Snoop Dogg Biography

Snoop Dogg was born as Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr. on October 20, 1971, in Long Beach, California, to Vernall Varnado, a Vietnam veteran, singer, and mail carrier, and his wife, Beverly Broadus. But Vernall left the family soon after Calvin’s birth and thus Calvin was named after his stepfather, Calvin Cordozar Broadus Sr.

From an early age, he had a keen interest in singing, rapping and playing piano. In 1989, he graduated from the Long Beach Polytechnic High School.

Shortly after graduating from high school, he was arrested after being found in possession of drugs and was frequently in and out of the prison for the next three years.

During this period, he and his cousins recorded homemade tapes, calling their group ‘213’. One of his early solo freestyles over En Vogue's “Hold On” was heard by the influential producer Dr. Dre, who then invited him to an audition.

At the beginning of his career, Broadus took the stage name Snoop Doggy Dogg, and began working with Dr. Dre on Dre's debut solo album, ‘The Chronic’, which was very well received. Later in 1993, Snoop Dogg released his debut album ‘Doggystyle’ which became quite a success.

In 1996, his second album, ‘Tha Doggfather’, was released and although the album met with positive acclaim, it was not as successful as its predecessor.

In 1998, he signed with Master P's No Limit Records and debuted on the label with ‘Da Game Is to Be Sold, Not to Be Told’. In the following years, his other albums titled ‘No Limit Top Dogg’ (1999) and ‘Tha Last Meal’ (2000) were released.

In 2002, he released the album ‘Paid tha Cost to Be da Bo$$’ which featured the hit singles “From tha Chuuuch to da Palace” and “Beautiful”.

In 2004, his album‘R&G (Rhythm & Gangsta): The Masterpiece’ was released which featured the single “Drop It Like It's Hot”. The same year, another album ‘The Hard Way’, which included the single “Groupie Luv” was also released.

His 2006 album titled ‘Tha Blue Carpet Treatment’ and its second single “That's That Shit” were well received by critics. He released several albums in the following years such as ‘Ego Trippin' (2008), ‘Malice n Wonderland’ (2009), and ‘Doggumentary’ (2011).

In 2012, he adopted a new stage name, Snoop Lion. In March 2013, his documentary titled ‘Reincarnated’ was released and the following month, his new studio album of the same name was released.

Snoop Dogg's other albums include 'Coolaid' (2016), 'Neva Left' (2017), 'Bible of Love' (2018) and 'I Wanna Thank Me' (2019).

He has appeared in a starring role in movies such as ‘The Wash’ (2001) and ‘Bones’ (2001) and ‘Mac and Devin Go to High School’ (2012). He also had various supporting and cameo roles in several films including ‘Half Baked’ (1998), ‘Training Day’ (2001), ‘Starsky & Hutch’ (2004), and ‘Brüno’ (2009).

He has also appeared in several television programs such as the sketch comedy show ‘Doggy Fizzle Televizzle’, and reality show ‘Snoop Dogg's Father Hood’.

Snoop Dogg holds the Guinness World Record for the largest paradise cocktail, which he created in May 2018 at the BottleRock Napa Valley music festival.

Snoop Dogg is an ordained minister in the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster, a satirical religion that promotes a light-hearted view of spirituality.

Snoop Dogg is a talented artist beyond music, having painted a portrait of himself that was displayed in a Los Angeles art gallery.

Snoop Dogg is an avid fan of video games and has made appearances in several popular gaming franchises, including "Call of Duty" and "NBA 2K."

Snoop Dogg is a passionate advocate for animal rights and has worked with organizations to promote pet adoption and responsible pet ownership.