Very few people can say they've never heard of Snoop Doggy Dog. At this point, he's been around so long that he probably has three different generations of fans!
The former king of the West Coast rap rivalry has evolved a lot since his early days. Still, real admirers should know the man behind the music.
Are millennials even aware that their favorite weedman went on trial for murder in the 1990's? Yikes, that's intense!
False Alarm? Things have turned out alright for the chart-topper. He seems to be a really nice guy!
Born Cordozar Calvin Broadus Jr. in Long Beach, he might say he has Dr. Dre to thank for promoting him early on in the rap game. After being featured on The Chronic, Snoop quickly became a standout in the business.
Millions of album sales later, he's been expanding into the formal toke industry with super high tech marijuana partnerships. It's legal now, and the man is a specialist!
All the while, Snoop has been in love. And he's a grandpa now! Ain't nothing but a later life G thang, it turns out. For fans, how much trivia do you really know about him beyond that? Maybe it's time to refresh your own memory.
Put your hands together for Snoop Doggy Dogg, people. Let's read more!
Lover Not a Fighter
Snoop actually has a romantic side few would expect if they took those hardcore gangsta lyrics at face value.
He also rapped a lot about endless lines of women in his harem, and no one could be blamed for assuming he was single. As it happens, Snoop has been married for decades!
What's more, he met his wife in high school. Now that's a love story!
Shante Broadus is that lucky lady, and she went along with an on-again, off-again situation for years. At some point though, it appears Snoop realized how valuable the woman by his side really was, and they tied the knot in 1997.
Fun fact: Tupac got the credit for advising him to stay with Shante! Smart move, Snoop.
As expected, it was hard to manage a marriage in an industry with so many temptations. Several years ago, they almost divorced! What happened, and how did they reconcile?
Troubled Waters
Well, no surprises here: Snoop revealed he was distracted by the girls and partying in the entertainment world. A story as old as time, but what made him come to his senses?
It was plain to see that his wife was just irreplaceable when the kush cleared.
According to Snoop: “I was trying to get a divorce, but I went back home and I fell back in love with my wife and kids,” admits Snoop.
“A lot of times you get cloudy. This music industry is a mother, man, and it’ll take your vision and blur it. But God is good, so I understand that I need my wife and my kids in my life — so I threw the papers away. I don’t want to get a divorce. So if you hear about a divorce, it’ll be my wife divorcing me; it won’t be me divorcing her...And I made a mistake, so I’m trying to get back right."
But how did he actually accomplish this? A good man admits when he's wrong! Snoop explained: “A whole lot of begging and pleading...it was up to me to try to put it back together.”
Roaring on Through
It's all about the stage name, isn't it? Snoop Dogg seemed to cut it for decades, but evolution had to happen eventually. After a magical trip to Jamaica, Snoop felt he had to update things. But why?
On the island, Snoop met with a priest who told him something inspiring: "You are the light, you are the lion."
From there, he knew he had to be Snoop Lion! Fun fact: The original nickname was given to him by his mother. Unusual input for hip-hop, but everyone knows it sounded good!
The question is, will anyone really drop the 'Dogg' after so many years of knowing him this way?
Blue Blooded
Representin' for them gangstas all across the world — still? While most members of the Crips have never argued with Snoop's ties to their gang, they aren't big fans of their most successful friend.
Social media is a great place to air grievances, and complaints were many!
Snoop was burned online for not giving back enough to the Long Beach community. Apparently, there was some expectation he would fund a local youth center — but no one ever got the funds.
There was also criticism about his lack of effort to help form a truce between rival gangs that loved him.
Missed opportunity, or a wise choice to stop being involved in old games? For the record, Snoop denied all these claims.
In a video to his fans, the rapper revealed what he had really done behind the scenes for kids in his former neighborhood. He declared himself "King of Long Beach" — but will the title stick in the Crip crowd?
Big Pimpin'
Many rappers have been exposed for exaggerating their street cred and gang ties for the sake of their art. Not Snoop!
People were certainly willing to testify that they remember him in the old days when he was a pimp. Yes, that's right — an active manager in the sex trade.
Snoop had a well-known friendship with Stanley "Tookie" Williams, the infamous co-founder of the Crips. No one can deny all the mayhem this gang was responsible for overall, and things eventually caught up to Tookie.
Before his execution, he took a call from Snoop. Interestingly, the older Crip members encouraged him to follow his real talents beyond street crime all along.
The outcome was clearly much better for Snoop rapping about gangster life than actually living and dying by it!
Murder He Wrote
Many fans today will be really surprised to hear that Snoop went on trial for murder in the 1990's, but it's true!
It went on for two years, so it was no small legal bump in the road for the rapper. In the middle of his rise to fame, would this derail everything?
In 1993, Snoop and his bodyguard got into a verbal fight with Philip Woldemariam outside the rapper's apartment building.
Woldemariam left the altercation in a car, and his opponents followed. The conflict continued when they caught up with him, and ended with Snoop's bodyguard shooting him!
In response to so many public questions about this death, he actually rapped to explain his perspective to fans in "Murder Was the Case".
Maybe it helped public opinion because the jury eventually found him not guilty! Snoop claimed he and his bodyguard were acting in self-defense, but it took two long years to sort that out. Yikes!
Chronically Cool
Snoop may be famous now, but even he had a rocky beginning as an unknown. Yes, even Snoop Doggy Dog once had to hand out mixtapes to strangers hoping they would see his talent. But it appears they did!
Snoop would actually rap to other people's beats, and his creations made their way to Dr. Dre back in the day.
At first, they were rejected as anything special on the scene — but then Dre heard Snoop's freestyle recorded over instrumentals from En Vogue's single Hold On.
Apparently, that was the magic mix! Snoop was put on The Chronic, and the rest is rap history at this point. Snoop Dog's solo debut was Doggystyle in 1993, the fastest-selling record in rap history at the time!
Big Bully
At that point, Marion "Suge" Knight has lost all the glow from the OG Death Row Records days.
A lot has come out over the years about the way in which he ruled the roost, and it seems that a lot of rappers were burned by his business tactics. What about Snoop, though?
Snoop confirmed he was a very scary man, calling him 'the boogeyman' of the record world. After close friend Tupac was murdered, Snoop left the label.
Some theorize that Suge had something to do with it, but the truth on that will probably never fully be known.
What is certain, however, is that the former brute boss of hip-hop is now serving a life sentence for intentionally killing a pedestrian with his car!
As always, Snoop seems to have escaped this negative scene unscathed. And good for him!
Busted and Banned
As many know, Snoop has had a number of legal issues over the years. He may have beat the murder rap, but drugs, guns, and fights are another story.
In 1990, Snoop Dogg was convicted of possession. In this case, cocaine! Later, he pleaded guilty to charges of gun possession. The list continued, even following him abroad.
But is it true that he is banned from the U.K. and Australia? Indeed, it is: Snoop is no longer welcome in parts of the Anglosphere. But why?
In 2006, Snoop and his posse were arrested at the London airport for instigating a public fight. The UK was pretty unhappy about the disturbance.
But in Australia, Snoop was burned preemptively when the Department of Immigration and Citizenship looked at his past criminal convictions and blocked him from entering the borders for the MTV Australia Video Music Awards.
Sad times, but maybe they will change their mind in the future!
All In The Family
Snoop is a talent all on his own, but many may not be aware that he comes from a pretty cool gene pool. For whatever reason, the Dogg clan has more than its fair share of charisma. Any guesses who else occupy slots in the family tree?
To start, Snoop's first cousin is Mercedes Kaestner-Varnado, aka Sasha Banks from the WWE league. The rapper is pretty close with this women's champion, and she cites his influence in the development of her stage persona.
Beyond wrestling, Snoop has other musical family members. Many fans of Brandy and brother Ray J have no idea they are Snoop's cousins!
The late Nate Dogg is another cousin. And no, he didn't steal the Dogg name. He was proud to show their relation!
Presidential Puffs
In 2014, Barack Obama was president. And many noticed that he did things differently in terms of White House guests.
A hip-hop fan at heart, the president invited many known names to events at his home. Snoop had to come, of course. This prompted Jimmy Kimmel to inquire about the experience on Late-Night!
Jimmy got right to the point: "Have you ever smoked at the White House?" And Snoop, direct as can be, gave him the scoop he was looking for.
The rapper revealed that he took a hit "in the bathroom." Questions remain if this was the first time weed has been smoked in America's presidential palace, but it's going to be hard to investigate without an honest rapper telling all!
Holy Land Hash
Snoop is a very wealthy man at this point, and he has already cemented his place in the rap hall of fame in most people's minds. But he still needs something to do in his free time!
The hiphop businessman now has the ability to promote products he believes in, and no one will be surprised to find that he has decided to make his mark in the marijuana world.
No, not street dealing anymore — it's all high tech 'high'-tech!
An Israeli start-up called Seedo has created a home-grown weed machine that allows users to quietly sprout organic seeds in a 'home lab'.
The grow box regulates temperature, minerals, light, and even carbon dioxide to get the best product right at home! Naturally, Snoop wanted to be the spokesman. And it seems like a business natural fit, doesn't it?
CEO Zohar Levy was excited, too: “We’re honored to work with an industry icon like Snoop Dogg...The international audience that Snoop has around the world, his influence on cannabis enthusiasts and his popularity on social networks will help us grow."
Is there a better brand ambassador for a small pot company? No way, Jose! It will be interesting to see what happens with Snoop on their side.
Star Power
Everyone knows that Snoop has been featured on many albums and in many genres. But the rapper has branched out into more forms of entertainment!
Real fans probably noticed some of his TV appearances, but there really have been quite a few.
Snoop is in the credits for Starsky & Hutch, Training Day, and The Wash. A few good movies, for sure! And on TV, he was actually a guest spot in The L Word and — unsurprisingly — Weeds.
And then there was that short-lived reality show back in 2007: Father Hood on the E! Network. But is that all?
No way! Who can forget the 2011 Comedy Central Roast of Donald Trump? A historical must-see now, given the unlikely election that occurred just years later!
There's also the surprising partnership on Martha & Snoop’s Potluck Dinner Party, where VH1 brought Snoop and Martha Stewart together to host dinner parties for celebrities.
And frankly, all of this is a partial list. Snoop keeps himself bust in entertainment, anywhere and everywhere!
Football Father
As a devoted family man now, Snoop has been pretty involved with youth football in his son's life.
For years, he supported the sport and even got into coaching himself on the middle school level! His son Cordell was looked at for serious college football, but did he decide to go semi-pro?
No, in the end, the four-star wide receiver decided on film school instead. Football was always a hobby to bond with dad!
It looks like it worked, and Snoop is now busy supporting his son's real dream. After Snoop told him he "loved Cordell the person, not Cordell the football player," the youngster felt he had the freedom to start his own production company.
Way to go, Cordell!
Snoop dad, you melt our hearts.