By the fall of 1993, Snoop Doggy Dogg (as he was known then) was among the brightest stars of hip-hop. After putting Long Beach on the map with his debut on Dr. Dre’s “Deep Cover” and his show-stealing appearances on The Chronic, Snoop was on the fast track to becoming a global superstar. Looking to establish his own identity outside of the immensely large shadow cast by Dr. Dre, the rap world, and the entire entertainment industry was filled with anticipation as Snoop prepared to move from his role as a sidekick to a bona fide solo artist with his first LP.

Released on November 25, 1993, Doggystyle was set to continue the hot streak Death Row Records was on as one of the top record labels in rap music. To ensure the label’s momentum, Snoop enlisted his Death Row colleagues Lady of Rage, Tha Dogg Pound, Warren G, RBX, The D.O.C., and Nate Dogg to craft songs that captured the essence of life on the West Coast.

From a production perspective, Doggystyle is another G-Funk masterpiece by Dr. Dre. Using multi-layered samples of Parliament Funkadelic and George Clinton and live instrumentation, it melded seamlessly with Snoop’s melodic vocals. Just like The Chronic, Doggystyle is a showcase for the brilliance of Dr. Dre who was staking his claim to become one of the greatest producers in popular music.

The album’s first single, “Who Am I? (What's My Name?),"  is a perfect introduction to Snoop as a  solo star. Interpolating Clinton’s “Atomic Dog” was the funky synth bass that took the world by storm as first as it peaked at No. 8 on the Billboard Hot 100 and reached No. 1 on the Hot Rap Singles. In February 1994, Who Am I? (What's My Name?)" became Snoop’s first gold single as a solo artist.

Drawing inspiration from a popular cocktail, "Gin and Juice," would become one of Snoop’s signature songs. Detailing an average day in California, who can forget these lyrics, “With so much drama in the L-B-C/It's kinda hard being Snoop D-O-double-G/But I, somehow, some way/Keep comin' up with funky-ass sh*t like every single day.” Like “Who Am I? (What's My Name?),” the song reached the 8 spot on the Billboard Hot 100, held the number 1 spot on Hot Rap Singles, and was certified Gold. "Gin and Juice" was nominated at the 1995 Grammy Awards for Best Rap Solo Performance but lost to  "U.N.I.T.Y." by Queen Latifah.

Although "Doggy Dogg World" was released as a Europe-only single, it's nonetheless a fan-favorite. Featuring 70s R&B vocal group The Dramatics and accompanied by guest verses from The Dogg Pound, the video was an ode to Black culture in the 70s with cameras from by and won the 1994 MTV Video Music Award for Best Rap Video.

The quality of the deep cuts defines the greatness of an album, and Doggystyle has no skips, with many gaining significant airplay on Black radio across the country.  "Lodi Dodi," a reinterpretation of the Slick Rick classic, is an exceptional reworking of the song and is one of the first covers of a rap song. The haunting "Murder Was the Case" also took on a life of its own and a few months later, the song was remixed and accompanied by an 18-minute short film directed by Dr. Dre and Fab Five Freddy.

Tracks such as the gangstafied funk of "Tha Shiznit", the gritty piano loop of "Gz and Hustlas” and the raunchy but hilarious “Ain't No Fun (If the Homies Can't Have None).”

A commercial success right out of the gate, Doggystyle debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200, with first-week sales of 806,000 copies, which was the most records ever sold for a debut album. To date, the album has topped over eleven million copies worldwide.

Doggystyle is a seminal body of work hailed as an instant classic upon its release. The album ushered an era that produced several classic debut albums throughout the 90s, such as Nas’ Illmatic (1994), The Notorious B.I.G.’s Ready to Die (1994), Raekwon’s Only Built For Cuban Linx (1995), and JAY-Z’s Reasonable Doubt  (1996).

Released just two weeks after two other seminal projects, Midnight Marauders by A Tribe Called Quest and Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) by the Wu-Tang Clan, Doggystyle encapsulates Death Row’s reign and Snoop’s emergence as rap music’s biggest artist.

Thirty years later, Snoop is a pop culture icon, and it all began with Doggystyle. While he has evolved as an MC and, more importantly, as a human being, Doggystyle is the crown jewel of Snoop’s legendary cannon of music.