| The Next Episode | |
| Cover: | Dre - Next Episode.jpg |
| Type: | single |
| Artist: | Dr. Dre featuring Snoop Dogg |
| Album: | 2001 |
| B-Side: | Bad Guys Always Die |
| Released: | July 4, 2000 |
| Recorded: | 1999 |
| Genre: | Gangsta rap |
| Length: | 2:41 |
| Chronology: | Dr. Dre |
| Prev Title: | Forgot About Dre |
| Prev Year: | 2000 |
| Next Title: | Hello |
| Next Year: | 2000 |
"The Next Episode" is a single by American rapper-producer Dr. Dre, released in 2000 as the third single from his second studio album, 2001 (1999). The track features Snoop Dogg, Kurupt, and Nate Dogg, but only Snoop Dogg is credited. It is a sequel to Dre and Snoop's famous single "Nuthin' but a 'G' Thang" from the former's debut album, The Chronic.
The song peaked at number 23 on the Billboard Hot 100.
The song has been performed live numerous times by both Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg. Notable performances include the 2000 Up in Smoke Tour and as the opener to Super Bowl LVI halftime show on February 13, 2022. The duo also performed the song during the concluding segment of Los Angeles' contribution to the 2024 Summer Olympics closing ceremony, a nod to the fact that Los Angeles 2028 is the "next episode" of the Summer Olympics.
The single is produced by Dr. Dre and fellow Aftermath producer Mel-Man. Dre's verse was written by then Aftermath artists Hittman, The D.O.C. and Ms. Roq. The single's title harks back to Dre's and Snoop Dogg's smash hit "Nuthin' but a "G" Thang" from Dre's 1992 solo debut The Chronic, in which Snoop Dogg instructs listeners at the end of the chorus to "just chill till the next episode". That line refers to the song "It's My Thing" from the EPMD album Strictly Business, which in fact did not refer to this single but to its predecessor, a song from 1993 originally recorded for Doggystyle but not included in its final version.[1] Snoop, Dre, and Nate each have verses, while Kurupt shares the hook with Snoop and Dre. The song has many references to 2Pac's "California Love", which he did with Dre while at Death Row Records, and To Live & Die in LA.[2] Originally listed on the back cover of Doggystyle as "Tha Next Episode", the original version of the song was by Snoop Dogg featuring Dr. Dre, and had a much different beat and different lyrics. The original was 4:36 long, and referred to Dre's "Nuthin' but a 'G' Thang" numerous times. The background of the original was later used in Warren G's "Runnin' Wit No Breaks" on the Regulate...G Funk Era album.
The song predominantly samples "The Edge" by David McCallum and producer David Axelrod, originally released on McCallum's 1967 album Music: A Bit More Of Me.[3]
The music video is set in a strip club with many strippers pole-dancing. It also features many rappers, including Hittman, Ice Cube, Warren G, and Xzibit.
A remix with the same name by Snoop Dogg and Lil' Mo appears on the mixtape DJ Felli Fel Featuring Snoop Dogg - The Heavy Hitters, released in 2002. A remix with the music from "Paradise City" by Guns N' Roses is available unofficially. A version dubbed by The Game as a diss toward 50 Cent was released in 2005. A remix titled "TNE 2006" was released to radio airplay in 2006. It features Snoop Dogg & Nate Dogg. Joe Budden rapped over the beat during an appearance on DJ Green Lantern Sirius Satellite Radio show with Charles Hamilton. The Prizefighter Remix was released in 2001, featuring 2Pac, DMX and Nas. RED drummer Joe Rickard is known to perform this song among other popular rap and hip hop songs live in concert in a medley. A version in Arabic appeared in the 2012 film The Dictator performed by Aiwa, Mr Tibbz, and actor Sacha Baron Cohen as the film's title character, Admiral General Aladeen. In November 2014, trap music producer San Holo released a remix of the song that has since garnered over 250 million views on YouTube. A version by Lyric Jones, Rah Digga and Mark Batson appears in the 2018 film Dude.[4]
| Chart (2022-2023) | Peak position | |
|---|---|---|
| Canada Digital Song Sales (Billboard)[8] | 2 | |
| Sweden Heatseeker (Sverigetopplistan)[9] | 16 |
| Chart (2000) | Position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard Hot 100[10] | 76 |
| US R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[11] | 49 |
| Chart (2001) | Position |
| Ireland (IRMA)[12] | 75 |
| UK Singles (OCC)[13] | 79 |
| UK Urban (Music Week)[14] | 40 |
| Chart (2022) | Position |
| US Digital Song Sales (Billboard)[15] |