Snoop Dogg

Snoop Dogg transitioned from life on the streets to luxurious success, becoming one of the most famous mainstream rappers. Throughout his extensive multimedia career, he has released numerous albums and mixtapes spanning genres from gangsta rap to reggae and gospel, and he has made countless film and television appearances. Outside the entertainment industry, Snoop is a youth football coach with his own league and has various business ventures, including owning and managing Death Row Records, the label that launched his music career.

Born Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr. on October 20, 1971, in Long Beach, California, Snoop was nicknamed "Snoopy" due to his resemblance to the canine character from the Peanuts cartoons. He was raised in the church, where he sang and played the piano before turning to rap. During his teenage years, he became affiliated with the Rollin' 20s Crips of Eastside Long Beach and faced several arrests, prompting a search for a new direction in life.

Snoop began creating demo tapes with cousin Nate Dogg and friend Warren G under the name 213, after Long Beach's area code. Their name was inspired by the group 415 from Oakland, and lead rapper Richie Rich influenced Snoop's laid-back rap style. Warren G managed to get one of their demos to his stepbrother, producer Dr. Dre, who helped Snoop Doggy Dogg become a household name.

Snoop's debut came in 1992 on Dr. Dre’s single "Deep Cover." His star began to rise with appearances on Dr. Dre’s “Nuthin' But a G Thang” and The Chronic album, culminating in the release of his debut album Doggystyle in 1993. The album debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, selling over 800,000 copies in its first week, eventually reaching over 11 million copies worldwide. Both The Chronic and Doggystyle are celebrated as some of the greatest hip-hop albums ever, enhancing the popularity of West Coast gangsta rap and G-Funk.

In 1993, while working on Doggystyle, Snoop faced first-degree murder charges with his bodyguard McKinley Lee in the death of gang member Philip Woldemariam. This situation inspired the track “Murder Was the Case,” later becoming a short film with an accompanying soundtrack in 1994. Snoop and Lee were acquitted in February 1996, celebrated alongside 2Pac on the single “2 of Amerika'z Most Wanted.”

Following his work on Tha Dogg Pound’s Dogg Food in 1995, Snoop worked on his second album, Tha Doggfather. Released in November 1996, it faced challenges due to Dr. Dre's departure and 2Pac's death on September 13, 1996. Nevertheless, Tha Doggfather also topped the Billboard 200 and sold millions of copies. This was Snoop Doggy Dogg's final album with Death Row before moving to Master P’s No Limit Records in 1998.

Snoop went on to work with multiple labels, producing several platinum albums and singles, including notable collaborations with The Neptunes and Pharrell Williams on “Beautiful” in 2003 and “Drop It Like It’s Hot” in 2004. He also released group projects, such as albums with Tha Eastsidaz, the 213 crew, and MOUNT WESTMORE, among other collaborations. Snoop also branched out from rap, releasing a reggae album, Reincarnated, as Snoop Lion in 2013, and a gospel album, Bible of Love, in 2018.

Snoop has appeared in films like Half Baked, Baby Boy, Training Day, and starred in The Wash with Dr. Dre. His television presence includes hosting The Joker’s Wild and a team-up with Martha Stewart for Martha & Snoop’s Potluck Dinner Party and a collaborative cookbook. He's also provided sports commentary and even served as an Olympics analyst with Kevin Hart.

Beyond entertainment, Snoop’s business endeavors include founding the Snoop Youth Football League in 2005, engaging in the marijuana industry, investing in Reddit, and owning Metaverse property.

Since his 1992 debut, Snoop has sold millions of albums, won various awards, was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2016, and received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2018. In 2022, he performed at the Super Bowl LVI halftime show with Dr. Dre and others, winning an Emmy Award for Outstanding Variety Special. This year marked his acquisition of Death Row Records, with the release of his album BODR—Bacc on Death Row. In 2024, he and Dr. Dre reunited for an album entitled Missionary, celebrating 30 years since Doggystyle.