Before a show in Pittsburgh, Slash passed out, waking up two weeks later in a hospital. He suffered cardiac myopathy caused by years of alcohol and drug abuse, with his heart swelling to the point of rupture. After being fitted with a defibrillator and undergoing physical therapy, Slash returned to the group to finish their club tour. Slash then disbanded the group soon after the tour finished in 2001.

Slash's Snakepit was a hard rock band formed by then-Guns N' Roses lead guitarist Slash in 1993. The group's first line up featured fellow Guns N' Roses members Matt Sorum (drums) and Gilby Clarke (guitar), alongside Alice in Chains bassist Mike Inez and former Jellyfish live guitarist Eric Dover on lead vocals. The band released their debut album, It's Five O'Clock Somewhere, in 1995. For their first tour, James LoMenzo and Brian Tichy, both then members of Zakk Wylde's solo band, replaced Inez and Sorum who had other commitments. After months of touring, the group disbanded with Slash returning to Guns N' Roses.

In 1998, Slash approached bassist Johnny Griparic about forming a new version of the band, eventually enlisting singer Rod Jackson and former Alice Cooper duo Ryan Roxie on guitar Matt Laug on drums. They released Ain't Life Grand in 2000 and embarked on an extensive world tour with AC/DC. Guitarist Keri Kelli, formerly of Big Bang Babies, joined the group to replace Roxie. The group disbanded soon after the tour.

Although often described as a solo project, Slash himself has stated that "Snakepit was a band; everybody wrote, everybody had equal input even though I had my name on it."