"Sensual Seduction", also known as "Sexual Eruption", is a song by American rapper Snoop Dogg. It was released on November 20, 2007 as the first single of his ninth studio albumEgo Trippin', with the record label Geffen Records. The song was producedbyShawty Redd. Snoop Dogg sings the majority of the song using Auto-Tune.[4] The video's style visually references the style of Roger Troutman, as part of its retro imagery.[5]
Snoop Dogg originally heard the single "Drifter", produced by Atlanta-based producer Fatboi, and was prepared to purchase the song. Snoop Dogg's cousin — So So Def affiliate rapper-producer Daz Dillinger — began to facilitate mediations between the two artists. Dillinger, in a good connection with Shawty Redd, organized an arrangement in which Shawty agreed to send Dillinger the rights, but also offered to make an exclusive track for Snoop with a similar sound to that of "Drifter". Daz also organized an audition meeting for the two while Snoop was touring Georgia. Shawty Redd was unable to attend the meeting, but later conversed about the beat with Snoop via telephone. He sent a demo instrumental to Los Angeles, and was ultimately surprised by the changes Snoop made to the track. Originally, Redd didn't intend to use the auto-tuned effect on the vocals. The tape was sent back, vocals included, and Shawty began to play it in his local club.[6] The song was leaked in early October 2007. This song was released as downloadable content for the Rock Band series.
On the song Snoop Dogg notably used the Auto-Tune vocal effect for his singing.[7] The rapper explained his Auto Tune usage in 2022, saying that he wanted to emulate R&B singer T-Pain's musical style.[8] T-Pain stated he appreciated Snoop's usage, although he told Snoop in a 2021 interview that "Sensual Seduction" made his feature appearances on hip hop artists' songs obsolete, because they realized they could've used the effect by themselves.[9]
The music video for "Sensual Seduction" was directed by Melina and produced by Steven Johnson, and premiered November 28, 2007 on MTV.[10] The video features Snoop in retro eighties outfits holding a keytar while using a talkbox, and includes direct homages to Prince's "When Doves Cry" video. It also features him in a retro seventies outfit dancing in a colored background. It is the second time Snoop Dogg has made a retro style video. The first was in "Doggy Dogg World". MADtv parodied this video as "Sensible Deduction," featuring Keegan-Michael Key as Snoop Dogg. A remixed version of the video as Wideboys Club Mix also exists, and sees Snoop Dogg singing in the Wideboys club, while the club dancers are seeing dancing in background. The models in the video are Gina Choe, Eugena Washington, and Nancy Olivares.
There are 2 official remixes of the song that add new featured artists, the first remix using the clean version, "Sensual Seduction", and featuring Lil' Kim. The second remix uses both versions of the song and is called "Sensual Seduction (Fyre Department Remix)" or "Sexual Eruption (Fyre Department Remix)", and features Swedish artist Robyn and Snoop's 1st and 3rd verses are switched; on the clean version of this remix, the word "bitch" was not censored.[11] Other official remixes include those done by American DJs David Garcia & High Spies, German DJ Boys Noize, Australian DJ Dirty South, and British DJs the Wideboys.[12] There is also an unofficial remix by Skrillex called "Sexual Seduction". A remix called "The Art of Sensual Seduction" has not been officially released, although it is available in online shops, and a merengue/hip hop remix produced by Guary & Cleyton has been released titled "Seduccion Sensual".[13]
In the United States, the single debuted at number 76 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, dated on December 15, 2007. The song peaked at number seven on the Billboard Hot 100, making it Snoop Dogg's fifth top-ten single as a lead artist and eleventh overall.[14] As of February 2009, "Sexual Eruption" sold 869,000 digital downloads in the United States.[15] The song saw renewed popularity in early 2023 after its use in many videos on TikTok.
^Breihan, Tom (November 15, 2022). "T-Pain - "Buy U a Drank (Shawty Snappin')" (Featuring Yung Joc)". The Number Ones: Twenty Chart-Topping Hits That Reveal the History of Pop Music. New York: Hachette Book Group. p. 259.
^"ČNS IFPI" (in Czech). Hitparáda – Radio Top 100 Oficiální. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Change the chart to CZ – RADIO – TOP 100 and insert 200818 into search. Retrieved September 5, 2015.
