Snopp Dog
Leading the pack of second-generation West Coast gangsta-rappers, Snopp Dog (a protйgй of genius producer/rap star Dr. Dre) has remained one of the most distinctive voices in hip-hop since his 1992 debut on the Dr. Dre song "Deep Cover" from the soundtrack of the Lawrence Fishburne film of the same name.
A childhood pal of Dr. Dre's step-brother, Warren G, Snopp Dog (born Calvin Broadus) was once a promising young ball player from Long Beach. Although gangbanging, drug dealing, and jail time soon ruined his chances at athletic scholarships, Snopp Dog was nonetheless connected in all the right ways. He got his first break when Warren G passed his tape to Dre which lead to Snoop's distinctive nasal monotone rap being displayed on "Deep Cover" and later Dre's top-selling 1992 release, "The Chronic."
Snopp Dog went on to multi-platinum success with his first solo record, "Doggystyle," jet-propelled by ballsy, funk-driven singles and weirdly compelling videos. While not particularly an innovator in terms of lyrical content, Snopp Dog made the gangsta lifestyle seem not only cool, but fun as hell. Appearing in a multitude of guises, from corn-rowed prisoner to wheelchair-bound OG, he furthermore proved himself a master of image manipulation.
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As with many of his rap-world contemporaries, Snopp Dog has been, ahem, dogged with legal and financial difficulties. In 1996, he was acquitted of the 1993 murder of gang member Philip Woldermariam (alluded to in 1994's short Dre-directed film, "Murder Was The Case").
Snopp Dog Detailed Biography
- As the embodiment of '90s gangsta rap, Snopp Dog blurred the lines between reality and fiction.
Introduced to the world through
Dr. Dre's The Chronic, Snopp Dog 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.Snopp Dog 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 Snopp Dog remained a star, but he no longer had the influence he had just two years before.
Nicknamed Snopp Dog 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. Snopp 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 Snopp Dog rap with him. "Deep Cover" started a buzz about Snopp Dog that escalated into full-fledged mania when Dre released his own debut album, The Chronic, on Death Row Records late in 1992. Snopp Dog 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 Snopp Dog, 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,Snopp Dog 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 Snopp Dog drove the vehicle; the rapper claimed it was self-defense, alleging that the victim was stalking Snopp. Following a performance at the MTV Music Awards in September 1993, he turned himself 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. Snopp Dog 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.
Snopp Dogspent 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 Snopp Dog 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, Snopp'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, Snopp Dog 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, Snopp Dog 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, Snopp Dog 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 the Chuuch: The Album, a collection of tracks from the Welcome to the Chuuch mixtape series. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
