Snoop Dogg Vinyl, CD & Tape

From Schoolyard Rapper to G-Funk Classic

The Californian rapper, singer, producer, comedian, actor, and proud full-time stoner, Snoop Dogg, hardly needs an introduction in the 21st century. If you haven’t come across the pop star on television, you’ve at least heard him on tracks with Dr. Dre, Eminem, Katy Perry, or one of the countless songs that revolutionized G-Funk and made him an incomparable West Coast icon. His laid-back flow carried him through various stylistic transformations on all his successful albums, from gangsta rap to reggae and back, while Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr. always stayed grounded. It all began in the 80s: the young Snoop, named after the Peanuts dog by his friends, discovered his rap talent during high school and recorded his first tapes with his crew 213 – which also included his cousin Nate Dogg and a certain Warren G.. The material accidentally fell into the hands of Dr. Dre, who invited the weed enthusiast to feature on his track Deep Cover and also as a guest on The Chronic, exposing him to a wide audience of hip hop fanatics thanks to the immense success of the album. Nuthin’ but a “G” Thang is not the only track of theirs that is now considered a classic of the golden 90s, and Snoop’s debut solo album, Doggystyle, in 1993 immediately soared to number one on the Billboard 200 – instantly becoming a genre classic.

Anthems for the hip hop youth

However, the street life hadn’t completely let go of him yet: at the height of his debut success, he found himself in a court case that nearly landed him in prison. It became clear on Tha Doggfather and Tha Game Is To Be Sold, Not To Be Told that he wanted to move away from the gangster lifestyle: this time, without the support of Dre, Snoop remained true to his aesthetic but also performed at the rock oriented Lollapalooza Festival. With his consistent flow of albums, the weed-loving dog established himself as a superstar with significant pop-cultural influence in the late 90s, and he scored his first number-one single in 2004 with Drop It Like It’s Hot, produced by none other than Pharrell Williams – the track was nothing short of an anthem for the hip hop youth of the early 2000s. At the same time, the multitalented artist also tried his hand at acting in various films and series, and he even recorded a track for the Bollywood hit Singh Is Kinng. His featured part on Katy Perry’s hit single California Gurls in 2010 ultimately propelled Snoop onto the iPods of teenagers worldwide, and the guests on his regularly released solo albums continue to read like a who’s who of the international rap elite.

Music that’s timeless and bangs

Once again, the Doggfather revealed himself as a musical chameleon after a trip to Jamaica that inspired his album Reincarnated – Snoop Lion became his new alter ego through which he processed his connection with the Rastafari movement. His self-identification as a DJ also shines through in performances under the name DJ Snoopadelic – the mission is clear: “Snoop Lion, Snoop Dogg, DJ Snoopadelic – they only know one thing: make music that’s timeless and bangs.” In 2018, he even delved into gospel with the spiritually induced album Snoop Dogg Presents Bible of Love. He constantly proves his creative timelessness on new collaboration tracks with industry legends such as Stevie Wonder, Kendrick Lamar, Rick Ross and Chris Brown, which take him to funk realms here and to the pop world there. As a featured guest, he was already present on countless hits that hardly scratched his rap authenticity. “You don’t know where you goin‘ unless you know where you come from,” he remarks about his own musical home. For 2023, he announced a comeback album with Dr. Dre – he hasn’t collaborated with his former mentor since Doggystyle.