Snoop Dogg (born October 20, 1971, Long Beach, California, U.S.) is an American rapper and songwriter who became one of the best-known figures in gangsta rap in the 1990s and is for many the epitome of West Coast hip-hop culture.
Snoop Dogg’s signature drawled lyrics took inspiration from his early encounters with the law. After high school he was in and out of prison for several years before seriously pursuing a career in hip-hop. Eventually, he came to the attention of famed producer-rapper Dr. Dre, who featured him on his single “Deep Cover” and on his landmark album The Chronic (both 1992). Snoop’s prominent vocals on the hit singles “Dre Day” and “Nuthin’ but a ‘G’ Thang” fueled a rapid ascent to stardom. His work on the latter single garnered him his first Grammy Award nomination. His own album Doggystyle (1993) became the first debut record to enter the Billboard 200 chart at number one. Its single “Gin and Juice” became one of Snoop’s signature songs and scored him a Grammy nomination for best rap solo performance.
While recording Doggystyle, Snoop was arrested in connection with a drive-by shooting. Although he was ultimately cleared of all charges, the incident entangled him in court for years, contributing to a long delay before the release of his next album, Tha Doggfather (1996). By that time the gangsta rap movement had begun to ebb. For a few years Snoop’s records failed to generate excitement comparable to that of his debut, but his carefully cultivated—and at times cartoonish—public persona made him a pop culture icon. His West Coast slang and exaggerated verbal tics entered the popular American vocabulary. In 2010 he collaborated with Katy Perry on the hit single “California Gurls,” a tribute to the two performers’ home state.
Snoop returned to rap for Neva Left (2017) and followed up with a double album of gospel music, Snoop Dogg Presents Bible of Love (2018). After that detour, he released the rap album I Wanna Thank Me (2019). In 2022 Snoop was among a group of hip-hop stars—which included Dr. Dre, Eminem, and Mary J. Blige—who performed at the Super Bowl halftime show.
Acquisition of Death Row Records
In 2022 Snoop acquired Death Row Records, the record label that had launched his career. (The label was founded by Dr. Dre, Suge Knight, Dick Griffey, and the D.O.C. in 1991, but its future became uncertain in 2006 after both Knight and the label filed for bankruptcy.) Death Row’s first release under Snoop’s tutelage was his own album, BODR (for “Bacc on Death Row”).
