It's impossible to tell the story of West Coast rap without Snoop Dogg. Combining an agile flow, calm delivery and effortless charisma, he helped define rap's G-Funk era while helping transform hip-hop as a whole. After appearing on Dr. Dre's "Deep Cover" in 1992, Snoop, then known as Snoop Doggy Dogg, built more momentum when he turned in multiple guest spots on the producer's legendary debut album, The Chronic.
With its mix of funk samples and anthemic hooks, the LP became a classic, and a stage for Snoop's coming out party. Snoop leveled up again when he released Doggystyle, a debut LP that further propelled West Coast hip-hop into the mainstream. Singles like "Who Am I (What's My Name)" (1993) and "Gin and Juice" (1993) established his knack for hit-making. The LP notably debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart after selling a record 806,858 copies in its first week.
In the years since, Snoop's grown into a pop culture icon as he's released a multitude of critically acclaimed and commercially successful albums. This journey includes a variety of record deals, TV ventures and movie appearances. He's acted in movies with Ben Stiller and had an MTV TV show with Martha Stewart. He's produced porn flicks and hosted a TBS game show. And, of course, he's continued to evolve musically, experimenting with reggae (Reincarnated, 2013) and gospel (Bible of Love, 2018). Snoop's more than 30 years into career, but thanks to his all around adaptability, he's more ubiquitous than ever.
