His mother nicknamed him "Snoopy" as a child because of the way he dressed and because of his love of the cartoon Peanuts. When he began recording, he took the stage name Snoop Doggy Dogg. He shortened his name to Snoop Dogg in 1998 when he left his original record label Death Row Records and signed with No Limit Records.[1] He popularized the catch phrase suffix "-izzle," a slang term developed by Oakland, California rap group 3X Krazy in the mid-1990s and used by Bay Area rapper E-40.[2]
Contents[hide]
1 Early life
2 Music career
2.1 Death Row Records years (1992-98)
2.2 Geffen Years (2004-present)
3 On screen
4 Discography
5 Filmography
6 Awards
7 Personal
7.1 Legal issues
8 Endorsements
9 Music samples
10 References
11 See also
12 External links
//
Early life
Snoop Dogg was born in Long Beach, California, the son of Beverly Tate and Vernell Varnado, who was a singer and postal worker.[3] Snoop mentioned in his reality show, Snoop Dogg's Father Hood that his uncle was influential in his parents moving to Los Angeles from Southern Mississippi. At an early age, he began singing in Golgotha Trinity Baptist Church and playing piano; when he was in sixth grade, he began rapping.[4][5] Snoop Dogg attended Long Beach Polytechnic High School,[6] then changed to Lindhberg High School[7] and was later convicted for cocaine trafficking and served six months at the Wayside County Jail.[4] Snoop Dogg was a member of a local Crips gang in Long Beach.[8] Snoop Dogg's conviction caused him to be in and out of prison for the first three years after he graduated from high school. He 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, Snoop's and Nate's cousin Lil' ½ Dead was also part of the group, called 213, named after the Long Beach area code at the time. One of his early solo freestyle over En Vogue's "Hold on" had made it to a mixtape, which was heard by Dr. Dre, who phoned to invite him to an audition. Former N.W.A member The D.O.C. taught him how to structure his lyrics and separate the thematics into verses, hooks and chorus.[9] Several of his cousins also became hip hop artists and Aftermath collaborators, including RBX, Joe Cool, and his cousins, Nate Dogg and Daz Dillinger.
Music career
Death Row Records years (1992-98)
Dr. Dre began working with Snoop Dogg, first on the theme song of the feature film Deep Cover, and then on Dr. Dre's debut solo album The Chronic with the other members of his former starting group, Tha Dogg Pound. Snoop Dogg's contribution to The Chronic was considerable; the rapper's rhymes were as present as Dr. Dre's. The huge success of Snoop Dogg's debut Doggystyle was partially due to this intense exposure.[1]
To fuel the ascendance of West Coast "g-funk" rap, the singles "Who Am I (What's My Name)?" and "Gin and Juice" reached the top ten most-played songs in the United States, and the album stayed on the Billboard charts for several months.[1] Gangsta rap became the center of arguments for censorship and labeling, with Snoop Dogg often used as an example of violent and misogynistic musicians.[10] Doggystyle, much like The Chronic, featured a host of rappers signed to or affiliated with the Death Row label including Daz Dillinger, Kurupt, Nate Dogg and others. His video "2 of Amerikaz Most Wanted" with the late Tupac Shakur chronicled the difficulties each rapper was dealing with as a result of their unrelated but concurrent criminal prosecutions.
A short film about Snoop Dogg's murder trial called Murder Was the Case, was released in 1994, along with an accompanying soundtrack. However, by the time Snoop Dogg's second album, Tha Doggfather, was released in November 1996, the price of living (or sometimes just imitating) the "gangsta" life had become very evident. Among the many notable rap industry deaths and convictions were the death of Snoop Dogg's friend and label-mate Tupac Shakur and the racketeering indictment of Death Row co-founder Suge Knight. Dr. Dre had left Death Row earlier in 1996 due to a contract dispute, so Snoop Dogg co-produced Tha Doggfather with Daz Dillinger and DJ Pooh.
Snoop Dogg performing in 2006.
This album featured a distinct change of style as compared to Doggystyle. While the album sold reasonably well, it was not as successful, and it was widely believed that its quality suffered from Dr. Dre's lack of involvement. However, Tha Doggfather had a somewhat softer approach to the G-funk style. The immediate aftermath of Dr. Dre's withdrawal from Death Row Records, realizing that he was subject to an iron clad time-based contract (i.e., that Death Row practically owned anything he produced for a number of years), Snoop Dogg refused to produce any more tracks for Suge Knight, other than the insulting "Fuck Death Row", until his contract expired.[8]
In 2002 he released the album Paid tha Cost to Be da Bo$$, on Capitol Records which featured the hit singles and videos "From tha Chuuuch to da Palace" and "Beautiful" featuring guest vocals by Pharrell.
Geffen Years (2004-present)
Snoop Dogg performing in Hawaii for U.S. Military personnel in 2005.
In 2004, Snoop signed to Geffen Records/Star Trak Entertainment both of which are distributed through Interscope Records; Star Trak is 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. The album sold very well, and most of its singles were heavily played on radio and television.
Snoop Dogg's appeared on two tracks from Ice Cube's 2006 album Laugh Now, Cry Later, including the single "Go to Church", and on several tracks on Tha Dogg Pound's Cali Iz Active the same year. 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. Two other singles on which Snoop made a guest performance were "Keep Bouncing" by Too Short (also with will.i.am of the Black Eyed Peas) and "Gangsta Walk" by Coolio.
Tha Blue Carpet Treatment, Snoop's album for 2006, debuted on the Billboard 200 at #5.[11] The album, and the second single "That's That Shit" featuring R. Kelly were well-received by critics. In the album, he collaborated in a video with E-40 and other West Coast rappers for his single "Candy (Drippin' Like Water)".
In July 2007, Snoop Dogg also made history by becoming the first artist to release a track as a ringtone prior to its release as a single, "It's the D.O.G.". On July 7 2007 Snoop Dogg performed at the German leg of Live Earth in Hamburg.[12]
Snoop Dogg has recently ventured into singing for Bollywood with his first ever rap for an Indian movie Singh Is Kinng; the title of the song is also Singh is Kinng. The album featuring the song was released on June 8, 2008 on Junglee Music Records.[13]
In February 2009, Snoop Dogg had left Geffen Records (Interscope-Geffen-A&M) his recording home for over 10 years. At press time, Snoop has declined on divulge his next possible label home.[14]
February 10, 2009 – MTV and rapper, icon, record producer, entrepreneur and actor, Snoop Dogg today announced a first-of-its kind global deal that will bring the entertainers’ personality to television in a new variety talk show, “Dogg After Dark,” and his music to fans with a new album release and into the best-selling music video game Rock Band®.[15]
On screen
In 1993, Snoop appeared as a guest on The Arsenio Hall Show.
In 1998, Snoop had a cameo appearance in the film Half Baked as the "Scavenger Smoker."
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.[16] Driven by this success, Snoop directed Snoop Dogg's Hustlaz: Diary of a Pimp in 2002 (this time using the nickname "Snoop Scorsese").
In 2001, Snoop lent his voice to the animated show "King of the Hill". His character was a white pimp named Alabaster Jones
In 2002, Snoop hosted, starred in, and produced his own MTV sketch comedy show entitled Doggy Fizzle Televizzle.
Snoop was filmed for a brief cameo appearance in the television movie It's a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie (2002), but his performance was omitted from the final cut of the movie.[17]
In 2003, Snoop had a cameo appearance in the film Old School as himself. Snoop also performed Sad But True at MTV Icon 2003, where Metallica was chosen as the band to be tributed.
On November 8, 2004, Snoop Dogg was seen starring in the episode Two of a Kind of NBC's series Las Vegas.
In 2004, Snoop appeared on the Showtime series The L Word as the character "Slim Daddy", a combination of Slim Shady and Puff Daddy. He also notably played the drug dealer-turned-informant character of Huggy Bear, in the 2004 remake film of the 1970s TV-series of the same name, Starsky & Hutch. He appeared as himself in an episode of the Showtime series "Weeds," and made an appearance on the hit TV shows Entourage and Monk, for which he recorded a version of the theme, in July 2007.
Master of Ceremonies Snoop Dogg at WrestleMania XXIV with Ashley Massaro and tag team partner Maria
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.[18]
Perhaps in conjunction with his entry into the x-rated world, Snoop claimed in a 2006 interview with Rolling Stone magazine that unlike other hip hop artists who've superficially adopted the pimp persona, he was an actual professional pimp in 2003 and 2004, saying "That shit was my natural calling and once I got involved with it, it became fun. It was like shootin' layups for me. I was makin' 'em every time." He goes on to say that upon the advice on some of the other pimps he knew, he eventually gave up pimping to spend more time with his family.[19]
In December 2007, his reality show Snoop Dogg's Father Hood premiered on the E! channel.[20] Snoop Dogg joined the NBA's Entertainment League.[21]
On March 30, 2008 he appeared at WrestleMania XXIV as a Master of Ceremonies for a tag team match between Maria and Ashley Massaro as they took on Beth Phoenix and Melina.[22]
On May 8 and May 9, 2008, Snoop appeared as himself on the ABC soap opera One Life to Live, with a new opening theme recorded by the artist presented for both episodes. In the episodes, Snoop performs at the bachelorette party for character Adriana Cramer, and credits Bo Buchanan with helping him get his start in show business.
Discography
Main article: Snoop Dogg discography
Album
Year
Doggystyle
1993
Tha Doggfather
1996
Da Game Is to Be Sold, Not to Be Told
1998
No Limit Top Dogg
1999
Tha Last Meal
2000
Paid tha Cost to Be da Boss
2002
R&G (Rhythm & Gangsta): The Masterpiece
2004
Tha Blue Carpet Treatment
2006
Ego Trippin'
2008
Malice In Wonderland
2009[23]
With 213
Year
The Hard Way
2004
With Tha Dogg Pound
Year
Dogg Food
1995
Cali Iz Active
2006
With Tha Eastsidaz
Year
Snoop Dogg Presents Tha Eastsidaz
2000
Duces 'n Trayz: The Old Fashioned Way
2001
Filmography
Main article: Snoop Dogg filmography
1994: Murder Was the Case (Platinum)
1998: Half Baked (cameo appearance)
1998: Hot Boyz
1998: Ride
1999: Whiteboyz
1999: Urban Menace
2000: Up in Smoke Tour
2001: Baby Boy (Gold)[24]
2001: Training Day
2001: King of the Hill (voice)
2001: Bones
2001: The Wash
2003: Malibu's Most Wanted
2003: Old School
2004: Starsky & Hutch
2004: Soul Plane
2004: Volcano High
2005: Boss'n Up
2005: Racing Stripes
2006: The Tenants
2006: Weeds: Himself
2006: Hood of Horror
2007: Arthur and the Minimoys (voice)
2007: Monk
During the opening credits, he covered the title song by Randy Newman It's a Jungle out There.
2007: The Boondocks
2008: Singh Is Kinng (as Himself)
2008: Snoop Dogg's Father Hood (as Himself)
2009: Futurama: Into the Wild Green Yonder (voice)
2009: Snoop And Jay Are Do Paloma Valley High
2009: Dogg After Dark: Himself
2009: Xavier: Renegade Angel (voice)
Awards
Main article: List of Snoop Dogg awards
Personal
Broadus's father left the family when Broadus was 3 months old. Snoop married his high school sweetheart, Shante Taylor Broadus, on June 12, 1997. On May 21, 2004, he filed for divorce from Shante, citing irreconcilable differences.[25] The couple renewed their wedding vows on January 12, 2008.[26] R&B singer Brandy is his first cousin.[27]
Snoop is an avid Pittsburgh Steelers fan, which is mainly due to his affiliation to the 'Rollin 20's Crips' who also sport the Pittsburgh jersy as their neighbourhood emblem ,[28] and is often seen wearing Pittsburgh Steelers apparel in his music videos. Snoop has mentioned that his love for the Steelers began in the 1970s during the team's dynasty years while watching the team with his grandfather growing up in L.A. In the 2005 offseason, Snoop mentioned that he wanted to be an NFL head coach, "probably for the Steelers".[29] The following year, he was in attendance for the Steelers' victory in Super Bowl XL and later in Super Bowl XLIIIHe was also somewhat a fan of the Oakland Raiders and Dallas Cowboys, often wearing a #5 jersey, and has been seen in Raiders training camps.[30] He did his own free style rap based on his similarities with Tony Romo.[31][32] He has also shown some affection for the New England Patriots, as he has been seen performing at the Gillette Stadium and picked the Patriots as the favorite to win Super Bowl XXXIX against the Eagles.[33][34]
A certified football coach, Snoop Dogg has been head coach for his son's youth football teams and the John A. Rowland High School team.[35][36]
In August 2008, Snoop Dogg announced the launch of a new streetwear line called Rich & Infamous, via a partnership with Robert Thorne Co. The line, which is aimed toward males ages 18 to 35, was unveiled during the Magic tradeshow in Las Vegas.[37]
In 2009, it was revealed that Snoop Dogg was a member of the Nation of Islam. On March 1, 2009, he made an appearance at the Nation of Islam's annual Saviours Day convention, where he praised controversial Minister Louis Farrakhan. Snoop claimed to be a member of the Nation of Islam, but declined to give the date on which he joined. He also donated $1,000 to the organization.[38][39][40]
Legal issues
This article is in a list format that may be better presented using prose. You can help by converting this section to prose, if appropriate. Editing help is available. (December 2008)
While recording Doggystyle with Dr. Dre in August 1993, Snoop Dogg was arrested in connection with the death of Phillip Woldermarian, a member of a rival gang who was shot and killed in a gang fight. Dubbed The Snoop Doggy Dogg Trial at the time. Snoop Dogg was defended by David Kenner, with his bodyguard McKinley Lee, while Sean Abrams (accompanying member in the jeep) was defended by Johnnie Cochran.[41] Both Snoop Dogg and McKinley Lee were acquitted; Lee was acquitted on grounds of self-defense, but Snoop Dogg remained entangled in the legal battles around the case for three years.[42] In July 1993, Snoop was stopped for a traffic violation and a firearm was found by police while conducting a search of his car. In February 1997 he plead guilty to one count of being an ex-felon in possession of a handgun and was ordered to record three public service announcements, pay a $1,000 fine, and serve three years probation.[43]
Twice, in May 1998 and October 2001, Snoop Dogg was fined and arrested for misdemeanor marijuana possession.[44] For the 2001 incident, in 2002 he pleaded no contest to the charge and was fined a total of $398.30 and a suspended 30-day jail sentence.[45]
On April 26, 2006, Snoop Dogg and members of his entourage were arrested after being turned away from British Airways' first class lounge at Heathrow Airport. Snoop and his party were not allowed to enter the lounge because some of the entourage were flying first class, other members in economy class. After the group was escorted outside, they vandalized a duty-free shop by throwing whiskey bottles. Seven police officers were injured in the midst of the disturbance. After a night in 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."[46][47]
On May 11, when Snoop Dogg appeared 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 [48]. On May 15, the Home Office decided that Snoop Dogg should be denied entry to the UK for the foreseeable future due to the incident at Heathrow as well as his previous convictions in the United States for drugs and firearms offenses.[49][50]
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 accuser, Richard Monroe, Jr., claims he was beaten by the artists' entourage while mounting the stage.[51] He alleges that he reacted to an "open invite" to come on stage. Before he could, Snoop’s bodyguards grabbed him 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.[52] The concerned parties appeared in court in April 2009.
On September 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 arrested again 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. He was transported to Burbank Police Department Jail, booked, and released on $35,000 bond. He faced firearm and drug possession charges on December 12 at Burbank Superior Court.[53]
He was again arrested on November 29, 2006, after performing on The Tonight Show, for possession of marijuana and a firearm.[54]
Snoop Dogg was arrested again on March 12, 2007 at 1:25 a.m CET after performing in a concert with P.Diddy in Stockholm's Globe Arena, Sweden. Snoop Dogg was arrested along with a woman after the pair reportedly "reeked" of marijuana. They were arrested and released 4 hours later after providing a urine sample. Pending results on urine will determine whether charges will be pressed. However the rapper denied all charges.[55][56][57]
Snoop Dogg's visa card was rejected by local authorities on March 24, 2007 because of the Heathrow incident [58]. A concert at London's Wembley Arena on March 27 went ahead with Diddy (with whom he toured Europe) and the rest of the show. However the decision affected four more British performances in Cardiff, Manchester, Nottingham and Glasgow[59] and Budapest (due to rescheduling).[60]
On April 12, 2007, Snoop Dogg was sentenced to five years of probation for gun and drug charges. He is expected to continue touring with supporting act Sam "OG" Biglari through the rest of 2008.
On April 26, 2007, the Australian Department of Immigration and Citizenship banned him from entering the country on character grounds, citing his prior criminal convictions. He had been scheduled to appear at the MTV Australia Video Music Awards on April 29, 2007.[61] The ban was not lifted and Snoop Dogg was not able to attend. MTV Australia currently has a petition going to get him Australian citizenship.[62]
On September 12, 2008, Australian Department of Immigration and Citizenship lifted the ban and had granted him visa to tour Australia. DIAC said "In making this decision, the department weighed his criminal convictions against his previous behaviour while in Australia, recent conduct – including charity work – and any likely risk to the Australian community ... We took into account all relevant factors and, on balance, the department decided to grant the visa."[63]
Snoop Dogg's many legal issues forced San Francisco mayor Gavin Newsom to withdraw his plan to issue a proclamation to the rapper.[64]
Endorsements
St. Ides
Snoop Dogg 40 Oz Malt liquor
Boost Mobile cell phone
Orbit Gum
Cal Worthington's Ford dealership in Long Beach, California
"Snoop Doggs" - foot-long hot dogs manufactured in Massachusetts a joint venture with Platinum One Media [65]
"Snoop Dogg Board Company (SDBC)" - skateboards and Luggage fabrication company (with Pentagon Distribution)
"Snooperbowl" and "Snoop Youth Football league" [66]
"Chronic Candy" - candy that tastes like marijuana (from Switzerland and is currently banned in some cities of US)
Love Don't Live Here No More, Doggy Tales Vol.1 - love novel (co-written by David E. Talbert, published by Atria and Snoopadelic Films) ISBN 0-7432-7363-X [67]
Tha Doggfather : The Times, Trials, And Hardcore Truths Of Snoop Dogg - autobiography (published by William Morrow) Hardcover ISBN 0-688-17158-3, Paperback ISBN 0-06-107607-4 [68]
Fear & Respect (project cancelled as of March 1, 2006) - PlayStation 2 video game (developed by Midway Games)
"Doggy Biscuitz" - shoe brand (in partnership with Pony International) [69]
"Snoop Dogg Clothing" - streetwear (distributed at Macy's)
"WRFF" - unique design scooters (in cooperation with Salton, Inc.) [70]
"Hip Hop Gaming League" - a celebrity online gaming competition (hosted by Global Gaming League) [71]
"Snoop Dogg figures" (Vital Toys, SOTA Toys) [72]
"Snoop Dogg Boxing" - mobile phone game (Sony Pictures Mobile)
"Snoop Dogg Pet Accessory Line" (in conjunction with Jakks Pacific)[73]
No comments:
Post a Comment