As the embodiment of '90s gangsta rap, Snoop Doggy 
Dogg blurred the lines between reality and fiction. 
Introduced to the world through Dr. Dre's The Chronic,
 Snoop Dogg quickly became the most famous star in 
rap, partially because of his drawled, laconic rhyming
 and partially because the violence that his lyrics 
implied seemed real, especially after he was arrested 
on charges of being a murder accomplice. The arrest 
certainly strengthened his myth, and it helped his 
debut album, 1993's Doggystyle , become the first 
debut album to enter the charts at number one, but in 
the long run, it hurt his career. Snoop had to fight 
charges throughout 1994 and 1995, and while he was 
eventually cleared, it hurt his momentum. The 
Doggfather, his second album, wasn't released until 
November 1996, and by that time, pop and hip-hop had 
burned itself out on gangsta-rap. The Doggfather sold 
half as well as its predecessor, which meant that 
Snoop remained a star, but he no longer had the 
influence he had just two years before. 

Nicknamed Snoop by his mother because of his 
appearance, Calvin Broadus (b. October 20, 1972) was 
raised in Long Beach, California, where he frequently 
ran into trouble with the law. Not long after his high 
school graduation, he was arrested for possession of 
cocaine, beginning a period of three years where he 
was often imprisoned. He found escape from a life of 
crime through music. Snoop Dogg began recording 
homemade tapes with his friend Warren G, who happened 
to be the step-brother of N.W.A.'s Dr. Dre's. Warren G
 gave a tape to Dre, who was considerably impressed 
with Snoop's style and began collaborating with the 
rapper. 


When Dr. Dre's decided to make his tenative first stab 
at a solo career in 1992 with the theme song for the 
film Deep Cover, he had Snoop rap with him. "Deep 
Cover" started a buzz about Snoop Dogg that escalated 
into full-fledged mania when Dr. Dre released his 
debut album, The Chronic, on Death Row Records late in 
1992. Snoop Dogg rapped on The Chronic as much as Dr. 
Dre's, and his drawled vocals were as important to the
 record's success as its P-Funk bass grooves. Dr. 
Dre's singles "Nuthin' But A 'G' Thang" and "Dre Day,"
 which prominently featured Snoop, became Top 10 pop 
crossover hits in the spring of 1993, setting the 
stage for Snoop Doggy Dogg's much-anticipated debut 
album, Doggystyle . While he was recording the album 
with producer Dr. Dre in August, Snoop was arrested in
 connection with the drive-by-shooting death of 
Phillip Woldermarian. According to the charges, the 
rapper's bodyguard, McKinley Lee shot Phillip 
Woldermarian as Snoop drove the vehicle; the rapper 
claimed it was self-defense, alleging that the victim 
was stalking Snoop. Following a performance at the MTV 
Music Awards in September 1993, he turned himself to 
authorities. 

After many delays, Doggystyle was finally released on 
Death Row in November of 1993, and it became the first
debut album to enter the charts at number one. Despite 
reviews that claimed the album was a carbon copy of 
The Chronic, the Top 10 singles "What's My Name?" and
 "Gin & Juice" kept Doggystyle at the top of the 
charts during early 1994, as did the considerable 
controversy over Snoops  arrest and his lyrics, which 
were accused of being exceeding violent and sexist. 
During an English tour in the spring of 1994, tabloids
 and a Tory minister pleaded for the government to 
kick the rapper out of the country, largely based on 
his arrest. Snoop exploited his impending trial by 
shooting a short film based on the Doggystyle song 
"Murder Was the Case," and releasing an accompanying 
soundtrack which debuted at number one in 1994. By 
that time,  Doggystyle had gone quadruple platinum.
 

Snoop Dogg spent much of 1995 preparing for the case, 
which finally went to trial in late 1995. In February 
of 1996, he was cleared of all charges and he began 
working on his second album, this time without Dr. 
Dre's as producer. Nevertheless, when The Doggfather 
was finally released in November 1996, it beared all 
the evidence of a Dr. Dre-produced, G-funk record. The
 album was greeted with mixed reviews, and it 
initially sold well, but it failed to produce a hit
 along the lines of "What's My Name?" and "Gin & 
Juice." Part of the reason of the moderate success of 
The Doggfather was the decline of gangsta rap. 2pac 
Shakur, who had become a friend of Snoop Dogg during 
1996, died weeks before the release of The Doggfather,
 Dr. Dre had left Death Row to his partner Suge 
Knight, who was indicted on racketeering charges by 
the end of 1996. Consequently, Snoops second album got
 lost in the shuffle, stalling at sales of two 
million, which was disappointing for a superstar. 
Perhaps sensing something was wrong, Snoop began to 
revamp his public image, moving away from his gangsta
 roots towards a calmer lyrical aesthetic. He also 
began making gestures toward the rock community, 
signing up to tour with Lollapalooza 1997 and talking 
about two separate collaborations with Beck and 
Marilyn Manson. The solo Da game is to be sold, not to
 be told , Snoop's first effort for new label No 
Limit, followed in 1998; No Limit Top Dogg appeared a 
year later. 

Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All-Music Guide