Had Snoop Dogg pretended to take a toke from the Olympic torch he helped carry to open the 2024 games, few people would have been surprised.
But the now cannabis and elder statesman of hip-hop is in his respectable era 鈥 he鈥檚 a little older, a little wiser and a whole lot more lovable.
The 52-year-old rapper鈥檚 transformation 鈥 from superstar on trial for murder in the 1990s to Martha Stewart bestie on 鈥 has been so slow and shrewd that it鈥檚 very natural to ask: How did we get here?
P. Frank Williams covered Snopp Dogg鈥檚 murder trial for the Los Angeles Times and co-wrote the book 鈥淐hosen by Fate: My Life Inside Death Row Records鈥 with the musician鈥檚 co-defendant McKinley Lee Jr.
Williams told CNN the answer is actually quite simple.
鈥淗e worked hard and loves what he does,鈥 said Williams, who most recently 鈥淪noop has this likability and charm that you can鈥檛 buy.鈥
Not to mention an arc that鈥檚 a testament to the power of reinvention.
Tough start in Long Beach
Born Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr. in Long Beach, Calif., Snoop Dogg earned the family nickname 鈥淪noop鈥 because of his resemblance to the Peanuts character.
He came up during a time when gang violence and crack were devastating inner city neighborhoods in Los Angeles. Despite being a star athlete in high school, Snoop fell into that life, selling drugs and getting into trouble as a teen.
鈥淚 was always scared. That鈥檚 why I believe I survived because you have to have either fear or respect. And I didn鈥檛 understand respect, so I feared everything,鈥 Snoop Dogg . 鈥淎 lot of times I got shot at; a lot of times I had a gun in my possession and could have shot back but I was too scared to shoot back because I was so concerned for my life. It鈥檚 either fight or flight and most of time when you鈥檙e out there, it鈥檚 flight.鈥
That 鈥済angsta鈥 persona would follow him when he first found fame in 1992 as the guest rapper on producer and NWA member Dr. Dre鈥檚 debut solo single 鈥淒eep Cover,鈥 for the movie of the same title.
That led to working with Dre on his now iconic album 鈥淭he Chronic.鈥
Snoop Dogg鈥檚 debut album, 鈥淒oggystyle,鈥 would follow. A critical and commercial success, the album cemented him as the premiere artist with Death Row Records and one of the rappers most associated with West Coast rap.
But by that point, trouble was brewing.
A trial and trying something different
The rapper and his bodyguard Lee Jr. were of murder in the 1993 death of 20-year-old Philip Woldermariam whom Lee, Jr. admitted to shooting, but claimed self defense.
Woldemariam鈥檚 death happened shortly before the release of Snoop Dogg鈥檚 debut album and brought a great deal of attention to one of the singles, 鈥淢urder Was the Case,鈥 which Snoop Dogg later said was written a year prior and highly prophetic.
鈥淢y peers, we wrote about death. You see, and I wrote that song 鈥楳urder Was the Case鈥欌 where I was like, 鈥業 came when my booboo鈥檚 鈥榖out to have my baby,鈥欌 鈥淸His then-girlfriend now wife Shante Broadus] wasn鈥檛 even pregnant, and I hadn鈥檛 even caught the murder case.鈥
Famed O.J. Simpson defense attorney Johnnie Cochran represented Snoop Dogg and Lee Jr. when the case went to trial in 1996 and resulted in an acquital.
That same year, Snoop Dogg released his second studio album, 鈥淭ha Doggfather,鈥 which featured a softer version of the rapper, which he has since said his record label was not happy about.
It was so noticeably different from his debut album that years later people were still talking about how it felt more restrained and less hardcore than his debut.
鈥淲hat Snoop tries to do throughout 鈥楧oggfather鈥 is exhibit the sort of maturation that was probably taking place in his life: he was 25 now, a father, had successfully navigated a terrifying legal gauntlet, had adjusted enough to the money and fame and constant paranoia,鈥 鈥淏ut instead of making a hard break into a new, constructed persona 鈥撯 or, instead of flitting between familiar fare and songs that were radically different 鈥撯 he mostly just dials his old style down to 80 percent.鈥
At the time, Snoop Dogg has said, Death Row Records was not happy about his pivot.
鈥淭hey wanted me to keep it gangsta,鈥 he told Jemele Hill in 2019 鈥淭hey wanted me to, like, remain gangsta and still be, you know, f**king s**t up, but I just went through a murder case and I couldn鈥檛.鈥
He said, 鈥淢y heart and my spirit wasn鈥檛 in the place鈥 to continue to embody his former persona. So, he rejected his label鈥檚 advice to go that direction.
He told Hill he鈥檚 been determined to be authentic and that meant growing as his life has changed because, 鈥淢e being me is all I know how to do.鈥
鈥淎s you grow older and you learn how to be a man, you have a family, things that you living for than that becomes the scope,鈥 he said. 鈥淎nd I鈥檝e never been afraid to position my life and say that I have a family now.鈥
Building an empire
Married to his high school sweetheart Shante Broadus since 1997, Snoop Dogg and his wife are the parents of sons Corde, 29, Cordell, 27 and Julian, 26 and daughter Cori, 25, as well as a dozen grandchildren.
Earlier this year he told Jennifer Hudson on her daytime talk show that his grandkids call him 鈥淧apa Snoop.鈥
Having a growing family meant he also needed to grow his paycheck, and he has certainly done that.
His portfolio now includes everything from hto his and, of course, a line of
Along the way, he has also managed to indulge in his passion for both sports and entertainment with his youth football league and acting gigs.
Along the way he鈥檚 gotten a little help from his friends, including domestic arts doyenne Martha Stewart.
The unlikely pair even had their own reality show, 鈥淢artha & Snoop鈥檚 Potluck Dinner Party鈥 which launched in 2016 and ran for two seasons.
The rapper did all that while still managing to keep his large footprint in the music industry with current major acts including K-Pop superstars BTS recruiting him to collaborate.
Going for the gold
Yet nothing is as indicative of Snoop Dogg鈥檚 place as a national treasure as his selection to be one of the bearers of the Olympic torch at this year鈥檚 games held in Paris.
There was Snoop Dogg, not only running with the torch, but also sparking delight as he helped conduct interviews for NBC (which is airing the games), and fawning over athletes.
There was precedence given that in 2021 he and friend Kevin Hart hosted for NBC鈥檚 streamer Peacock, in which they conducted interviews and offered some laugh-out-loud commentary during the competitions.
This year, Snoop Doggabout what it meant to him to carry the torch during the opening ceremony鈥檚 relay.
鈥淚 felt like Muhammad Ali. It was extraordinary, it was excellent,鈥 he said. 鈥淚 found out that when you hold the torch you a peace messanger so I really felt good about that.鈥
Williams, who as a journalist covered Snoop Dogg for years, shared what he believes other stars can learn from Snoop鈥檚 arc as a celebrity.
鈥淭rust your gift and be yourself,鈥 he told CNN. 鈥淧eople love Snoop because of his authenticity! He鈥檚 is the same backstage and onstage.鈥
Fo shizzle.
