I remember thinking how inspiring it must’ve been for Mayer Hawthorne when I saw the humbled Ann Arbor crooner being heralded by Bigg Snoop Dogg about six months back, before he’d really hit Jimmy Kimmel status. The Doggfather, of all people, went out of his way to find the unassuming singer and go as far as to saying he wanted to do work, making him the first A-List rapper to openly try and enlist Hawthorne’s soulful services for a big-league hook.

We all know Snoop D-O-Double stays to true to the game, but apparently he’s also true to his word. The G-Mix to “Gangsta Luv,” finds Hawthorne’s hangover healing harmonics swapping out The Dream’s synthesizers for a seventies-sounding soulful twist to the first single from Malice In Wonderland, which is now a bonus track for More Malice.

I have a feeling this won’t be a one time fling.

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Download — Snoop Dogg Feat. Mayer Hawthorne – “Gangsta Luv” (Mayer Hawthorne G-Mix)