Calvin Cordozar Broadus, Jr. (born October 20, 1971, in Long Beach, California), better known as Snoop Dogg (or earlier in his career as Snoop Doggy Dogg), is an American rapper, record producer and occassional 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 catch phrase is widely known as "Fo' shizzle, ma nizzle", meaning, "For sure, my nigga."
His mother nicknamed him "Snoopy" as a child because he would watch Charlie Brown cartoons often, 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, Daz Dillinger, and Joe Cool. R&B singers Ray J and Brandy are also his cousins and he recently released "Smokin trees" with Ray J and and a duet with Brandy was pre-recorded for Tha Blue Carpet Treatment, but will not be part of the album[1].
According to Soundscan he has sold over 17.6 million albums in the US from the establishment of Soundscan (1991) to January 2006. According to Billboard he has sold 12 million certified units in the U.S. (only counting Gold and Platinum albums).
Snoop attended Long Beach Polytechnic High School,[1], and his initial foray into public life was as a result of his conviction for cocaine trafficking (albeit on a relatively small scale). Snoop was a member of a local Crips gang in Long Beach, the Rollin' 20 Crips. Snoop Dogg's conviction caused him to be in and out of prison for the first three years after he graduated from high school. Older Crips members and prison inmates affiliated with the Crips gang had a long-standing pattern of recognizing talent (particularly musical or sports talent) among their membership, and pursuant to that pseudo-policy, Snoop Dogg was pushed to make something of himself as a rapper rather than as a street hustler. Snoop thus followed up on the homemade rap tapes that he had made 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 at the time. This was largely in homage to Richie Rich's group 415, which was named for the (then) area code of Oakland, California.
Recent years
Snoop Dogg's artistic style has veered away from hardcore gangsta rap; he performed on the alternative rock Lollapalooza tour in 1997, and made several film appearances, in addition to producing and directing music videos both for himself and other artists. He released an autobiography in 2001.
Upon leaving Death Row Records, Snoop was approached by a number of record labels. He eventually signed a contract with Master P's No Limit Records. No Limit was quite popular at the time, as Southern Hip Hop was going through a revival and beginning to dominate the charts in a way which had not been seen since Florida rap dominated the charts in the early 1990s, thanks to 2 Live Crew and Luke. Snoop shortened his name from Snoop Doggy Dogg to Snoop Dogg, and received a great deal of criticism for signing to the label.
Da Game Is to Be Sold Not to Be Told was the first album Snoop released at No Limit. It received negative reviews, yet still sold well. Snoop put his stamp of the now ubiquitous "Dirty South" sound on this album. Similar to the group focus of Death Row Records, many other No Limit Records artists appeared on the album, and it was produced mostly in-house by Beats By The Pound. Snoop's next effort, No Limit Top Dogg would re-unite snoop with his mentor Dr.Dre for some highlight tracks and see a return to the G-funk style of his Death Row days; it proved to be a success in both ratings and sales, as the album embraced both old and new styles of West Coast hip hop along with assorted guests from the No Limit roster. Snoop Dogg followed this up with his last album on No Limit Records titled Tha Last Meal, which built upon the mixture of styles on No Limit Top Dogg.
In 2000, Snoop (as "Michael J. Corleone") directed Snoop Dogg's Doggystyle, a pornographic film produced by Hustler. This film, combining hip-hop with X-rated material, was a huge success and won "Top Selling Release of the Year" at the 2002 AVN Awards. [2] Driven by this success, Snoop directed Snoop Dogg's Hustlaz: Diary of a Pimp in 2002 (this time using the nickname "Snoop Scorsese").
Snoop founded his own production company, Snoopadelic Films, in 2005. Their debut film was Boss'n Up, a film inspired by R&G starring Lil Jon and Trina. [3]
In 2002, Snoop announced that he was giving up drinking and drugs. Later that year he released the album Paid tha Cost to Be da Bo$$, on Capitol Records which featured the hit singles and videos "From Da Chuuuch to Da Palace" and "Beautiful," featuring guest vocals by 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 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 Geffen Records/Star Trak Entertainment both of which are distributed through Interscope Records; Star Trak was headed by the Neptunes, who produced several tracks for Snoop's 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 Snoop Dogg's 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 70's 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) album Detox.
Snoop Dogg appeared in the Live 8 concert in Hyde Park.
As of June 2006, Snoop is doing an advertisement for Orbit Gum. In this advertisment, the Orbit Girl (Vanessa Branch) comes and cleans up Snoop's 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 including the single "Go to Church", and several tracks on Cali Iz Active. Also, his latest song, "Real Talk", was leaked over the Internet in the summer of 2006 and a video was later released on the Internet. "Real Talk" is a dedication to Tookie Williams and a diss to Arnold Schwarzenegger. His two other new songs are "Keep Bouncing" by Too $hort, Snoop Dogg & will.i.am; and "Gangsta Walk" by Coolio & Snoop.
Snoop Dogg's 2006 release, Tha Blue Carpet Treatment, did well on its first week, debuting at #5, which has been his highest since 2000's The Last Meal. The album, and the second single "That's That Shit" featuring R. Kelly have been recieved good critical reponse so far.
Currently Snoop Dogg is working with producer JT the Bigga Figga on a documentary DVD entitled Mandatory Business, which 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.
Snoop Dogg had civil legal problems when he used a message left on his answering machine on a track of Paid tha Cost to Be da Bo$$. The person who left the message wasn't aware of and didn't allow that his voice would be sampled on the outro song. He filed a lawsuit against Doggystyle Records.[citation needed]
Snoop and his associates were the center of a controversial civil rape case stemming from a January, 2003 guest-hosting appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live. The plaintiff was a 36-year-old makeup artist named Kylie Bell, who had previously won an Emmy Award for her work on the HBO series Six Feet Under. Bell claimed that she was drugged and sexually assaulted by Snoop and four others. In December 2004, one month before Bell filed her suit against him, Snoop sued the makeup artist accusing her of exorting him. Kylie Bell eventually dropped her lawsuit, and Snoop dropped his $5 million dollar countersuit against her. Snoop's publicist said "absolutely no money" was paid by the rapper in reaching a settlement.[2]
On April 26, 2006, Snoop Dogg and members of his entourage were arrested at Heathrow Airport for "violent disorder and affray" after being turned away from British Airways' first class lounge. Snoop and his party were not allowed to enter the lounge because while 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 prison, Snoop Dogg and the other men were released on bail on April 27, 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 had to return to the police station in May. The group has been banned by British Airways for "the foreseeable future." [4] [5]
On May 11, when Snoop 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 behavior [6]. On May 15, the Home Office decided that Snoop Dogg should be denied entry to the UK for the foreseeable future due to the fracas at Heathrow as well as his previous convictions in the United States for drugs and firearms offenses.[7] [8]
Snoop Dogg, Tha Dogg Pound and The Game have been sued for assaulting a fan on stage at a May 2005 Auburn concert at the White River Amphitheatre. The victim claims he was beaten by the artists' entourage while he was running up to touch Snoop. He alleges that he reacted to an "open invite" to come on stage. Before he could, Snoop’s bodyguards grabbed and he was beaten unconscious by crew people, including the rapper and producer Soopafly. Snoop and The Game were included in the suit for not intervening to hold the fight. The lawsuit focuses on a pecuniary claim of $22 million in punitive and compensatory damages, battery, negligence, and intentional infliction of emotional distress.[3]
On Sept 27, 2006, Snoop Dogg was detained at John Wayne Airport in Orange County, California by airport security, after airport screeners found a collapsible police baton in Snoop's carry-on bag. The baton was confiscated but Snoop was allowed to board the flight. He has been charged with various weapons violations stemming from this incident. When arrested, he told deputies the baton was a prop for a movie. Bail was set at $150,000, which Snoop has paid.
Snoop Dogg was again arrested on October 26, 2006 at Bob Hope Airport in Burbank, California while parked in a passenger loading zone. Approached by airport security for a traffic infraction, he was found in possession of marijuana and a firearm, according to a police statement. Later he was transported to Burbank Police Department Jail, booked, and released on $35,000 bond. He will face firearm and drug possession charges on December 12 at Burbank Superior Court.[4]
He was again arrested on November 29, 2006 after performing on The Tonight Show, for possession of marijuana and cocaine, having a false compartment in his vehicle and possessing a firearm. Bail has been set at $60,000. [5]
Courtsey of wikipedia............
