Snoop Dogg
One of the most recognisable
names in hip hop, Snoop Dogg has been at the forefront of the scene ever since
he was discovered by the legendary rapper and producer, Dr Dre. Something of a
journeyman, he has released ten solo albums with a variety of different labels
in his career. His latest, ‘Malice n Wonderland’, released in December 2009,
only reached number 23 in the Billboard charts, which suggests that after
twenty years in rap, his star may be on the wane. However, don’t expect this to
be the last we’ll see of Snoop: he has taken too many knocks in his life to
simply pack his bags and give up just yet.
Born in Long Beach, California in 1971, Cordozar Calvin Broadus grew up to become a member of the Rollin’ 20 Crips gang. Nicknamed ‘Snoopy’ by his parents, he carried the name through his gang life. After a conviction for cocaine trafficking, for which Snoop served six months, he spent the following years in and out of jail, having several brushes with the law.
However, Snoop’s life was to change after recording a mix tape that made its way to Dr Dre. The Death Row Records producer invited him to audition, and after signing with the label the young rapper was taken under the wing of ex-N.W.A. star The D.O.C. who taught him how structure his lyrics. Snoop then began collaborating with various other Death Row names, and appeared on Dre’s debut solo album, ‘The Chronic’. This exposure served to build up Snoop’s hype, and when his own debut, ‘Doggystyle’, was released just under a year later, it became an instant hit.
Although things were going well for Snoop professionally, his personal life was about to get bumpy. Implicated in the murder of rival gang member Philip Woldermariam, Snoop was tried for the crime. Acquitted with the help of attorney Johnnie Cochran, his legal battles were to continue from thereon, most notably pleading guilty to possessing a firearm in 1997. Things were also going badly at Death Row. Tupac Shakur was murdered in 1996, two months before the release of Snoop’s second album. Dre had left the label earlier in the year, and in 1997 CEO Suge Knight was sentenced to nine years in prison for parole violation. This was too much for Snoop, who refused to record for the label again.
After leaving Death Row, Snoop recorded three albums for No Limit Records between 1998 and 2000, and then a single album for Priority/Capitol/EMI in 2002. Posturing more as a ‘pimp’ than his previous ‘gangster’ image, Snoop was now more successful in the mainstream than he ever had been. Jumping ship to Geffen Records in 2004, he released a further three albums until Priority offered him a deal to return as an executive. Perhaps Snoop will now focus more on production than on recording, given the muted reception for his latest album. Whatever he does, it will be handled with his usual flamboyant flair, for sure.
