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Biography
CALVIN BROADUS acquired his nickname because of his resemblance to that popular Peanuts character Snoopy the Dog. His father said that Snoop "had a lot of hair on his head as a baby and looked like a little dog." His parents split up when he was still a boy; he lived with his mother and two half-brothers, and spent his free time rapping with a friend, Warren Griffin, who would later find fame as rapper Warren G. Snoop was a good student and athlete in high school, several basketball programs recruited him, but he fell in with one of the L.A. Crips gangs, started selling drugs, and wound up in jail soon after he graduated high school. Snoop claims that fellow inmates told him to get his life together because he had talent.
Over the next three years, Snoop bounced in and out of prison, but he eventually decided to devote himself to rap. His buddy Warren G. gave Snoop his first break. Warren played Snoop's tape for his brother, who just happened to be the godfather of rap, Dr. Dre. Dre loved Snoop's tape, and put him on the soundtrack of the film Deep Cover and on his 1992 album The Chronic. This album went on to become one of the top-selling rap albums in history, and Dre and Snoop scored a megahit with "Nuthin' But a 'G' Thang," with the chorus, "Bow wow wow, yippee yo yippee yay." By this time, Snoop's reputation as a rapper was so great that his first solo record, Doggystyle, released in 1994, spawned several hit singles, including "Gin and Juice," "Doggy Dogg World," and "Who Am I (What's My Name)." He was voted best rapper by Rolling Stone readers and critics in their annual poll, and he won an MTV award for best rap video with "Doggy Dogg World."
In the midst of all this success, Snoop was arrested and charged with the murder of Philip Woldermariam, a rival gang member, who was gunned down on August 25, 1993, in a drive-by shooting in L.A. Snoop and his bodyguard, McKinley Lee, were both charged in the murder. Ironically, right around the time the charges hit Snoop released a single and a long-form video entitled "Murder Was the Case." Snoop and Lee were both found not guilty of murder.
The November of 1996 release of Snoop's second album, Tha Doggfather, showed that his scrape with the law did little to tone down his gangsta cockiness on songs like "Ride 4 Me," though "Snoop Bounce" (based on Zapp's 1980 hit "More Bounce to the Ounce") did suggest a more playful side. It would seem fair to suggest that Snoop needed a bit of levity in his life at that moment; Tha Doggfather was released just three months after the death of his friend and labelmate Tupac Shakur, to whom Snoop dedicated the album.
Tha Doggfather debuted at No. 1, and Snoop's personal problems seemed to have abated, but the press and the public were more engaged by the darker stories emerging from the rap world than by the new album of its premier performer. Questions surrounding Shakur's murder cast a pall over the entire Death Row Records camp, and by early 1997, serious legal problems facing label head Suge Knight were making headlines. Snoop did perform two songs ("Snoop's Upside Ya Head" and "Vapors") on Saturday Night Live in January, and he added to his old-school credibility by bringing along the Gap Band's Charles Wilson, who has since become his de facto band leader.
Plans called for Snoop to take to the road in the spring of 1997, but the death in March of the Notorious B.I.G. caused him to cancel his tour out of respect, and, undoubtedly, fears for his own safety, given the murder of two peers in the span of seven months. Yet as Tha Doggfather slipped from the charts, providing Snoop with the perfect excuse to lay low, he instead opted to accept a high-profile slot on the summer's Lollapalooza lineup. By June, Snoop was making headlines for accepting his first movie role (in a film tentatively titled The Real) and for marrying his longtime girlfriend Shantay Taylor. He also took time out for a pair of collaborations (with Tony Toni Tone's Raphael Saddiq and Rage Against the Machine), which will appear on a new EP titled Doggumentary, and to record a track for the highly successful Men in Black soundtrack.
In January 1998, Snoop made a shocking announcement, his departure from Death Row Records. "I definitely feel my life is in danger if I stay in Death Row Records," Snoop Doggy Dogg told a reporter from the Long Beach Press-Telegram. "It's going to be ugly," he said, "But it's going to happen." Death Row's legal troubles in the past year, and reported mismanagement, reportedly contributed to his decision. "They don't know how to run business. That's why their business is gone. There's nothing over there. Suge Knight [Death Row President] is in jail, Dr. Dre left, and Tupac is dead," Snoop continued. "Everybody in the industry knows that Snoop Dogg was a part of making Death Row, so if he don't want to be there no more, let him go."
The following March he dropped another bombshell, not to mention his middle name "Doggy", his new deal with rap impresario Master P's label No Limits. The newly christened Snoop Dogg's first album for No Limits, Da Game Is to Be Sold, Not to Be Told, released in August, received mixed reviews but made a huge dent in the charts, debuting at No. 1 and selling over half a million copies its first week. Snoop further solidified his No Limits loyalty at the September MTV Music Video Awards, when he joined in a spirited onstage jam with several of his labelmates wearing a custom No Limits jersey.
Snoop reportedly landed a six figure deal to pen his memoirs for publisher William Morrow.The book, titled Tha Doggfather: The Times, Trials, and Hardcore Truths of Snoop Dogg, with writer Davin Seay, who has biographies of Mick Jagger and Erik Estrada to his credit. Snoop also contributed to N.W.A. Straight Outta Compton 10th Anniversary Tribute, an album celebrating the release of N.W.A.'s pivotal rap album a decade ago. And we are all awaiting the posibility of a NWAreunion album with Snoop filling in for Eazy-E, after recording Chin Check for the Next Friday soundtrack.
After putting in some memorable appearances and restoring the Westcoast on Dre's 2001, Snoop released his last album on no Limit, Tha Last Meal. He is now expected to work mainly on his own Doggystyle Records artists, which has a very impressive roster which currently boasts:
1. Snoop Dogg
2. Tray Dee
3. Goldie Loc
4. Doggy's Angels
5. Kokane
6. Butch Cassidy
7. Bad Azz
8. Lady Of Rage
9. CPO
10. Toi
11. Snoopadelic
12. Soopafly
And in the works for Snoop are a number of film projects, Bones, 3 the Hard Way, and King, the latter featuring Ice-T.
In 2001, Snoop released his own clothing label, "SDC" or "Snoop Dogg Clothing". His aim was to provide both street and his usual 'pimp' get-up. The clothing sold well and re-affirmed his status as bein able to step well away from bein underneath Dre's shadow, now with his own clothing label, CEO of his own record label, as well as actor and rapper, and his own protege's creating their own labels and proteges.
2002 see's the Bigg S-N double O-P, releasing his sixth album, tentatively titled "Paid da Cost to be da Boss". He is also over-looking Kokane'e soon to drop solo album, aswell as the next Eastsidaz album. The new Estsidaz album however will mainly focus on Tray Deee and Goldie Loc, wit possibly just a few small guest appearances from the Bigg Dogg himself.
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Discography
Snoop Doggy Dogg - Doggystyle (1993)
1 Bathtub
2 G Funk Intro
3 Gin and Juice
4 W-Balls (Tha Shiznit Intro)
5 Tha Shiznit
6 Lodi Dodi Intro
7 Lodi Dodi
8 Murder Was the Case
9 Serial Killa
10 Who Am I (What's My Name)?
11 For All My Niggaz & Bitches
12 Ain't No Fun
13 Chronic Break
14 Doggy Dogg World
15 You Betta Ask Somebody
16 Gz and Hustlas
17 U Betta Recognize (Pump Pump Intro)
18 Pump Pump
* Gz Up, Hoes Down
Snoop Doggy Dogg - Tha Doggfather (1996)
1 Intro
2 Doggfather
3 Ride 4 Me
4 Up Jump Tha Boogie
5 Freestyle Conversation
6 When I Grow Up
7 Snoop Bounce
8 Gold Rush
9 (Tear 'Em Off) Me & My Doggz
10 You Thought
11 Vapors
12 Groupie
13 2001
14 Sixx Minutes
15 (O.J.) Wake Up
16 Snoop's Upside Ya Head
17 Blueberry
18 Traffic Jam
19 Doggyland
20 Downtown Assassins
21 Outro
Snoop Dogg - Da Game is to be Sold Not Told (1998)
1 Snoop World
2 Slow Down
3 Woof!
4 Gin & Juice 2
5 Show Me Love
6 Hustle-N-Ball
7 Don't Let Go
8 Tru Tank Dogs
9 What Cha Gon Do?
10 Still A "G" Thang
11 20 Dollars 2 My Name
12 D.O.G.'s Get Lonely 2
13 Ain't Nuttin' Personal
14 D.P. Gangsta
15 Game Of Life
16 See Ya When I Get There
17 Payin' For P...
18 Picture This
19 Doggz Gonna Get Ya
20 Hoes Money And Clout
21 Get 'Bout It And Rowdy
Snoop Dogg - No Limit Top Dogg (1999)
1 Dolomite Intro
2 Buck 'Em
3 Trust Me
4 My Heat Goes Boom
5 Dolomite
6 Snoopafella
7 In Love With a Thug
8 G Bedtime Stories
9 Down 4 My Niggas
10 Betta Days
11 Somethin Bout Yo Bidness
12 Bitch Please
13 Doin' Too Much
14 Gangsta Ride
15 Ghetto Symphony
16 Party With a D.P.G.
17 Buss'n Rocks
18 Just Dippin'
19 Don't Tell
20 20 Minutes
21 I Love My Momma
Snoop Dogg Presents Tha Eastsidaz (Feb. 2000)
1 Intro to Indo
2 Now We Lay 'Em Down
3 Tha Eastsidaz
4 Dogghouse
5 Give it 2 'Em Dogg
6 Got Beef
7 Real Talk
8 Balls of Steel
9 Nigga 4 Life
10 G'd Up
11 Another Day
12 Tha Mac Ten Commandments
13 Ghetto
14 Big Bang Theory
15 Be Thankful
16 How You Livin'
17 Take it Back to '85
18 Tha G in Deee
19 Tha Mac Bible
20 Pussy Sells
21 LBC Thang
22 Life Goes On
Snoop Dogg - Dead Man Walkin (Oct. 2000)
1 May I
2 C-Walkin
3 Head Doctor
4 Hit Rocks
5 Tommy Boy
6 Change Gone Come
7 Too Black
8 Gangsta Walk
9 County Blues
10 I Will Survive
11 My Favorite Color
12 Me and My Doggs
Snoop Dogg - Tha Last Meal (Dec. 2000)
1 Intro
2 Hennesey N Buddah
3 Snoop Dogg
4 True Lies
5 Wrong Idea
6 Go Away
7 Set it Off
8 Stacey Adams
9 Lay Low
10 Bring it On
11 Game Court
12 Issues
13 Brake Fluid
14 Ready 2 Ryde
15 Loosen' Control
16 I Can't Swim
17 Leave Me Alone
18 Back Up Off Me
19 Y'all Gone Miss Me
Eastsidaz - Duces 'N Trayz: The Old Fashioned Way (Jul. 2001)
1 Intro
2 I Luv It
3 Eastside Ridaz
4 Crip Hop
5 I Don't Know
6 Welcome 2 Tha House
7 Friends
8 Gang Bang 4 Real
9 I Pledge Allegiance
10 Now is the Time
11 Cool
12 Dogghouse in Your Mouth
13 Connected
14 Mac Bible Chapter 211 Verse 20-24
15 Break a Bitch Til I Die
16 Sticky Fingers
17 There Comes a Time
18 Late Night
19 So Low
20 Everywhere I Go
Snoop Dogg - Paid Da Cost To Be Da Boss (Nov 2002)
1. Don Doggy
2. Da Bo$$ Would Like To See You
3. Stoplight
4. From Tha Chuuuch To Da Palace - (featuring Pharrell)
5. I Believe In You - (featuring Latoiya Williams)
6. Lollipop - (featuring Jay-Z/Soopafly/Nate Dogg)
7. Ballin' - (featuring The Dramatics/Lil' Half Dead)
8. Beautiful - (featuring Pharrell/Uncle Charlie Wilson)
9. Paper'd Up - (featuring Mr. Kane/Traci Nelson)
10. Wasn't Your Fault
11. Bo$$ Playa
12. Hourglass - (featuring Mr. Kane/Goldie Loc)
13. One And Only, The
14. I Miss That Bitch - (featuring E-White)
15. From Long Beach 2 Brick City - (featuring Redman/Nate Dogg/Warren G)
16. Suited N Booted
17. You Got What I Want - (featuring Ludacris/Goldie Loc/Uncle Charlie Wilson)
18. Batman & Robin - (featuring The Lady Of Rage/RBX)
19. Message 2 Fat Cuzz, A
20. Pimp Slapp'd
213 - The Hard Way (August 2004)
1. Intro
2. Twist Yo Body
3. Absolutely
4. Keep It Gansta
5. Run On Up
6. Groupie Luv
7. Lonely Girl
8. Another Summer
9. 213 The Gangsta Clicc
10. Gotta Find A Way
11. Ups & Downs
12. Joysticc
13. Rick James (Interlude) - (with Dave Chappelle)
14. Mary Jane
15. MLK
16. Lil Girl
17. My Dirty Ho
18. Appreciation
19. So Fly
Latest & Related
Snoop is currently adding the finished touches to his next solo venture. It'll be his first release since signing to Star Trak Records, the label owned by superstar producers The Neptunes. If previous Snoop/Neptune hits such as 'Beautiful' and 'It Blows My Mind' are anything to go by, it should be a real banger! According to www.dpgrecordz.com, there will be a new Dogg Pound album! No, Kurupt sadly hasn't come home, instead it will be a joint effort by Daz, Soopafly and Snoop. Be sure to pick that up when it happens for some real gangsta shit!
Related Artists:
All you Snoop D-O double G fans, even tho no doubt you'll all already own albums by them, should enjoy music by:
Dr Dre
Kurupt
Daz Dillinger
2pac
Soopafly
Nate Dogg
Warren G
Wanna add anythin else to what i've wrote? feel free to e-mail me
Email Me
Links to sites for more information
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