Why Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre tapped HARDY to cover their classic 'Gin and Juice'

In his continuing desire to fuse country's pop moment with all manner of genres, without restriction, HARDY has announced his latest single — a cover of Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre's 1994 rap classic "Gin and Juice."

The Philadelphia, Mississippi native and multiple-time country and rock chart-topping singer-songwriter was personally enlisted by Snoop Dogg, Dr. Dre and legendary music industry executive Jimmy Iovine to cut a "HARDY version" of the track.

Banjos and refitted lyrics add a rustic spin to the sample of George McCrae's soulful early 1970s classic "I Get Lifted" and party-ready vibes which elevated the original to be a Grammy-nominated and gold-selling Billboard all-genre Hot 100 top-10 hit.

"A while back, I got a phone call saying that Jimmy Iovine, Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg would like me to record my own version of 'Gin and Juice' (for the short film accompanying the launch) of their new drink, Gin and Juice," says HARDY in a press statement.

Snoop and Dre's latest business endeavor is a Feb. 2024-launched Southern Glazer's Wine and Spirits-distributed line of gin-based cocktails named after Snoop's "Doggystyle" album favorite.

"I'm still in disbelief, but I am so stoked that I'm dropping my version of 'Gin and Juice' with the blessing of Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg themselves. Thankful for the opportunity.

"Together, we always try to create magic. We're having fun being creative, and everything about this product is really us," Dr. Dre has recently said about Gin and Juice. "There's passion behind it, friendship, love, and a culture. We're shooting to make everything we do magnificent, and fortunately, most of the time, we hit the target."

2024 finds HARDY continuing to "(change) the trajectory of his life" with a series of serious, but as the artist himself has tongue-in-cheek added, "unserious" moves that are broadening and entrenching his appeal from blue-collar country fanatics to hard-partying tourists and white-collar corporate types in cities and towns big and small nationwide.

Those include pairing with Nickelback for an episode of "CMT Crossroads," plus releasing rock-inspired tracks like "ROCKSTAR" and "QUIT!!" to prepare for a "rock [album]" that will be released before his 2024 touring dates with openers including Travis Denning, Ella Langley, Kip Moore and Stephen Wilson Jr. begin in late May 2024.

As well, HARDY accompanied the Jan. 2023 release of his "the mockingbird AND THE CROW" album by playing the country-inspired "mockingbird" half at Los Angeles' Troubadour, then immediately following that set by playing the heavy metal-powered "THE CROW" at the Roxy, a two-minute drive away.

Other highlighted 2024 HARDY dates include playing the Mane Stage of Stagecoach alongside fellow Big Loud labelmate Morgan Wallen. Further bill-topping sets are slated for CMA Fest, Harley Davidson Homecoming and more.

More information on HARDY is available at http://hardyofficial.com.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: How HARDY's cover of Snoop Dogg, Dr. Dre's Gin and Juice came together