Dre, who called to invite him to an audition. One of his early solo freestyles over En Vogue's "Hold On" made it to a mixtape that was heard by influential producer Dr. Shortly after graduating high school, he was arrested for possession of cocaine, and for the next three years was frequently in and out of jail or prison (including Wayside Jail). With his cousins Nate Dogg and Lil' ½ Dead and friend Warren G, Snoop recorded homemade tapes as a group called 213, named after the Long Beach area code. He was a member of the Rollin' 20 Crips gang in the Eastside area of Long Beach, although he stated in 1993 that he never joined a gang. A DNA test read by George Lopez on Lopez Tonight revealed Broadus to be of 71% African, 23% Native American, and 6% European descent.Īs a teenager, Broadus frequently ran into trouble with the law. In sixth grade, he began rapping. Broadus's father left the family when he was three months old. When he was very young, Broadus began singing and playing piano at Golgotha Trinity Baptist Church. His mother is Beverly Broadus ( née Tate). His father, Vernell Varnado, was a Vietnam veteran, singer, and mail carrier who was frequently absent from his life. As a boy, Broadus's parents nicknamed him "Snoopy" because of his appearance and love of the cartoon character from Peanuts but usually addressed him as Calvin at home. His mother and stepfather divorced in 1975.
2.5 2014–present: Bush, Coolaid, Neva Left and Bible of LoveĬalvin Cordozar Broadus Jr. was born in Long Beach, California, the second of three sons. He was named after his stepfather, Calvin Cordozar Broadus Sr.
He has sold over 95,000,000 albums worldwide and is one of the most successful hip-hop artists ever. (born 20 October 1971), best known by his stage name Snoop Dogg, is an American rapper, singer-songwriter, record producer and actor. Dre - Tha Eastsidaz - Ice Cube - Master P - Nate Dogg - 2Pac - Wiz KhalifaĬalvin Cordozar Broadus Jr. Snoop Rock, Snoop Doggy Dogg, Snoop Lion, DJ Snoopadelic, SnoopzillaĢ13 - Bow Wow - C-Murder - The D.O.C.