Snoop Dogg

As the embodiment of ’90s gangsta rap, Snoop Dogg blurred the lines between reality and fiction. Introduced to the world through Dr. Dre’s The Chronic, Snoop quickly became the most famous star in rap, partially because of his drawled, laconic rhyming and partially because the violence that his lyrics implied seemed real. 

1993’s Doggystyle, 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, as did the considerable controversy over Snoop’s arrest and his lyrics, which were accused of being exceedingly violent and sexist. 

Snoop shot a short film based on the Doggystyle song “Murder Was the Case” and released an accompanying soundtrack, which debuted at number one in 1994. By that time, Doggystyle had gone quadruple platinum.

Snoop began to revamp his public image, moving away from his gangsta roots toward a calmer lyrical aesthetic. He also began making gestures toward the rock community, signing up to tour with Lollapalooza in 1997 and talking about two separate collaborations with Beck and Marilyn Manson. 

The solo “Da Game Is to Be Sold Not to Be Told”, Snoop’s first effort for No Limit, followed in 1998; No Limit Top Dogg appeared a year later, and Dead Man Walkin’ the year after that. Tha Last Meal followed in December of that same year. The heavy release schedule resulted in varying musical quality from album to album, but by the turn of the century, Snoop had become such a cultural phenomenon that his albums almost became secondary to the personality behind them.