Born Calvin Broadus in Long Beach, California, Snoop acquired his nickname from his mother because his appearance resembled the Peanuts character Snoopy the Dog. Snoop's parents split when he was young, and he lived with his mom and two half-brothers. He spent his free time rapping with close friend Warren Griffin, known today as Warren G. As a teenager, he and Warren G teamed with LBC companion Nate Dogg to form a rap trio called Three The Hard Way, which eventually became 213, named after their area code. Snoop sharpened his musical skills by practicing with 213 in the V.I.P. record store, and G eventually gave a tape of Snoop to his half-brother, Dr. Dre. Dre was impressed, and used Snoop on the soundtrack of the film Deep Cover. It was the beginning of a remarkable career that is still going strong. In 1992, Snoop was featured on Dr. Dre's groundbreaking, multi-platinum album The Chronic. The album spent eight months on the Billboard charts, and Snoop laid tracks on various songs. His drawled vocals played a large part in the album's success, as did its P-Funk bass grooves. Snoop wrote and co-rapped the song "Nuthin' But A G-Thang" which became a hit single with the catchy chorus "bow wow wow, yippee yo yippee yay." The album has been recognized as one of the 10 best records of the decade by Spin Magazine, while the song "Nuthin' But A G-Thang" was awarded the best single of the decade.
With Snoop's reputation as a rapper solid, he released his first solo record, Doggystyle, in November of 1993 on the Deathrow Records label. The much-anticipated album entered the Billboard charts at #1, unprecedented at the time. The Dre-produced album had two Top Ten singles, "What's My Name?" and "Gin & Juice." Doggystyle went on to sell over five million copies in the U.S., and by the end of 1994, Snoop had earned an MTV Music Video Award for Best Rap Video ("Doggy Dogg World"). He was also named Best Rapper in Rolling Stone's annual critics poll. During 1994, while Doggystyle annihilated the charts, Snoop shot a short film based on the single "Murder Was the Case." He subsequently released an accompanying soundtrack, which debuted at #1.
1996 brought the release of Snoop's next album, Tha Doggfather. The album was done without Dre producing or helping in any way due to his departure from Deathrow. Despite lower expectations, the album entered the charts at #1 and went double platinum. Tha Doggfather further promoted the Rap and Hip Hop sounds laced with Gangsta themes prominent since Dre's Chronic album. Entertainment Weekly commented on the album, stating, ".Even without Dr. Dre behind the board, Snoop and his studio team concoct an intoxicating blend of old-school funk and gangsta cool.". Snoop dedicated the album to Tupac Shakur, whose tragic death occurred just three months prior to Tha Doggfather's release. Snoop entered the charts again in 1996 with the song "Never Leave Me Alone," a collaboration with Nate Dogg. During the summer of 1997, Snoop headlined the Lallapalooza Tour. He was supposed to release an EP titled Doggumentary, but due to well-documented problems with Deathrow, the album kept being delayed and ultimately was never released. Snoop left the label in early 1998, fearing that if he stayed with Deathrow, he would either end up dead or in jail. He signed on with Master P's No Limit Records label, and in August he released a new album titled Tha Game Is To Be Sold, Not To Be Told. The album debuted at #1, and sold over 500,000 copies in its first week of release.
In May of 1999, Snoop released his next album, Top Dogg, with No Limit. It quickly went platinum. Later that year his autobiography, written in conjunction with Davin Seay, hit stores. Titled The Times, Trials, & Hardcore Truths of Snoop Dogg, the book provided readers with an inside look into Snoop's world. Most recently, Snoop has started his own label, Doggystyle Records. The first album released under the label came in February 2000 from Tha Eastsidaz. Appropriately titled Snoop Dogg Presents Tha Eastsidaz, the group consists of Snoop, Tray Deee, and Goldie Loc. The album sold over 100,000 copies within one week of being released, breaking into Billboard's top ten. The familiar tight beats and easy flow from days past is brought back along with Tray Deee's bomb rapping and Goldie Loc's intense energy. The now platinum-selling album includes appearances from several notables, including Dr. Dre, Nate Dogg, Butch Cassidy, and Xzibit. Hot tracks such as "G'd Up," "Got Beef," "Big Bang Theory," and "Tha Eastsidaz" prove that West Coast Rap is back with a vengeance. The next album released on Doggystyle Records in November 2000 was Doggy's Angels' self-titled debut album. The female Rap trio is comprised of Big Chan, Coniyac, and Kola. The album contains production elements from some of the west coast's finest, including Battlecat, Meech Wells, Fredwreck, and JellyRoll. The Source magazine commented recently, "Armed with tight lyrics, platinum dreams and some of the hottest producers in the game, Doggy's Angels have a bite of their own.these angels are ready to give Charlie's a run for their money." The first single from the album, "Baby If You're Ready," spent 8 weeks at #1 on Billboard's Hot Rap Singles Chart.
Snoop's latest release, Tha Last Meal, is his last under the current No Limit contract. Released in mid-December 2000, the album was the top debut on The Billboard 200T Chart at No. 9 with 397,000 units and debuted at #1 on Billboard's Top R&B/Hip Hop Albums chart. Tha Last Meal features production from Dr. Dre, Timbaland, and Swizz Beats. The lead single, "Snoop Dogg," gained massive radio airplay, and the second single, "Lay Low," was featured on MTV's Making the Video. Look for albums in 2001 from Tha Eastsidaz (April) and Supafly (May), both signed to Doggystyle Records. An official Doggystyle tour is expected to kick off summer 2001. Snoop can be seen in the forthcoming film "Bones," in which he plays a ghost who returns to his crime-ridden neighborhood to avenge his death some 20 years prior. The film is set for a Fall 2001 release.
Discography:
Doggystyle
Released
11/23/1993
Comment:
yeah, that's one of tha best RAP albums ever...it really is a must have album...snoop i hope u'll gonna do somethin' like that soon, cuz no offence but R&G ain't good...u could do it better, but anyway, doggystyle is one of tha best albums...
Track from this Album: Gin and Juice
Tha Doggfather
Released
10/12/1996
Comment:
This is a very good album and it does deserve a little more respect.
Track from this Album: Doggfather
Da Game Is to Be Sold Not to Be Told
Released 8/4/1998
Comment:
this album iz pimp no matter what they say
Track from this Album: Still a G Thang
No Limit Top Dogg
Released 5/11/1999
Comment:
One of my ultimate favs! However, I am a huge Snoop fan - so I think all his stuff is off the hook.
Track from this Album: Bitch Please
Tha Last Meal
Released 12/5/2000
Comment:This Snoop cd is by far my favorite. Every song on it is
Perfect. Just like his first cd. There will be no skipping through songs on this
one. He is Mr. Original, and shows it verse after verse and curse after curse.
The new 213 albulm is the only cd that can come close to it. Thanks Snoop!!
Track from this Album:Snoop Dogg (What's my name Pt.2)
Death Row: Snoop Doggy Dogg at His Best
Released 10/23/2001
Comment:
This album is great when you smoke!Snoop take a blunt.
Track from this Album: Doggy Dog World
Paid tha Cost to Be da Bo$$
Released
11/22/2002
Comment:SNOOP IS THE BEST!!!!fo shizzle my nizzle fuck the
suckers!!!!biaaaaaaaaaaaaatch!!!woof...!!!
Track from this Album: Beautiful (Ft. Pharell )
R&G (Rhythm &Gangsta): The Masterpiece
Released 11/16/2004
Comment:
snoooooppp i love to give u light..i know this album sounds a
little bit comercial, but ..damn..snoop is so good..i love the soul influence in
the album..for the ones who think snoop's old school style was better i only
say..what he did with the masterpiece shows he's a mature artist..he really
impressed me.
Track from this Album: Drop It Like It's Hot (Ft. Pharell)
To See Snoop's Lyrics click here
Videos:
"Signs" (R&G)
"Let's Get Blown" (R&G)
"Drop it Like it's Hot" (R&G)
Links:
snoopdogg.com
snoop-dogg.com
snoopafella.com
