West Coast rap legend Snoop Dogg has come a long way since being discovered by Dr. Dre in the early 1990. As impressive as he was when guesting on Dre’s The Chronic in 1992, few could have guessed he’d go on to global fame, tens of millions of record sales, and a career in movies and TV.
He was born Cordozar Calvin Broadus Jr. in Long Beach, California, on October 20, 1971. His "Snoop Dogg" nickname came from his mother because she thought he looked like Snoopy from the Peanuts cartoon. He played piano and sang at his local Baptist church, before starting rap in sixth grade. After graduating high school, Snoop was arrested several times for drug possession and spent time in prison. He was also associated with the Rollin’ 20 Crips Gang. He started making music as a way out of his troubles and recorded early demos with his cousin Nate Dogg and friend Warren G as 213. A track on one of these came to the attention of Dr. Dre who invited Snoop — then rapping under the name Snoop Doggy Dogg — to audition.
Snoop's first album, the Dre-produced Doggystyle (1993), climbed its way to the No. 1 spot on Billboard's hip-hop and Top 200 charts, based in part on the success of the singles Who Am I (What's My Name)? and Gin and Juice.
Snoop continued to make music throughout the noughts, enjoying a big hit in 2004 with the chart-topping single Drop It Like It's Hot, which sparked several fruitful collaborations with Pharrell Williams. He reunited with Warren G and Nate Dogg as 213 to drop the album The Hard Way in 2004.
He also branched out into acting during the same period and appeared in several films, including Starsky & Hutch, The Wash and Training Day. He also made guest appearances on television shows, including The L Word and Weeds, and starred in his own E! reality show, Snoop Dogg's Father Hood, in 2007.
In May 2017 Snoop dropped his 15th studio album Neva Left. He also released a gospel album titled Bible of Love in March 2018.
He is held in high esteem and affection by hip-hop fans worldwide, and is one of the most recognizable faces and voices of the whole genre, even to those who don’t listen to his music. He has the distinction for having the most Grammy nominations of any music artist— 17 to date — without having won one.
