Snoop Dogg

Cordozar Calvin Broadus, Jr., better known by the stage name Snoop Dogg (born October 20, 1971 in Long Beach, California), is an American rapper, record producer, and actor. Snoop is best known as an MC in the West Coast hip hop scene, and for being one of producer Dr. Dre's most notable protégés. His mother nicknamed him "Snoopy" as a child because of the way his eyes looked, and he took the stage name Snoop Doggy Dogg when he began recording. He changed his name to Snoop Dogg in 1996, when he left his original record label Death Row Records and signed with No Limit Records. Several of his cousins also became hip hop artists and Aftermath collaborators, including RBX, Nate Dogg, and Daz Dillinger. As a rapper, he is best known for his “lazy drawl”—a slurred, distinctively calm, laid-back, and rhythmically-complex lyrical delivery ^*. According to Soundscan he has sold 17.6 million copies from the establishment of Soundscan (1991) to January 2006. His catch phrase is widely known as "Fo shizzle, my nizzle."

Biography

Early years

He attended Long Beach Polytechnic High School ^*, where he began participating in schoolyard freestyle MCing competitions.

As a member of a local Crips gang in Long Beach called ES Rollin' 20's Crips, Snoop Dogg was in and out of jail for the three years after he graduated from high school. Pushed by older inmates to make something of himself, he began making homemade rap tapes with his cousin Nate Dogg and best friend Warren G (stepbrother of Dr. Dre of N.W.A.). Originally, Nate's cousin Lil' 1/2 Dead was also part of the group, called 213, named after the Long Beach area code. This was largely in homage to Richie Rich's group 415, named for the (then) area code of Oakland, California.

Success with Death Row Records

Dr. Dre began collaborating with the young rapper, first on the theme song of the feature film Deep Cover, and then on Dr. Dre's debut solo album The Chronic with the other members of his former starting group, Tha Dogg Pound. Early success with mastering the "Doggystyle" finally justified his role in the naming of his debut-solo-album, Doggystyle.

Snoop Dogg's contribution to The Chronic was considerable; the rapper's rhymes were as present as Dre's. The huge success of Snoop's debut Doggystyle is largely due to this intense exposure. While recording Doggystyle with Dre in August 1993, Snoop Dogg was arrested in the shooting death of Phillip Woldermarian, a member of a rival gang who was later revealed to have had a secret obsession with Snoop. Snoop was defended by Johnnie Cochran and was eventually acquitted on both grounds of self-defense and because he allegedly drove the car while his bodyguard McKinley Lee fired the fatal shots (Lee was also acquitted on grounds of self-defense). Snoop remained entangled in the legal battles around the case for three years.

The Doggystyle album was released in November 1993 on Death Row Records and became the first debut album ever to enter the charts at #1, helping to fuel the ascendance of West Coast "G Funk" rap. The singles "What's My Name" and "Gin and Juice" went to the Top Ten, and the album remained in the charts for several months, even as controversy raged over the murder trial and his allegedly violent and sexist lyrics. Gangsta rap became the center of arguments for censorship and labeling, with Snoop often used as an example of violent and misogynistic musicians.

A short film about the trial called Murder Was the Case, and an accompanying soundtrack, were released in 1994. It is said -- reportedly to Snoop's distress -- that a lot of the hype surrounding his debut was generated by his well-publicized trial. Others argue that the Death Row crew knew that any publicity is good publicity, as this film was directed by Dr. Dre himself.

However, by the time Snoop's second album Tha Doggfather was released in November 1996, both the furor and the popularity of gangsta rap had begun to fade, dragged down by the death of Snoop's friend Tupac Shakur and the racketeering indictment of Death Row co-founder Suge Knight. Dr. Dre had left Death Row earlier that year, and so Snoop co-produced the album himself with Daz Dillinger and DJ Pooh.

Recent years

Snoop Dogg's artistic output has since drawn back a bit from hardcore gangsta rap, with him performing on the alternative rock Lollapalooza tour in 1997, and making several film appearances, in addition to producing and directing music videos for himself and other artists. He released an autobiography in 2001.

During this period, he also released two albums on Master P's No Limit label, including Da Game Is to Be Sold Not to Be Told and No Limit Top Dogg. His last album on No Limit was 2000's Tha Last Meal. It featured a more laid-back style with a heavier emphasis on his "pimp" lifestyle as opposed to his gangbanging lyrics on previous albums.

Snoop produced a pornographic film called Snoop Dogg's Doggystyle with Hustler magazine in 2001, where he combines hip hop music with X-rated material. From then on, many films of the genre followed, and finally ended up with founding the Snoopadelic Films company in 2005, Snoop's own movie production company debuting with Boss'n Up, a film inspired by R&G starring Lil Jon and Trina. ^*

In 2002, he announced that he was giving up drinking and drugs. Later that year he released the album tha Cost to Be da Bo$$" target="_blank" >^*, which featured the hit singles and videos "From Da Chuuuch to Da Palace" and "Beautiful," featuring guest vocals by the Neptunes' Pharrell Williams.

On May 21, 2004, Snoop Dogg filed for divorce from his wife Shante Broadus, citing irreconcilable differences and seeking joint custody of their three children, Corde, Cordell, and Cori; they have since reconciled. Later that year, he collaborated again with his old friends Nate Dogg and Warren G, as part of their rap group 213. They released an album The Hard Way, which featured the single "Groupie Luv", and reached #4 in the U.S. Billboard 200 album charts.

In 2004, Snoop signed to the Star Trak record label, headed by the Neptunes, who produced several tracks for his 2004 release R&G (Rhythm & Gangsta) The Masterpiece. "Drop It Like It's Hot" (featuring Pharrell), the first single released from the album, was a hit and became his first single to reach number one. His third release was "Signs", featuring Justin Timberlake & Charlie Wilson, which entered the UK chart at #2. This was his highest entry ever in the UK chart.

He also notably played the drug dealer-turned-informant character of Huggy Bear, in the 2004 remake film of the '70s TV-series of the same name, Starsky & Hutch.

Snoop Dogg recently announced to British radio that his next album, The Blue Carpet Treatment, will feature production by long-time partner Dr. Dre, dispelling rumors of a rift between the two in recent times. In addition, Snoop will be featured on Dre's proclaimed (and much delayed) Detox.

On 26 April 2006, Snoop Dogg and members of his entourage were arrested at Heathrow Airport for "violent disorder and affray" — or creating a brawl or disturbance — after being turned away from British Airways' first class lounge. Snoop and his party were not allowed to enter the lounge because although some of the entourage were flying first class, other members of the party were flying economy class. After the group was escorted outside, they vandalized a duty-free shop by throwing whisky bottles. Seven police officers were injured in the fracas. After a night in the cells, Snoop Dogg and the other men were released on bail on the 27 April but he was unable to perform at the Premier Foods People's Concert in Johannesburg on the same day. As part of his bail conditions, he has to return to the police station in May. The group has been banned by British Airways for "the foreseeable future." ^* ^*

On 11 May, when he presented himself at a London police station, he was cautioned for affray under Section 4 of the Public Order Act for use of threatening words or behaviour ^*.

On 15 May, the Home Office decided that Snoop Dogg should be denied entry to the UK for the foreseeable future, most likely forever, due to the fracas at Heathrow, along with his previous convictions in the US for drugs and firearms offences [http://uk.news.launch.yahoo.com/dyna/article.html?a=/060516/340/gbrj1.html&e=l_news_dm. Because of these offenses he has been banned from flying with British Airways ever again.

As of June 2006, Snoop is doing an ad for Orbit Gum. In this ad, the Orbit Girl, Vanessa Branch, comes and cleans up Snoops dirty mouth.

Snoop Dogg's latest music is being featured on west coast rap albums, such as "Laugh Now, Cry Later" by Ice Cube and "Cali Iz Active" by Tha Dogg Pound. He is featured on 2 tracks from Cube's album and several tracks on "Cali Iz Active." Also, his latest song is "Real Talk" which has been leaked all over the internet and a video has been leaked too, and it can be seen on YouTube. "Real Talk" is a dedication to Tookie Williams and a diss to Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Currently Snoop Dogg is working with producer JT The Bigga Figga on a documentary DVD entitled Mandatory Business, that will feature the likes of Russell Simmons, Spike Lee, Xzibit, Young Buck and 50 Cent. There will also be a soundtrack released for the album.

Trivia

Snoop Dogg plans to publish his first novel in Autumn 2006

Snoop Dogg is famous for using slang invented by Frankie Smith and The Gap Band in the early eighties, and popularized in part by fellow rapper E-40,^* much of which is simply derived by adding an "izz" or "-izzle" sound to the word.

Snoop is a fan of many professional and college sports teams such as the Los Angeles Lakers, New England Patriots, and the USC Trojans.

Snoop was a member of the Rollin' 20 Crips gang in Long Beach, and still has affiliations with the group. Goldie Loc of Tha Eastsidaz is also a former member of this gang, as are Warren G and Nate Dogg.

Snoop Dogg has his own show on XM Satellite Radio called Welcome to Da Chuuch with Big Snoop Dogg. On December 8, 2005, he was named executive producer for XM's classic hip hop channel, The Rhyme, and will provide the creative direction for the channel and assist in the development of new exclusive programming for The Rhyme as well as other channels. Also in that month, Snoop appeared in a comical TV commercial for XM with fellow XM celebrity DJs Ellen DeGeneres and David Bowie which finds the rapper attempting to find one of his misplaced vanity necklaces; the punchline of the commercial reveals that Bowie had been wearing the jewelry, unbeknownst to Snoop.

Snoop Dogg is the most "well-connected" rapper of all time based on a study by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology ^*. This is counted from the unusually high album sales and the collaborations made.http://www.music-map.com/snoop+doggy+dog.html - Snoop Dogg's sociographic map, URL accessed on July 3, 2006 (UTC)

Snoop Dogg was requested by EA Games together with the surviving members of The Doors to produce and perform a song for the soundtrack of EA Games' Need For Speed Underground 2 in 2004. On the track, Snoop raps over a sample of The Doors' "Riders on the Storm."

Snoop Dogg collaborated with several international musicians, including Aki-La (Japan), Jamel Debbouze (France) and Mira Craig (Norway).

Snoop Dogg and Willie McGinest of the Cleveland Browns are childhood friends.

Discography and filmography

For a full listing of music and film projects, see Snoop Dogg discography and filmography.

Solo albums

1993: Doggystyle (Death Row/Interscope) #1 US (3 weeks) (5x Platinum^RIAA⁾
1996: Tha Doggfather (Death Row) #1 US (1 week) (2x Platinum)
1998: Da Game Is to Be Sold Not to Be Told (No Limit/Priority) #1 US (2 weeks) (2x Platinum)
1999: No Limit Top Dogg (No Limit/Priority) #2 US (Platinum),
2000: Tha Last Meal (No Limit/Priority) #4 US (Platinum^RIAA⁾
2002: tha Cost to Be da Bo$$" target="_blank" >^* (Doggystyle/Priority/Capitol) #12 US (Platinum^RIAA⁾
2004: R&G (Rhythm & Gangsta) The Masterpiece (Doggystyle/Star Trak/Geffen) #6 US (Platinum^RIAA⁾
2006: The Blue Carpet Treatment

Singles

Year	Title	Chart Positions					Album
Year	Title	US Hot 100	US R&B/Hip-Hop	US Rap	UK Singles	AUS Singles	Album
1993	"Who Am I (What's My Name)?"	#8	#8	#1	#20	-	Doggystyle
1993	"Gin and Juice" (feat. Daz Dillinger)	#8	#13	#1	#39	-	Doggystyle
1994	"Doggy Dogg World" (feat. The Dramatics & Tha Dogg Pound)	-	-	-	#32	-	Doggystyle
1996	"Snoop's Upside Ya Head" (feat. Charlie Wilson)	-	-	-	#12	#44	Tha Doggfather
1997	"Vapors" (feat. Charlie Wilson & Teena Marie)	-	-	-	#18	-	Tha Doggfather
1997	"We Just Wanna Party with You" (feat. Jermaine Dupri)	-	-	-	#21	#28	Men in Black O.S.T.
1998	"Still a G Thang"	#19	#16	#3	-	-	Da Game Is to Be Sold Not to Be Told
2002	"From tha Chuuuch to da Palace" (feat. Pharrell)	#77	#31	#16	#27	-	tha Cost to Be da Bo$$" target="_blank" >^*
2003	"Beautiful" (feat. Pharrell & Charlie Wilson)	#6	#3	#3	#23	#4	Paid tha Cost to Be da Bo$$
2004	"Drop It Like It's Hot" (feat. Pharrell)	#1	#1	#1	#10	#4	R&G (Rhythm & Gangsta) The Masterpiece
2005	"Let's Get Blown"	#54	#19	#12	#13	-	R&G (Rhythm & Gangsta) The Masterpiece
2005	"Signs" (feat. Charlie Wilson & Justin Timberlake)	#46	-	-	#2	#1 weeks	R&G (Rhythm & Gangsta) The Masterpiece
2005	"Ups & Downs" (feat. The Bee Gees)	-	#67	-	#36	#25	R&G (Rhythm & Gangsta) The Masterpiece
2005	"Real Soon" (as a member of DPGC including Nate Dogg) (free download to support clemency)	-	-	-	-	#49	Welcome to tha Chuuch - Da Album
2006	"Real Talk" (free & full MySpace download at low bitrate and internet video accessible from official site)http://www.myspace.com/snoopdogg - 1228191 plays; URL accessed 3 July 2006 (UTC)	-	-	-	-	-	The Blue Carpet Treatment

Selected filmography

I Got the Hook Up (1998)
Half Baked (1998) (cameo appearance)
Hot Boyz (1999)
Urban Menace (1999)
The Eastsidaz (2000) (also executive producer)
Crime Partners 2000 (2001)
Baby Boy (2001)
Training Day (2001)
Bones (2001)
The Wash (2001)
Pauly Shore Is Dead (2003)
Old School (2003)
Starsky & Hutch (2004)
Soul Plane (2004)
Boss'n Up (2005)
The Tenants (2006)
Hood of Horror (2006)

Awards

Grammy Award nominations

Snoop Dogg has been nominated for eight Grammy Awards but has not yet won an award as of 2006.

Category	Genre	Song	Year	Result
Best Rap Song songwriter (with Pharrell Williams)	Rap	"Drop It Like It's Hot"	2005	Nominated
Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group (with Pharrell Williams)	Rap	"Drop It Like It's Hot"	2005	Nominated
Best Rap Song songwriter (with Chad Hugo and Pharrell Williams)	Rap	"Beautiful"	2004	Nominated
Best Rap/Sung Collaboration (with Pharrell Williams and Charlie Wilson)	Rap	"Beautiful"	2004	Nominated
Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group (with Dr. Dre)	Rap	"The Next Episode"	2001	Nominated
Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group (with Dr. Dre)	Rap	"Still D.R.E."	2000	Nominated
Best Rap Solo Performance	Rap	"Gin and Juice"	1995	Nominated
Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group (with Dr. Dre)	Rap	"Nuthin' But a "G" Thang"	1994	Nominated

Awards won

2006 The Recording Academy Honors
- Recipient (Snoop Dogg)
2006 MTV Australia Video Music Awards
- Best hip hop video ("Drop it Like It's Hot")
2005 The Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop Conference Awards
- Hot Rap Track ("Drop it Like It's Hot")
2005 MTV European Music Awards
- Best Hip-Hop Artist
2005 MOBO Awards
- Best video ("Drop it Like It's Hot")
2004 Adult Video News awards
- Top Selling Tape of 2003 ("Snoop Dogg's Hustlaz: Diary Of a Pimp")
2003 BET Awards
- Best Collaboration (with Pharrell)
2002 MTV Movie Awards
- Best Cameo ("Training Day" - 2001)
2002 Urban Fashion Awards
- Best Celebrity Clothing Line ("Snoop Dogg Clothing")
2002 Adult Video News awards
- Best Music soundtrack ("Snoop Dogg's Doggystyle")
- Top Selling Tape of 2001 ("Snoop Dogg's Doggystyle")
1995 American Music Awards
- Favorite Rap/Hip-Hop Artist
1994 MTV Video Music Award
- Best Rap Video. ("Doggy Dogg World")
1994 Source Awards
- New Artist of the Year (Solo)
- Lyricist of the Year

Other nominations

2005 Radio Music Awards
- Song of the Year/Urban and Rhythmic Radio ("Drop It Like It's Hot")
2005 Billboard Music Awards
- Rap song of the year ("Drop It Like It's Hot")
2005 MTV European Music Awards
- Best Male artist
- Best song ("Signs")
2005 BET Awards
- Video of the Year ( "Drop It Like It's Hot")
- Best Collaboration ( "Drop It Like It's Hot")
- Best Rap Artist
2005 World Music Awards
- Best-Selling Male R&B Award
2005 MTV Video Music Awards
- Video of the Year ("Drop It Like It's Hot")
- Best Hip-Hop Video ("Drop It Like It's Hot")
- Viewer's Choice ("Drop It Like It's Hot")
2005 MOBO Awards
- Best Single ("Drop It Like It's Hot" with Pharrell).
2005 Soul Train Awards
- ("Drop It Like It's Hot")
2004 MTV Video Music Awards
- Best Hip-Hop Video. ("Holidae Inn" with Chingy and Ludacris)
2004 MVPA Video Awards
- Best Hip-Hop Video (Snoop Dogg feat. Pharrell Williams "Beautiful" / Prod Co: Partizan; Chris Robinson, dir.)
2003 BET Awards
- Best Male Hip-Hop Artist
2003 California Music Awards
- Outstanding hip-hop album ("Paid Tha Cost To Be Da Boss")
2003 MTV Video Music Awards
- Best Hip-Hop Video ("Beautiful")
2003 Vibe Awards
- Reelest video:"Beautiful"
- Hottest hook:"Beautiful"
- Coolest collaboration:"Beautiful"
2003 MVPA Video Awards
- Soundtrack Video of the year (Snoop Dogg feat. Bootsy Collins - "Undercova Funk (Give Up the Funk)" from "Undercover Brother." Director: Gregory Dark. Production company: Atlas)
2001 1st Annual BET Awards (June 19, 2001):
- Video of the Year ("The Next Episode" - Dr. Dre feat. Snoop Dogg, Nate Dogg)
2001 MTV Video Music Awards
- Best Rap Video ("Lay Low")

Endorsements and products

"Snoop Doggs" - foot-long hot dogs manufactured in Massachusetts a joint venture with Platinum One Media ^*
"Snoop Dogg Board Company (SDBC)" - skateboards and Luggage fabrication company (with Pentagon Distribution)
"Snooperbowl" and "Snoop Youth Football league"
"Chronic Candy" - candy that tastes like marijuana (from Switzerland and is currently banned in some cities of US)
Dogg Dayz - fiction book (published by Atria) ISBN 074327363X ^*
Tha Doggfather : The Times, Trials, And Hardcore Truths Of Snoop Dogg - autobiography (published by William Morrow) Hardcover ISBN 0688171583, Paperback ISBN 0061076074 ^*
Fear & Respect (project cancelled as of March 1 2006) - PlayStation 2 video game (developed by Midway Games)
"Doggy Biscuitz" - shoe brand (in partnership with Pony International) ^*
"Snoop Dogg Clothing" - streetwear (distributed at Macy's)
"WRFF" - unique design scooters (in cooperation with Salton, Inc.) ^*
"Hip Hop Gaming League" - a celebrity online gaming competition (hosted by Global Gaming League) ^*
"Snoop Dogg figures" (Vital Toys, Sota Toys) ^*

Music samples

Solo

Writer/Composer

Production

Cameo/Collab

Notes

External links

"Snoop Dogg banned for life from entering United Kingdom - Sunday People newspaper
Official website
Snoop Dogg fansite
Snoop Dogg Lyrics
Snoop Dogg Google Search Engine
Lyrics Translated By Snoop Dogg
Online ad for Wrigley's Orbit gum featuring Snoop Dogg
Snoop Dog Translator (translates sites into Snoop Dogg slang)

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