Snoop Dogg

Posted on 11.30.2004

Snoop Dogg
Real Name : Calvin Cordozar Broadus
Born : October 22, 1971
Hometown : Long Beach, California

Snoop Dogg Biography :

A musical and cultural icon, hip-hop Renaissance man, entrepreneur, and Hollywood’s newest leading man, Snoop Dogg is quickly becoming the hottest commodity in the world of entertainment.

Snoop Dogg got his name from his mother who jokingly remarked that he looked like the Peanuts character Snoopy. 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 dogg 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.

His rise to fame began in 1993 with the release of his debut album “Doggystyle”. Fueled by the rapper’s street credentials and criminal infamy, the anticipation for the album was unprecedented - selling 1.5 million albums in advance of the release. It was the first debut rap album to hit the charts at number one. By late 1996, Snoop released his sophomore album, “The Doggfather” to mediocre sales and reviews, but it was too late. Gangsta rap was quickly declining with the recent death of 2Pac Shakur and it looked like Snoop had lost out on his small window of opportunity.

By 1998, while controversial Death Row Records honcho Suge Knight served a prison bid for parole violation, Snoop exited the label to join the ranks at Master P’s No Limit Records. Snoop’s first No Limit album, "Da Game Is To Be Sold Not To Be Told" proved that Snoop’s usual, infectious slow drawl was a poor mesh for the thunderous, production sound of the New Orleans based No Limit. In 1999, Snoop’s second No Limit album, "Top Dogg" re-teamed him with Dr. Dre, and scored an underground anthem with the song "B Please" featuring Xzibit that helped Xzibit achieve further notoriety. "Dead Man Walkin’" appeared the year after. Snoop’s "Tha Last Meal", released in 2000, was his final record under Master P’s tutelage.

In 2001, Snoop secured a second label deal. This time with MCA Records, and issued the compilation, Snoop Dogg Presents Doggy Style Allstars : "Welcome To The House, Vol. 1" in 2002. An autobiography appeared in 2001, followed by a stream of movie roles in several high-profile pictures. Snoop broke into the adult entertainment business in 2001, recording adult videos to some of his music tracks for the DVD, Doggystyle, Vol. 1, which received two AVN Video Awards. He followed Doggystyle with his own instalment of the Girls Gone Wild series dubbed Girls Gone Wild Doggy Style. Late in 2002, Snoop released his first album for Capitol, "Paid tha Cost to Be da Bo$$".

Snoop’s music fans won’t be disappointed this year with two new projects on the rise. This November, he will drop his highly anticipated solo record Snoop Dogg "R&G : Rhythm & Gangsta The Masterpiece". This newest solo album promises Snoop’s same beloved rap style, with a series of surprise guest stars, including Pharrell Williams of the Neptunes. The two have been hard at work in the studio for months collaborating on a fresh new sound for the album. The first single off the album, “Drop It Like It’s Hot,” has already created tremendous buzz on both on the radio and in the streets, positioning the album to be a huge chart topping success.

Already out this year, Snoop re-connected with his childhood friends, Nate Dog and Warren G on the successful album "213 : The Hard Way". The album was #1 in Southern California and is rising in the Billboard Top 5 every week. Snoop was also seen on tour this summer performing his favorite old and new school hits with a “rock” flare on the Project Revolution tour. The tour, a musical collaboration that included rock bands Linkin Park and Korn, was a crowd-pleasing success throughout the country.

Snoop Dogg has contributed songs to a number of movie soundtracks including Bad Boys II, Charlies Angels : Full Throttle, Dr. Dolittle 2, and Save The Last Dance. Snoop Dogg expanded his resume to include acting in 1998 with a small role in the comedy Half Baked. He has gone on to appear in numerous feature films including John Singleton’s Baby Boy, the critically acclaimed Training Day opposite Denzel Washington and The Wash with Dr. Dre. Snoop could also be heard as the voice of ‘Ronnie Rizzat’ in Malibu’s most wanted starring Jamie Kennedy. His first feature role in a major motion picture was as the title character in the urban horror film Bones, co-starring Pam Grier, in which he received very positive reviews. Earlier this year, fans caught Snoop on the big screen playing the powerful, but extremely lovable gangster ‘Huggy Bear’ in the hit comedy Starsky & Hutch.

Snoop Dogg Discography:

Snoop Dogg Solo studio albums
1993: Doggystyle (Death Row Records)
1996: Tha Doggfather (Death Row Records)
1998: Da Game Is to Be Sold Not to Be Told (No Limit Records / Priority Records)
1999: No Limit Top Dogg (No Limit Records)
2000: Dead Man Walkin’ (Death Row Records)
2000: Tha Last Meal (No Limit Records)
2002: Paid tha Cost to Be da Bo$$ (Doggystyle Records)
2004: R&G (Rhythm & Gangsta) The Masterpiece (Doggystyle Records/Star Trak/Geffen)
2006: Tha Blue Carpet Treatment (Doggystyle/Star Trak/Geffen/Interscope)

Compilation albums featuring Snoop Dogg
2002: Snoop Dogg Presents...Doggy Style Allstars, Welcome to tha House Vol. 1 (Doggystyle Records)
2005: Welcome to tha Chuuch - Da Album (Doggystyle Records/Koch Records)

Collaborative albums featuring Snoop Dogg
1995: Dogg Food (as a collateral member of Tha Dogg Pound) (Death Row Records/Interscope Records)
2000: Snoop Dogg Presents Tha Eastsidaz (as part of Tha Eastsidaz)(Doggystyle Records)
2001: Duces ’N Trayz: The Old Fashioned Way (as part of Tha Eastsidaz) (Doggystyle Records/TVT Records)
2004: The Hard Way (as part of 213) (TVT Records)
2006: Cali Iz Active (as a collateral member of Tha Dogg Pound) (Doggystyle Records)

Soundtracks produced by Snoop Dogg
1994: Murder Was The Case (co-produced by Suge Knight) (Death Row Records)
1995: A Thin Line Between Love and Hate soundtrack (Warner Brothers Records)
LBC Crew : Beware of my crew EP
1997: Gridlock’d (Original Soundtrack) (Interscope Records / Death Row Records)
1999: Smokefest Underground (Lock Down Productions)
2001: The Wash (co-produced by Dr. Dre) (Aftermath Entertainment / Doggystyle Records / Interscope Records)
2001: Bones (Doggystyle Records)
2006: Mandatory Business O.S.T. (with JT the Bigga Figga) (Doggystyle Records / Get Low Records)

Snoop Dogg Greatest hits albums
2001: Death Row: Snoop Doggy Dogg at His Best (Death Row’s Greatest Hits) (Death Row Records)
2003: Tha Dogg: Best of the Works (Death Row Records)
2005: Snoopified (Priority Records)

Snoop dogg filmography:

Murder Was the Case (1994) (video) as Himself
The Show (1995) (documentary)
MP Tha Last Don (1998) as Bar Patron
Da Game of Life (1998) as Smooth
Half Baked (1998) as Scavenger Smoker
Caught Up (1998) as Kool Kitty Kat
Ride (1998) as Mente
Documentry of Shawn (1998) as Shawn’s Retarded Friend Brian
I Got the Hook Up (1998) (Cameo) as Bar Patron
The Wrecking Crew (1999) as Dra-Man
Hot Boyz(aka Gang Law) (1999) as C-Dawg
Urban Menace (1999) as Preacher
Whiteboys (1999) (Cameo)
Tha Eastsidaz (2000) as Killa Pop (also executive producer)
Crime Partners 2000 (2001)
Baby Boy (2001) as Rodney
Training Day (2001) as Blue
Bones (2001) as Jimmy Bones
The Wash (2001) as Dee Loc (also executive producer)
Volcano High (2001) (voice in English-dubbed version)
Tupac Shakur: Thug Angel (2002) (documentary)
Old School (2003) as Himself (Cameo)
Pauly Shore Is Dead (2003)
Malibu’s Most Wanted (2003) (voice)
The Real Cancun (2003) (documentary)
Starsky & Hutch (2004) as Huggy Bear
Soul Plane (2004) as Antonio Mack
Racing Stripes (2005) (voice)
The L.A. Riot Spectacular (2005) (narrator)
Boss’n Up (2005)
The Tenants (2006)
Hood of Horror (2006) (also executive producer)
Coach Snoop (2006) (currently announced start of production) (also executive producer)
Arthur and the Invisibles (2006) (voice)

Snoop Dogg Pornographic Movies
Snoop Dogg’s Doggystyle (also executive producer)
Girls Gone Wild: Doggy Style (2002) as Himself
Snoop Dogg’s Hustlaz: Diary of a Pimp (2002) (also executive producer)
Snoop Dogg’s Buckwild Bus Tour (also executive producer)
Sex in the Studio (guest appearance)
As well as starring and producing films Snoop Dogg has also appeared in a few video games, such as True Crime: Streets of LA (As a hidden character) and Def Jam: Fight for NY(as Crow). He would have played the main character in Fear & Respect.

Snoop Dogg TV series appearances
Weeds as himself
Las Vegas as himself
Just Shoot Me as himself
King of the Hill as a white pimp
South Park he didn’t provide an addititonal voice for his cartoon character in the the episode Here Comes the Neighborhood
Doggy Fizzle Televizzle self-hosted sketch show on MTV
The L Word as Slim Daddy (episodes 9-10)

Awards won
2006 MTV Video Music Awards
Best Dance Video ("Buttons" with The Pussycat Dolls
2006 Los Angeles Chapter 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")
2000 Source Awards
New Artist of the Year, Group (with Tha Eastsidaz)
1995 American Music Awards
Favorite Rap/Hip-Hop Artist
1994 MTV Video Music Award
Best Rap Video. ("Doggy Dogg World")
1995 Source Awards
Artist of the Year, Solo
Video of the Year ("Murder Was The Case")
1994 Source Awards
New Artist of the Year (Solo)
Lyricist of the Year