Dre and a black kingpin in a smoky office in the middle of an initiation where Snoop has to decide between the pipe and being caught up.
After that introduction the music starts but the rest of the video is rather cut-to-cut and is a mixture of some five seconds long takes in black and white and some pictures from the motion picture. The scenes take place in a filthy concrete bungalow with several crack addicts and a projector flashing the movie itself on the wall. The house is later raided by the drug squad. There's also a scene with Snoop and Dre wearing business suits in a car, but it has no additional meaning to the plot.
Remixes
- There is a previous version of the song entitled One Eight Seven (later known as Deep Cover Remix from the Fuck Wit Dre Day 12-inch EP, the 1995 album One Million Strong and the Death Row compilation Dr. Dre Chronicles: Deathrow Classics) which has a slightly modified sample and alternate lyrics. It is also a minute shorter (3:20). The title, which is also a part of the chorus refers to the police code, which stands for Murder in the US state of California.
- A song by Big PunBig PunChristopher Lee Rios , better known by his stage name Big Pun , was an American rapper who emerged from the underground rap scene in The Bronx in the late 1990s...
, featuring Fat JoeFat JoeJoseph Antonio Cartagena , better known by his stage name Fat Joe, is an American rapper, CEO of Terror Squad Entertainment, and member of musical groups D.I.T.C. and Terror Squad....
, called "Twinz (Deep Cover '98)", from his album Capital PunishmentCapital Punishment (album)Capital Punishment is the solo debut album by rapper Big Pun, released on April 28, 1998. The album received critical acclaim, and Big Pun became the first solo Latino rapper to go Platinum. The album peaked at #5 on on the Billboard 200 charts and #1 on the Top R&B Albums chart for two weeks...
, featured the same beat and different lyrics. It is featured in the video games Saints Row 2Saints Row 2Saints Row 2 is an open world action-adventure video game developed by Volition, Inc. and published by THQ for the Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360 systems. It is the second title in the Saints Row series, after the release of Saints Row in 2006. It is succeeded by Saints Row: The...
, True Crime: New York CityTrue Crime: New York CityTrue Crime: New York City is an urban sandbox-style action-adventure videogame published by Activision and developed by Luxoflux for the Xbox, PlayStation 2, and GameCube consoles and Windows based computers. It is the second game of the True Crime series, released after True Crime: Streets of LA...
, and Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City StoriesGrand Theft Auto: Liberty City StoriesGrand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories is a 2005 sandbox-style action video game developed by Rockstar North and Rockstar Leeds. It is the ninth game in the Grand Theft Auto series...
, on the rap radio station The Liberty Jam.
- Ghostface KillahGhostface KillahDennis Coles , better known by his stage name Ghostface Killah, is an American rapper and prominent member of the Wu-Tang Clan. After the group achieved breakthrough success in the aftermath of Enter the Wu-Tang , the members went on to pursue solo careers to varying levels of success...
from the Wu-Tang ClanWu-Tang ClanThe Wu-Tang Clan is a hip-hop group from Staten Island that consists of RZA, GZA, Method Man, Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, Inspectah Deck, U-God, Masta Killa, and the late Ol' Dirty Bastard. They are frequently joined by fellow childhood friend Cappadonna, a quasi member of the group...
and DJ Green LanternDJ Green LanternJames D'Agostino , better known by his stage name DJ Green Lantern, is an American-Italian-Puerto Rican DJ and hip hop music producer from Rochester, New York. In 2002, D'Agostino was signed by Eminem to become the official DJ for Shady Records after DJ Head stepped down for undisclosed reasons...
used the instrumental for their 'Internet Invasion' Mixtape's first song.
- The Game used the beat on his song "911 is a joke (Cop Killa)"
- English grime-artist, Giggs, used a similar beat in his song "Monsta Man".