the evolution of Snoop dogg 

Samantha Potter

Hip-hop music was at its zenith during the 1990s, and Snoop Dogg was at its forefront. As one of the best known figures in hip-hop and rap, Snoop was the father of the genre following the major success of his quadruple-platinum selling album ‘Doggystyle’ in 1993. You could say that Snoop Dogg was the epitome of hip-hop culture, and all the stereotypes associated with it. 

Hailing from Long Beach, California, Snoop’s adolescence was significantly troubled with criminal involvement: after graduating from high school, he spent time in prison after being arrested for the possession of cocaine. Snoop Dogg was discovered by Dr Dre in the early 90s, and his debut studio album was released on the infamous ‘Death Row Records’ label. This album has arguably become a hip hop classic, although its immense success did not come without criticism and controversy. 

Hip hop, and especially the sub-genre of gangsta rap, is typically equated with the American inner-city ghetto lifestyle. The lyrics are often a reflection and product of the ‘gangsta’ way of living, violence, and drug use, and it is precisely this which was the source of controversy with Snoop’s early material. Snoop Dogg did not adopt this persona of hip-hop, his lyrics were largely an expression of his encounters with the law and the ‘realities of life’ in the inner-city of Long Beach. Inevitably, these lyrics have been the subject of controversy and have been accused by some of glamorising gang violence. The recurrent references to drug dealing, gang violence, casual sex and marijuana in many of Snoop Dogg’s tracks promulgates these ideas amongst young people, and according to some, influences young black males to try and emulate this lifestyle. Criticism was strengthened when, in August 1993, Snoop was charged with accessary to the murder to a member of a ‘rival gang’. Despite eventually being acquitted of these charges against him, questions remained over the image that Snoop Dogg portrayed. After all, the branding around the name ‘Snoop Dogg’ is important: it is the image of Snoop as a marijuana advocate, as the embodiment of a West coast gangster. 

The branding of the name Snoop Dogg would be inappropriate, then, for Snoop’s reinvention of himself as a reggae artist after discovering Rastafarianism. In 2012, Snoop underwent a metamorphosis into ‘Snoop Lion’, releasing a reggae album titled ‘Reincarnated’: he casually made reference to the fact that he saw himself as the reincarnation of Bob Marley. It seemed that the old persona of Snoop Dogg had completely diminished, with the only common feature being the centrality of marijuana. The general consensus following the release of ‘Reincarnated’ was that Snoop should stick to hip hop, and that his ‘spiritual reggae’ music was pretty unconvincing. 

Following from this, Snoop changed to ‘Snoopzilla’ in time for the release of his album as a duo with Dâm-Funk, ‘7 days of funk’ in December 2013. By this point, the name ‘Snoop Lion’ hadn’t even caught on yet, and so another metamorphosis seemed somewhat laughable. The reviews for ‘7 days of Funk’ were generally positive, it was not seen as overambitious as his previous reggae project.

However, after ventures into the world of reggae and funk as Snoop Lion and Snoopzilla, Snoop Dogg has reclaimed his original name and returned to his hip hop roots. Now aged 43, and it must be mentioned, a grandfather, Snoop Dogg is set to release his thirteenth studio album ‘BUSH’ in May this year. The album has been produced by Pharrell, and the first, lead single ‘Peaches N Cream’ has begun to receive airplay. Apparently, Snoop Dogg doesn’t believe in retiring from music, and he still looks the same as he did 20 years ago, but two decades on from the release of ‘Doggy Style’, it is quite remarkable that Snoop Dogg is still successful.