Snoop Dogg
Calvin Broadus has had one of the longest and strangest careers in rap. He arrived in 1992 as the most threatening new voice in American music and has ended up a broadcaster, cookbook author, football coach and one of the most recognisable people alive. The delivery has barely changed in thirty years, which is part of why it works.
Early life and origins in Long Beach
Broadus grew up in Long Beach, California. He sang in church, played football, and was in and out of trouble in his late teens. He recorded homemade tapes with his cousin Nate Dogg and Warren G as the group 213, named for the area code, and it was through Warren G's connection to Dr. Dre that the tapes reached the producer who would build his career.
Rise to fame with Death Row
Dre put him across The Chronic in 1992, and Snoop's presence on that record made him a star before his own album existed. Doggystyle arrived in 1993 and became one of the fastest-selling debuts rap had produced. He recorded it while facing a murder charge relating to a shooting involving his bodyguard, and was acquitted in 1996 — a case that ran alongside the album's success and defined his public image for years.
Album discography and label moves
He left Death Row after the label collapsed and signed to Master P's No Limit, releasing Da Game Is to Be Sold, Not to Be Told. He moved again to Priority and then Geffen, where R&G (Rhythm & Gangsta) produced "Drop It Like It's Hot" with Pharrell. Later records have ranged widely: a reggae album as Snoop Lion, a gospel double album, a funk record with Pharrell, and a return to Death Row after he bought the label outright.
What Snoop Dogg is known for musically
An unhurried, almost conversational delivery that sits behind the beat and never sounds like it is working hard. That relaxed cadence over Dre's production is the sound most people picture when they think of West Coast rap. He is also an unusually generous collaborator, and his feature verses across four decades form a map of American popular music.
Beyond music
He has coached youth football for years through his own league, hosted television with Martha Stewart, commentated at the Olympics, and built businesses across cannabis, food and media. Few rappers have converted notoriety into mainstream affection as completely.
Album discography
Doggystyle (1993), Tha Doggfather (1996), Da Game Is to Be Sold, Not to Be Told (1998), No Limit Top Dogg (1999), Tha Last Meal (2000), Paid tha Cost to Be da Boss (2002), R&G (Rhythm & Gangsta): The Masterpiece (2004), Tha Blue Carpet Treatment (2006) and many since. He has released more than twenty albums across rap, reggae, funk and gospel.
Notable songs
"Gin and Juice", "Who Am I (What's My Name)?", "Drop It Like It's Hot", "Beautiful", "Young, Wild & Free" with Wiz Khalifa, and "Nuthin' but a 'G' Thang" from The Chronic, which is his de facto introduction even though it is Dre's record.
Influence and legacy
He is the bridge between rap's most confrontational era and its complete mainstream absorption. Nothing about his delivery softened; the culture moved around him. That trajectory, from a murder trial to Martha Stewart's kitchen without any apparent contradiction, is unique in American entertainment.
Frequently asked
Where is Snoop Dogg from?
Broadus grew up in Long Beach, California. He sang in church, played football, and was in and out of trouble in his late teens.
How did Snoop Dogg get started in rap?
Dre put him across The Chronic in 1992, and Snoop's presence on that record made him a star before his own album existed. Doggystyle arrived in 1993 and became one of the fastest-selling debuts rap had produced.
What albums has Snoop Dogg released?
He left Death Row after the label collapsed and signed to Master P's No Limit, releasing Da Game Is to Be Sold, Not to Be Told . He moved again to Priority and then Geffen, where R&G (Rhythm & Gangsta) produced "Drop It Like It's Hot" with Pharrell.