“Grandfather (in the role of a rapper) wouldn’t exist if Uncle didn’t appear. Uncle is a legend and truly a pillar in the rapper community,” praised 23-year-old rapper Chika in a conversation with Snoop Dogg on Twitter on August 8, 2020.
As Chika acknowledges, Snoop Dogg is indeed a legend. However, before receiving such eloquent praise, the 49-year-old star experienced a dark, rebellious, and tumultuous youth.
Youth in Darkness
Snoop Dogg and the iconic image of him with a blunt have been closely associated for decades. Even before his rise to fame, he was already acquainted with the smoke.
Snoop Dogg’s past goes beyond early smoking experiences. It was a youth filled with crimes, where guns, drugs, and prostitution painted his life in dark and murky hues.
Snoop Dogg, whose real name is Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr, was born and raised in Long Beach, California (USA). In the neighborhood where Snoop and his family resided, drugs, guns, and brawls were part of everyday life. Danger lurked at every corner, whether from bullets or from bloody conflicts.
“Every day, I thought it was my last day on the streets” – Snoop Dogg once said, reflecting on his childhood and youth. Perhaps, the tumultuous and unstable living environment contributed to sinking the young rapper into a series of traps and consecutive mistakes.
During his youth, Snoop Dogg was a member of the notorious Crips gang in Long Beach. For nearly 20 years, from 1990 to 2006, he found himself behind bars multiple times. Shortly after high school graduation, Snoop Dogg was arrested for drug possession. In the following years, prison became a frequent residence for the young man in his early twenties, facing charges such as drug possession and trafficking.
In 1993, the seasoned rapper became deeply entangled in legal battles, even facing imprisonment over suspicions related to the death of Phillip Woldermariam – a member of a rival gang. Subsequently, Snoop Dogg was acquitted as the court concluded that he was not involved in the killing.
Speaking about his youth to Rolling Stone, Snoop Dogg referred to himself as a “grim reaper.” From a dark and seemingly dead-end youth, Snoop Dogg found an escape route for his life, and that savior was music.
The Redemption of Music
Snoop Dogg started rapping in the second grade. “When I rapped in the school hallway, there was always a crowd attracted to me, to the point where the principal thought there might be a brawl. That made me realize that I had some talent. My rap sessions fascinated people, and they made me care about myself,” the artist said in an interview with the Los Angeles Times.
The nickname “Snoopy” also stuck with him since childhood. Before his biological father gradually faded away from his life, he bestowed that nickname upon him. Snoop Dogg had a great affection for the Snoopy character in the Peanuts cartoon.
Later on, the childhood nickname became a part of his stage name. Rap followed Snoop Dogg through his adolescence. In 1992, a spontaneous recording involving him reached the ears of legendary rapper and music producer Dr. Dre.
Impressed by this recording, Dr. Dre asked Snoop Dogg to audition and gradually guided the “rough gem” to become one of the greatest rappers in American music. The voice from Long Beach was first introduced in the single “Deep Cover” and the album “The Chronic” – Dr. Dre’s debut works.
As a mentor and the one who discovered a talent like Snoop Dogg, Dr. Dre believed that the young man with a rebellious past was destined to become a superstar. “Snoop is a pure, uncut diamond. Nobody has a voice like him. Snoop’s style and charm make me feel like his destiny was always meant to be a superstar,” Dr. Dre stated in an event, as quoted by Reuters.
Under Dr. Dre’s support, Snoop Dogg’s career soared from his debut album “Doggystyle” in 1993. In its first week of release, the album sold over 800,000 copies, setting a record for a debut album by a new artist. Doggystyle, certified quadruple platinum, topped the Billboard 200 and ranked among the greatest rap/hip-hop albums of all time.