Biography of Snoop Dogg

Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr., better known as Snoop Dogg, is an American rapper, songwriter and actor born on October 20, 1971. He is considered one of the most influential and important rappers of the 20th century. He was discovered by Dr. Dre after spending time in prison and began making music in the 90s. In 1993 he debuted with his album “Doggystyle” and quickly achieved recognition. His later albums include “Tha Doggfather” (1996), “Da Game Is to Be Sold, Not to Be Told” (1998) and hits like “Tha Last Meal” (2000) and “Paid tha Cost to Be da Bo$$” (2002). Among his most notable singles are “From tha Chuuuch to da Palace”, “Drop It Like It’s Hot”, “What’s My Name?” and “Young, Wild & Free”. As an actor, he is known for his roles in movies like “Training Day” (2001), “Baby Boy” (2001), “Hood of Horror” (2006) and “Down for Life” (2009).

Early years

Snoop was born in Long Beach, California on October 20, 1971. He is the son of Vernall Varnado, a singer and mailman, and Beverly Broadus. His mother remarried after his father’s death and Snoop took his stepfather’s last name, Calvin Cordozar Broadus Sr. From a young age, he showed interest in music, particularly rap

. He studied at Long Beach Polytechnic High School and after graduating, he faced several legal issues. Snoop was in and out of prison for several years, but this did not stop him.

During his time in prison, Snoop and his cousin recorded their first songs. One of his singles, “Hold On”, reached the ears of Dr. Dre, who quickly invited him to work with him. Initially, Snoop took the name Snoop Doggy Dogg and was a part of Dre’s debut album “The Chronic”. The album was well received, opening doors for him in the industry.

Snoop Dogg: debut and career

Snoop Dogg made his musical debut in 1993 with the album “Doggystyle”, which became a huge success. The album included 16 songs, including the hits “Bathtub”, “Gin and Juice”, “Ain’t No Fun” and the classic “Murder Was The Case”. Three years later, he released “Tha Doggfather” (1996), which was not as successful as his first album, but it was quite popular. He followed it with “Da Game Is to Be Sold, Not to Be Told” (1988), his first album with No Limit Records, including songs such as “Snoop World”, “Slow Down” and “Still a G Thang”, and then came “No Limit Top Dogg” (1999) with “Snoopafella” and “Tha Last Meal” (2000), with his single “What’s My Name, Part2”.

In 2002, he released “Paid tha Cost to Be da Bo$$”, with the singles “From tha Chuuuch to da Palace” and the hit “Beautiful”. Two years later, he premiered “R & G (Rhythm & Gangsta): The Masterpiece” (2004) with the single “Drop It Like It’s Hot” and that same year he released “The Hard Way” (2004), which included “Groupie Luv”. In the following years, Snoop did not rest and prioritized his career, releasing “Blue Carpet Treatment” in 2006, followed by “Ego Trippin” (2008), “Malice n Wonderland” (2009) and “Doggumentary” (2011).

After changing his stage name to Snoop Lion, Dogg released his own documentary titled “Reincarnated” (2013) and a studio album of the same name. In 2017, he returned to music with “Neva Left” and later explored his religious side in “Snoop Dogg presents the Bible of Love” (2018).

His most recent studio album is “I Wanna Thank Me” from 2019.

In early 2022, it was announced that he would participate in the halftime show of Super Bowl LVI along with Eminem, Kendrick Lamar, Dr. Dre, and Mary J. Blige.

Actor

Since his debut in the 90s, Snoop has appeared in leading roles in films. He has starred in movies such as “Half Baked” (1998), “The Wash” (2001), and “Training Day” (2001) with Denzel Washington

, and in the horror film “Hood of Horror” (2006) alongside Daniella Alonso. Other titles in his filmography include “Starsky & Hutch” (2004), “The Tenants” (2005), “Mac and Devin Go to High School” (2012), “Turbo” (2013), “Scary Movie 5” (2013), “Meet the Blacks” (2016) and “Future World” (2018). He has also made appearances in TV series such as “The Boondocks”, “The L Word”, “Entourage”, “Brothers” and “Trailer Park Boys”.

Awards and recognition

Throughout his career, he has received numerous awards and recognition. In 1994, he received three Billboard Music Awards and two MTV Video Music Awards. He also won the American Music Award for Favorite Rap/Hip-Hop Artist (1995) and the Soul Train Music Award for Best Rap Album (1995). He received the BET award for “Beautiful”. Snoop has been nominated for the Grammys 8 times.

Among his collaborations are: “2 Amerikaz Most Wanted” with 2Pac; “Drop It Like It’s Hot” and “Beautiful” with Pharrell; “Gangsta Zone” with Daddy Yankee; “All I Do Is Win” with DJ Khaled, T-Pain, Ludacris and Rick Ross; “That Tree” with Kid Cudi; “Black and yellow” with Wiz Khalifa and “Wiggle” with Jason Derulo.

Personal life

He is married to his high school sweetheart Shante Taylor (Broadus) since 1997. They have three children and were close to divorce in 2004, but they did not proceed with the process.