Snoop Dogg
Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr., known professionally as Snoop Dogg, is an American rapper, singer, record producer, and actor. Rooted in West Coast hip-hop, he is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential rappers of all time. Known for his signature drawled lyrics—which often use melodic rhyming, repetition, word play, laconic phrases, syncopation and alliteration—his music often addresses the lifestyle and culture of the West Coast and social issues such as gun violence and
stability for the youth. His initial fame dates back to 1992 following his guest appearance on Dr. Dre's debut solo single, "Deep Cover", and later on Dre's debut album, The Chronic, that same year, including "Nuthin' but a 'G' Thang". Snoop Dogg has since sold over 23 million albums in the United States, and 35 million albums worldwide. His accolades include an American Music Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, two Sports Emmy Awards, and seventeen Grammy Award nominations.
Produced entirely by Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg's debut studio album, Doggystyle was released by Death Row Records and debuted atop the Billboard 200. Selling 806,000 copies in its first week, the album received quadruple platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America the following year and spawned the Billboard Hot 100-top ten singles "What's My Name?" and "Gin and Juice". He was the lead performer on Death Row's soundtrack album for the 1994 short film Murder Was the Case, wherein Snoop Dogg made his acting debut. He has since appeared in other films and popular media. His second album, Tha Doggfather, also debuted atop the Billboard 200 and received double platinum certification.
In 1998, he parted ways with Death Row in favor of Master P's No Limit Records, through which he saw largely continued success with his albums Da Game Is to Be Sold, Not to Be Told, No Limit Top Dogg, and Tha Last Meal. He then signed with Priority, Capitol, and EMI Records to release his sixth album Paid tha Cost to Be da Boss, which was further commercially oriented. This effectively continued upon him signing with Geffen Records to release his next three albums: R&G : The Masterpiece, Tha Blue Carpet Treatment, and Ego Trippin ; the former spawned the single "Drop It Like It's Hot", which became his first to peak atop the Billboard Hot 100. He then returned to Priority and Capitol—upon his hiring as chairman of the former label—to release his tenth and eleventh albums, Malice 'n Wonderland and Doggumentary, both of which saw mild critical and commercial response.
In 2012, following a trip to Jamaica, Snoop Dogg converted to Rastafari and adopted the alias Snoop Lion', under which he released a reggae album, Reincarnated, and a namesake documentary film about his Jamaican experience. His thirteenth studio album, Bush, was produced entirely by frequent collaborator Pharrell. His fourteenth studio album, Coolaid was released in 2016. In 2018, Snoop Dogg became "a born-again Christian" and released his first gospel album, Bible of Love, in March of that year. Also that year, Snoop Dogg was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. In 2022, he acquired Death Row Records from MNRK Music Group, and released his nineteenth studio album, BODR —preceded by the independently-released I Wanna Thank Me and From tha Streets 2 tha Suites. On December 13, 2024, he released his twentieth studio album, Missionary. It became his highest-charting album since 2015, peaking within the top twenty of the Billboard 200.
Early life
Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr. was born on October 20, 1971, in Long Beach, California, to Beverly Tate and Vernell Varnado. Varnado, who was a Vietnam War veteran, singer, and mail carrier, left the family only three months after Snoop Dogg's birth, and thus he was named after his stepfather, Calvin Cordozar Broadus Sr.. His biological father remained largely absent from his life. As a boy, his mother nicknamed him "Snoopy" due to his love for and likeness to the cartoon character from Peanuts. He was the second of his mother's three sons.Snoop Dogg was raised Baptist and began singing and playing piano at Golgotha Trinity Baptist Church when he was very young. His mother, a member of the church choir, was one of his "prime musical influences" growing up and introduced him to old-school R&B music. In his youth, Snoop Dogg sold candy, delivered newspapers, and bagged groceries. Snoop Dogg was described as having been a dedicated student and enthusiastic churchgoer, active in choir and football.
In sixth grade, Snoop Dogg began rapping. He would frequently rap in school, as he recalled: "When I rapped in the hallways at school I would draw such a big crowd that the principal would think there was a fight going on. It made me begin to realize that I had a gift. I could tell that my raps interested people and that made me interested in myself".
In his teenage years, Snoop Dogg began engaging in unlawful activities and joining gangs, despite his mother's preventive efforts. He was a member of the Rollin' 20s Crips gang in the Eastside neighborhood of Long Beach; in 1993, however, he denied the frequent police and media reports by saying that he never joined a gang. Shortly after graduating from Long Beach Polytechnic High School in 1989, he was arrested for possession of cocaine, and for the next three years was frequently incarcerated, including at Wayside Jail. With his two cousins, Nate Dogg and Lil' ½ Dead, and friend Warren G, he recorded homemade tapes, with one titled Over the Counter attracting some label interest. The four called their group 213 after the area code of their native Long Beach at that time, and recorded their first four-song demo at their local VIP Records store. One of Snoop's early solo freestyles over "Hold On" by En Vogue was on a mixtape that fortuitously wound up with Dr. Dre; the influential producer was so impressed by the sample that he called Snoop Dogg to audition in 1991 for his label Death Row Records. Former N.W.A affiliate, American rapper Tracy Lynn Curry, better known as The D.O.C., taught him to structure his lyrics and separate the themes into verses, hooks, and choruses.
Music career
1991–1997: Death Row, ''Doggystyle,'' and ''Tha Doggfather''
When he began recording, the young rapper took the stage name Snoop Doggy Dogg. He was introduced to Dr. Dre by Warren G, who gave him Snoop Dogg's cassette tape. Snoop Dogg then signed with Dre's label Future Shock Records. Dr. Dre began working with him, first on the theme song of the 1992 film Deep Cover, and then on Dr. Dre's debut solo album The Chronic, along with the other members of his former starting group, Tha Dogg Pound. This intense exposure played a considerable part in making Snoop Dogg's debut album, Doggystyle, the critical and commercial success that it was.Fueling the ascendance of West Coast G-funk hip hop, the singles "Who Am I ?" and "Gin and Juice" reached the top ten most-played songs in the United States, and the album stayed on the Billboard charts for several months. Gangsta rap became the center of arguments about censorship and labeling, with Snoop Dogg often used as an example of violent and misogynistic musicians. Unlike many of the harder-edged gangsta rap artists, Snoop Dogg seemed to show his softer side, according to music journalist Chuck Philips. Rolling Stone music critic Touré asserted that Snoop Dogg had a relatively soft vocal delivery compared to other rappers: "Snoop's vocal style is part of what distinguishes him: where many rappers scream, figuratively and literally, he speaks softly". Doggystyle, much like The Chronic, featured a host of rappers signed to or affiliated with the Death Row label, including Daz Dillinger, Kurupt, Nate Dogg, and others.
In 1993, Snoop Dogg was charged with first-degree murder for the shooting of a member of a rival gang, who was actually killed by Snoop Dogg's bodyguard. Snoop Dogg was acquitted on February 20, 1996, and the case was finally closed in 2024. According to Snoop Dogg, after he was acquitted, he did not want to continue living the "gangsta" lifestyle, because he felt that continuing his behavior would result in his assassination or a prison term. A short film about Snoop Dogg's murder trial, Murder Was the Case, was released in 1994, along with an accompanying soundtrack. On July 6, 1995, Doggy Style Records, Inc., a record label founded by Snoop Dogg, was registered with the California Secretary of State as business entity number C1923139.
After his acquittal, Snoop Dogg and the mother of his son, along with their kennel of 20 pit bulls, moved into a home in the hills of Claremont, California, and by August 1996 Doggy Style Records, a subsidiary of Death Row Records, signed the Gap Band's Charlie Wilson as one of its first artists. He collaborated with fellow rap artist Tupac Shakur on the 1996 single "2 of Amerikaz Most Wanted". This was one of Shakur's last songs released while alive; he was shot on September 7, 1996, in Las Vegas, dying six days later.
By the time Snoop Dogg's second album, Tha Doggfather, was released in November 1996, the price of appearing to be a gang member "living the gangsta ''life" had become very evident. Among the many notable hip hop industry deaths and convictions were the death of Snoop Dogg's friend and labelmate Tupac Shakur and the racketeering indictment of Death Row co-founder Suge Knight. Dr. Dre had left Death Row earlier in 1996 because of a contract dispute, so Snoop Dogg co-produced Tha Doggfather with Daz Dillinger and DJ Pooh.
This album featured a distinct change of style from Doggystyle, and the leadoff single, "Snoop's Upside Ya Head", featured a collaboration with Charlie Wilson. The album sold reasonably well but was not as successful as its predecessor. Tha Doggfather had a somewhat softer approach to the G-funk style. Snoop Dogg was scheduled to release an EP titled Doggumentary on July 8, 1997, but the album had been canceled. Despite this, a music video was released for its projected first single, Midnight Love. Snoop Dogg realized that he was subject to an ironclad time-based contract, and refused to produce anymore tracks for Suge Knight other than the insulting "Fuck Death Row" until his contract expired. In an interview with Neil Strauss in 1998, Snoop Dogg said that though he had been given lavish gifts by his former label, they had withheld his royalty payments.
Stephen Thomas Erlewine of Allmusic said that after Tha Doggfather, Snoop Dogg began "moving away from his gangsta roots toward a calmer lyrical aesthetic": for instance, Snoop Dogg participated in the 1997 Lollapalooza concert tour, which featured mainly alternative rock music. Troy J. Augusto of Variety'' noted that Snoop's set at Lollapalooza attracted "much dancing, and, strangely, even a small mosh pit" in the audience.