Dionne Warwick, upset with misogyny in rap lyrics, once set up a meeting with Snoop Dogg and Suge Knight at her home, where she demanded that they call her a “bitch” to her face.

Snoop Dogg later said, “I believe we got out-gangstered that day.”

The meeting was not a casual one. Warwick had a clear agenda and she was determined to make her point. She instructed Snoop Dogg, Suge Knight, and others to show up at her house by 7 a.m. The rappers, who were at the height of their careers...