Born Calvin Broadus

In Long Beach, California,

Snoop acquired his nickname from his mother because his appearance resembled the Peanuts character Snoopy the Dog. Snoop's parents split when he was young, and he lived with his mom and two half-brothers. He spent his free time rapping with close friend Warren Griffin, known today as Warren G. As a teenager, he and Warren G teamed with LBC companion Nate Dogg to form a rap trio called Three The Hard Way, which eventually became 213, named after their area code. Snoop sharpened his musical skills by practicing with 213 in the V.I.P. record store, and G eventually gave a tape of Snoop to his half-brother, Dr. Dre. Dre was impressed, and used Snoop on the soundtrack of the film Deep Cover. It was the beginning of a remarkable career that is still going strong.

In 1992, Snoop was featured on Dr. Dre's groundbreaking, multi-platinum album The Chronic. The album spent eight months on the Billboard charts, and Snoop laid tracks on various songs. His drawled vocals played a large part in the album's success, as did its P-Funk bass grooves. Snoop wrote and co-rapped the song "Nuthin' But A G-Thang" which became a hit single with the catchy chorus "bow wow wow, yippee yo yippee yay." The album has been recognized as one of the 10 best records of the decade by Spin Magazine, while the song "Nuthin' But A G-Thang" was awarded the best single of the decade.

With Snoop's reputation as a rapper solid, he released his first solo record, Doggystyle, in November of 1993 on the Deathrow Records label. The much-anticipated album entered the Billboard charts at #1, unprecedented at the time. The Dre-produced album had two Top Ten singles, "What's My Name?" and "Gin & Juice." Doggystyle went on to sell over five million copies in the U.S., and by the end of 1994, Snoop had earned an MTV Music Video Award for Best Rap Video ("Doggy Dogg World"). He was also named Best Rapper in Rolling Stone's annual critics poll.

During 1994, while Doggystyle annihilated the charts, Snoop shot a short film based on the single "Murder Was the Case." He subsequently released an accompanying soundtrack, which debuted at #1.

1996 brought the release of Snoop's next album, Tha Doggfather. The album was done without Dre producing or helping in any way due to his departure from Deathrow. Despite lower expectations, the album entered the charts at #1 and went double platinum. Tha Doggfather further promoted the Rap and Hip Hop sounds laced with Gangsta themes prominent since Dre's Chronic album. Entertainment Weekly commented on the album, stating, "…Even without Dr. Dre behind the board, Snoop and his studio team concoct an intoxicating blend of old-school funk and gangsta cool…". Snoop dedicated the album to Tupac Shakur, whose tragic death occurred just three months prior to Tha Doggfather's release.

Snoop entered the charts again in 1996 with the song "Never Leave Me Alone," a collaboration with Nate Dogg. During the summer of 1997, Snoop headlined the Lallapalooza Tour. He was supposed to release an EP titled Doggumentary, but due to well-documented problems with Deathrow, the album kept being delayed and ultimately was never released. Snoop left the label in early 1998, fearing that if he stayed with Deathrow, he would either end up dead or in jail. He signed on with Master P's No Limit Records label, and in August he released a new album titled Tha Game Is To Be Sold, Not To Be Told. The album debuted at #1, and sold over 500,000 copies in its first week of release.

In May of 1999, Snoop released his next album, Top Dogg, with No Limit. It quickly went platinum. Later that year his autobiography, written in conjunction with Davin Seay, hit stores. Titled The Times, Trials, & Hardcore Truths of Snoop Dogg, the book provided readers with an inside look into Snoop's world.

Most recently, Snoop has started his own label, Dogghouse Records. The first album released under the label came in February 2000 from Tha Eastsidaz. Appropriately titled Snoop Dogg Presents Tha Eastsidaz, the group consists of Snoop, Tray Deee, and Goldie Loc. The album sold over 100,000 copies within one week of being released, breaking into Billboard's top ten. The familiar tight beats and easy flow from days past is brought back along with Tray Deee's bomb rapping and Goldie Loc's intense energy. The now platinum-selling album includes appearances from several notables, including Dr. Dre, Nate Dogg, Butch Cassidy, and Xzibit. Hot tracks such as "G'd Up," "Got Beef," "Big Bang Theory," and "Tha Eastsidaz" prove that West Coast Rap is back with a vengeance.

The next album to be released on Dogghouse Records is Doggy's Angels' self-titled debut album. The female Rap trio is comprised of Big Chan, Coniyac, and Kola. The album, set to hit stores in late October, contains production elements from some of the west coast's finest, including Battlecat, Meech Wells, Fredwreck, and JellyRoll. Doggy's Angels' debut single, "Baby If You're Ready," is set to drop on September 26th.

Dogghouse Record's film division, Snoopadelic Films, is set to release a straight-to-video film featuring Snoop, Tray Deee, Goldie Loc, and Darryl Brunson on August 29th.

Snoop's next album, his last under the current No Limit contract, is titled Last Meal and is expected to hit stores in October. The album features production from Dr. Dre, Timbaland, and Swizz Beats. Snoop also hits the big screen in the horror flick Bones, set to be released in early 2001 via New Line Cinema.