The Evolution of Snoop Dogg

A look back at the rise of the Doggfather for his born day.

Puppy Dogg - Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr. was born Oct. 19, 1971, in Long Beach, Calif., the second of three sons. His parents nicknamed him "Snoopy" as a child because of his resemblance to the Peanuts character. (Photo: WENN.com)
Paid Tha Cost - Snoop spent his post-high school years in and out of legal trouble, including a six-month stint for selling cocaine. But he started to turn things around when former N.W.A producer Dr. Dre and Suge Knight signed him to Death Row after hearing a demo he recorded with long-time homies and 213 bandmates Nate Dogg and Warren G.(Photo: Raymond Boyd/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)
"Deep Cover" - Snoop made an immediate impact with his head-turning debut on 1992's "Deep Cover," leading the way for Dre's post-N.W.A legacy.   (Photo: Courtesy Death Row/ Interscope Records)
Dr. Dre's The Chronic: Where Are They Now? - The Chronic was a turning point. One of the best and most influential albums ever made, it changed music forever when it dropped 20 years ago on Dec. 15, 1992, introducing G-funk, shattering sales records and birthing several new stars — Snoop Dogg, Nate Dogg, and of course, Dr. Dre himself. And although Dre's face adorns the classic cover, it was truly a group effort, with a rotating crew of guest rappers, ghost-writers and co-producers giving their all. Many of them went on to have their own amazing careers; others weren't so lucky. Here, two decades later, we catch up with the team of heavy hitters that made The Chronic a classic. —Alex Gale  (Photo: Death Row Records)Snoop Dogg, Doggystyle - Based on his name, it's really no surprise that Snoop featured a dog on the album cover of his debut. In addition to the cartoon cover — which was a riff on the iconic image of Snoopy lying on a doghouse — the video for "Who Am I? (What's My Name?)" featured the Cali native morphing into a canine. (Photo: Death Row Records)

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Paid Tha Cost - Snoop spent his post-high school years in and out of legal trouble, including a six-month stint for selling cocaine. But he started to turn things around when former N.W.A producer Dr. Dre and Suge Knight signed him to Death Row after hearing a demo he recorded with long-time homies and 213 bandmates Nate Dogg and Warren G.(Photo: Raymond Boyd/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)

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