2. THE DOGGS FUR, A BACKGROUND
Snoop in 2012.
Snoop Dogg was born in Long Beach, California in the year
1971. He demonstrated a profound ability in music at a
young age, playing the piano and singing in the choir by
age 6. As a teenager he ran into trouble with the law and
was allegedly part of “Rollin’ 20s Crips” during the 1980s.
He has had a multiude of image refinements and
revolutions in the 20 years of his exposure, perhaps some of
the most in the industry.
3. THE CHRONIC & DOGGYSTYLE,
DOGG OUT OF KENNEL
Snoop Dogg first entry into the
music business was a
collaboration with Dr Dre on his
first solo album, The Chronic
(1992). His main featuring songs
was “Fuck Wit Dre Day” and
“Nuthin’ but a G Thang”.
A year later, Snoop
released his debut solo
album in 1993, entitled
Doggystyle to massive
critical acclaim. Song
include Gin and Juice
and Shiznit.
Snoop Dogg started out at the
peak of Gangsta Rap, the early
90s. Collaboration with already
established artists such as Dr Dre
and Tha Dogg Pound. Himself and
Dre are attributed revolutionising
the sound of West Coast Rap
through the invention of the “G-
Funk” sound.
4. THE SHEDDING OF THE FUR,1998-2006
Snoop Dogg rode out the rest of the 1990s
with hit albums such as ‘Tha Doggfather’
and ‘No Limit Top Dogg’, both selling over
1 million copies. However he entered the
new millennium shedding the image of a
gangster and embracing he pimp image
with his new album “Paid Tha Cost To Be
Tha Bo$$ in 2002”.
Last Meal (2000)
Paid Tha Cost To Be Tha
Bo$$ (2002)
5. TRANSITIONAL DOGG , OG TO PIMP
He even went on a pimping
world tour.
Snoop Dogg in Gin and Juice, 1993,
6. The Dogg on the Big Screen, Early 2000s
One of the Dogg’s major film
roles in the early 2000s was in
crime thriller Training Day,
alongside fellow rapper Dr Dre.
This was arguably Snoop’s first
serious film role.
He also played a part in
the 2004 comedy, Starsky
and Hutch.
A smaller film role in 1998
was in the stoner comedy,
Half Baked.
7. THE MID TO LATE 2000S, CONTINUITY
Snoop Dogg in Katy Perry’s
2010 hit “California Gurls”.
Snoop continued to release a multitude of successful
albums in the latter part of the 2000s, including
‘Rhythm & Gangsta’, ‘Ego Trippin’ and ‘Malice in
Wonderland’. He also started more collaboration
works with Katy Perry, Gorillaz and more with Dr.Dre.
This was a time of not much change for the Dogg, as
he essentially retained the same image that he
presented in the early part of the decade.
The Dogg performing for the US
military, 2005.
8. REVOLUTION, THE DOGG’S EVOLUTION
The Dogg under
his new
pseudonym,
Snoop Lion, 2013.
In 2012, Snoop released a documentary entitled ‘Reincarnated’ to go
alongside his 2013 studio album of the same name. It consisted of him
being re-christened by a Rastafarian priest as ‘Snoop Lion’. This album
deviated from his traditional hip-hop music style and instead featuring
reggae songs such as ‘No Guns Allowed and ‘La La La’.
Snoop is probably one of the artists who has changed his image the most,
as looking retrospectively through his 20 year career the different
directions he has taken are countless.
