Snoop Dogg
As the embodiment of '90s gangsta rap, Snoop Dogg blurred the lines between
reality and fiction. Introduced to the world through
Dr. Dre's
The Chronic,
Snoop quickly became the most famous star in rap, partially because of his
drawled, laconic rhyming and partially because the violence that his lyrics
implied seemed real, especially after he was arrested on charges of being a
murder accomplice. The arrest certainly strengthened his myth, and it helped his
debut album, 1993's
Doggystyle,
become the first debut album to enter the charts at number one, but in the long
run, it hurt his career. Snoop had to fight charges throughout 1994 and 1995,
and while he was eventually cleared, it hurt his momentum.
The Doggfather,
his second album, wasn't released until November 1996, and by that time, pop and
hip-hop had burned itself out on gangsta rap.
The Doggfather
sold half as well as its predecessor, which meant that Snoop remained a star,
but he no longer had the influence he had just two years before.
Nicknamed Snoop by his mother because of his appearance, Calvin Broadus (born
October 20, 1972) was raised in Long Beach, CA, where he frequently ran into
trouble with the law. Not long after his high school graduation, he was arrested
for possession of cocaine, beginning a period of three years where he was often
imprisoned. He found escape from a life of crime through music. Snoop began
recording homemade tapes with his friend
Warren G,
who happened to be the stepbrother of N.W.A's
Dr. Dre.
Warren G
gave a tape to
Dre,
who was considerably impressed with Snoop's style and began collaborating with
the rapper.
When
Dre
decided to make his tentative first stab at a solo career in 1992 with the theme
song for the film Deep Cover, he had Snoop rap with him. "Deep Cover" started a
buzz about Snoop that escalated into full-fledged mania when
Dre
released his own debut album,
The Chronic,
on Death Row Records late in 1992. Snoop rapped on
The Chronic
as much as
Dre,
and his drawled vocals were as important to the record's success as its P-Funk
bass grooves.
Dre's
singles "Nuthin' But a 'G' Thang" and "Dre Day," which prominently featured
Snoop, became Top Ten pop crossover hits in the spring of 1993, setting the
stage for Snoop's much-anticipated debut album,
Doggystyle.
While he was recording the album with
Dre
in August, Snoop was arrested in connection with the drive-by shooting death of
Phillip Woldermarian. According to the charges, the rapper's bodyguard, McKinley
Lee, shot Woldermarian as Snoop drove the vehicle; the rapper claimed it was
self-defense, alleging that the victim was stalking Snoop. Following a
performance at the MTV Music Awards in September 1993, he turned himself over to
authorities.
After many delays,
Doggystyle
was finally released on Death Row in November of 1993, and it became the first
debut album to enter the charts at number one. Despite reviews that claimed the
album was a carbon copy of
The Chronic,
the Top Ten singles "What's My Name?" and "Gin & Juice" kept
Doggystyle
at the top of the charts during early 1994, as did the considerable controversy
over Snoop's arrest and his lyrics, which were accused of being exceedingly
violent and sexist. During an English tour in the spring of 1994, tabloids and a
Tory minister pleaded for the government to kick the rapper out of the country,
largely based on his arrest. Snoop exploited his impending trial by shooting a
short film based on the
Doggystyle
song "Murder Was the Case" and releasing an accompanying soundtrack, which
debuted at number one in 1994. By that time,
Doggystyle
had gone quadruple platinum.
Snoop spent much of 1995 preparing for the case, which finally went to trial in
late 1995. In February of 1996, he was cleared of all charges and began working
on his second album, this time without
Dre
as producer. Nevertheless, when
The Doggfather
was finally released in November 1996, it bore all the evidence of a
Dre-produced
G-funk record. The album was greeted with mixed reviews, and it initially sold
well, but it failed to produce a hit along the lines of "What's My Name?" and
"Gin & Juice." Part of the reason of the moderate success of
The Doggfather
was the decline of gangsta rap. 2Pac, who had become a friend of Snoop during
1996, died weeks before the release of
The Doggfather,
and
Dre
had left Death Row to his partner
Suge Knight,
who was indicted on racketeering charges by the end of 1996. Consequently,
Snoop's second album got lost in the shuffle, stalling at sales of two million,
which was disappointing for a superstar.
Perhaps sensing something was wrong, Snoop began to revamp his public image,
moving away from his gangsta roots toward a calmer lyrical aesthetic. He also
began making gestures toward the rock community, signing up to tour with
Lollapalooza 1997 and talking about two separate collaborations with
Beck
and
Marilyn Manson.
The solo Da Game Is to Be Sold Not to Be Told, Snoop's first effort for No
Limit, followed in 1998;
No Limit Top
Dogg
appeared a year later and
Dead Man Walkin'
the year after that.
Tha Last Meal
followed in December of that same year. The heavy release schedule resulted in
varying musical quality from album to album, but by the turn of the century,
Snoop had become such a cultural phenomenon that his albums almost became
secondary to the personality behind them. An autobiography appeared in 2001,
followed by a stream of movie roles in several high-profile pictures. Late in
2002, Snoop released his first album for Capitol, Paid tha Cost to Be da Bo$. He
then switched to Geffen for 2004's R&G (Rhythm & Gangsta): The Masterpiece. The
hit album was followed a year later by Welcome to tha Chuuch: Da Album, a
collection of tracks from the Welcome to the Chuuch mixtape series.
That same year he hosted a West Coast peace summit in hopes of squashing all
beefs. In 2006, he appeared on
Tha Dogg Pound's
Cali Iz Active
and
Ice Cube's
Laugh Now, Cry
Later.
Toward the end of the year the intentionally leaked "My Peoples" freestyle
apppeared. The track paid tribute to many involved in Cali's Latin rap
community, so it was no big surprise when "Vato" with
Cypress Hill's
B Real
became his next album's leadoff single. The hard and very G-Funk
Tha Blue Carpet
Treatment
triumphantly capped off a year of heavy West Coast activity. In late 2007 he
recruited two hip-hop veterans -- New Jack Swing legend Teddy Riley and West
Coast hero DJ Quik - and formed the production team QDT Muzic. The team oversaw
Snoop's 2008 album Ego Trippin' which included the single "Sensual Seduction".
Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
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