Nicknamed Snoop by his mother because he resembled the Peanuts cartoon character, Snoopy, Calvin Broadus was raised in Long Beach, CA, where he frequently ran into trouble with the law. He found escape from a life of crime through music. Snoop began performing at the age of five, playing the piano in church. He credits those early beginnings for getting him comfortable with performing around people. Snoop began recording homemade tapes with his friend, Warren G, who happened to be the stepbrother of N.W.A.'s Dr. Dre. Warren G gave a tape to Dre, who was considerably impressed with Snoop's style, and began collaborating with the rapper.

When Dre decided to make his tentative first stab at a solo career in 1992 with the theme song for the film, Deep Cover,ù he had Snoop rap with him. Being on the soundtrack created a buzz about Snoop that soon escalated into full-fledged mania when Dre released his own debut album, The Chronic, on Death Row Records in late 1992. Snoop rapped on The Chronic as much as Dre, and his drawled vocals were as important to the record's success as its P-Funk bass grooves. Snoop was heavily influenced by the P-Funk grooves by his uncle, Bootsy Collins, legendary funk bass guitarist and member of the band Parliament Funkadelic. Dre's singles Nuthin' But a 'G' Thang and Dre Day, which prominently featured Snoop, became Top Ten pop crossover hits in the spring of 1993, setting the stage for Snoop's much-anticipated debut album, Doggystyle.

Doggystyle was 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 Ten singles, What's My Name? and Gin & Juice, kept Doggystyle at the top of the charts during early 1994. The album soon went platinum. Snoop has had success after Doggystyle, but it was this album that put him on the map and helped elevate him to the stars.

These days, Snoop has been very busy. Along with his movie and music career, Snoop has a youth football league that he coaches. Every year, he has the Snoop Bowl,ù where his all-stars face the all-stars of the city that the NFL Super Bowl is held. A portion of all the proceeds from the game go to charity. He also has a reality show called Snoop Dogg's Fatherhood,ù which chronicles the life of both he and his family. Snoop is currently working on his new album, Ego Trippin', which is due out in early March. The album features collaborations with some of the greats of the music business, including Pharrell Williams, DJ Quick, Raphel Saadiq and Teddy Riley, just to name a few.

Snoop Dogg has been able to stay in the game for as long as he has because he has been able to change with the times. But at the same time, he has been able to remain true to himself and, most importantly, true to his fans. Those who think that Snoop has lost some steam are sadly mistaken, for he is setting the bar for all others to follow. For more information about Snoop Dogg and his upcoming events, please go to www.snoopdogg.com.