The Evolution of Snoop Dogg

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

What's In A Name? - Snoop Dogg was born Calvin Cordozar Broadus, Jr. on October 19, 1971. During his childhood he was nicknamed "Snoopy" because he resembled the Peanuts character. Lucky for him the name stuck and helped make him a star.(Photo: Al Pereira/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)

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The Evolution of Snoop Dogg - Every dog has its day—but if you're Snoop Dogg, you've had a whole lot of them. This week Uncle Snoop turns 43, so to celebrate the occasion let's take a look back on how far Snoop's come from the streets of Long Beach—escaping from Death Row, proving his career had No Limit, taking off like Star Trak and keeping on. Click on to take a look back at the Evolution of Snoop Dogg.  (Photo: Al Pereira/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)

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)

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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)

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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)

"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)

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"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)

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The Chronic - The demand for newcomer Snoop reached a fever pitch with another Dre feature, on his game-changing 1992 solo debut, The Chronic. Snoop launched his buzz to the stratosphere with verses on "Nuthin' But a G Thang," "Dre Day" and other G-Funk classics. (Photo: Courtesy Death Row/ Interscope Records)

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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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Doggystyle - Snoop blew away already sky-high expectations with his 1993 seminal solo debut, Doggystyle. The LP bowed at No. 1 on Billboard—a first for a debut album—and went quadruple platinum, establishing Snoop as a bona fide superstar.(Photo: Courtesy Death Row/ Interscope Records)

Murder Was the Case - Snoop's runaway train was almost derailed when he and his bodyguard McKinley Lee were charged in the fatal shooting of a gang member. Both men were acquitted on Feb. 20, 1996. (Photo: Pool/AFP/Getty Images)

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Murder Was the Case - Snoop's runaway train was almost derailed when he and his bodyguard McKinley Lee were charged in the fatal shooting of a gang member. Both men were acquitted on Feb. 20, 1996. (Photo: Pool/AFP/Getty Images)

Jailbreak - Following Dre's footsteps yet again, Snoop bounced from Death Row and Suge Knight's vice-like grip in 1996 after accusing them of shady business practices. After dropping 1996's double-platinum Tha Doggfather, Snoop ended up at Master P's No Limit. He released three albums that pushed a million-plus with P, including No Limit Top Dogg, which featured the Dre-Snoop reunion "B--h Please." (Photo: Theo Wargo/WireImage)

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Jailbreak - Following Dre's footsteps yet again, Snoop bounced from Death Row and Suge Knight's vice-like grip in 1996 after accusing them of shady business practices. After dropping 1996's double-platinum Tha Doggfather, Snoop ended up at Master P's No Limit. He released three albums that pushed a million-plus with P, including No Limit Top Dogg, which featured the Dre-Snoop reunion "B--h Please." (Photo: Theo Wargo/WireImage)

The Blue Carpet - The new millennium must've recharged Snoop's mojo. After recapturing the G-funk magic of old with "B--h Please" and a few power-packed appearances on Dre's banging The Chronic 2001, Snoop took his floundering film career to new heights as well, landing an acclaimed supporting role in 2001's Oscar-winning Training Day. (Photo: Courtesy Warner Bros. Pictures)

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The Blue Carpet - The new millennium must've recharged Snoop's mojo. After recapturing the G-funk magic of old with "B--h Please" and a few power-packed appearances on Dre's banging The Chronic 2001, Snoop took his floundering film career to new heights as well, landing an acclaimed supporting role in 2001's Oscar-winning Training Day. (Photo: Courtesy Warner Bros. Pictures)

Snoop Dogg, "Drop It Like It's Hot" - Like all the best strip-club songs, Snoop's chart-topping 2004 classic has a simple call to action for a hook, with a sparse, woofer-busting beat, courtesy of the Neptunes, for extra motivation. (Photo: RCA Records)

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"Drop It Like It's Hot" - After first linking with the Neptunes on his 2002 smash "Beautiful," Snoop signed with the super-producers' Star Trak imprint and released R&G (Rhythm & Gangsta): The Masterpiece in 2004. The album was highlighted by "Drop Like It's Hot," Snoop's first No. 1 hit. (Photo: Courtesy Interscope Records)

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"Sexual Eruption" - Snoop kept up with the times on his 2007 hit "Sexual Eruption" (also known by its censored title, "Sensual Seduction"). Featuring an Auto-tuned Snoop and a pimped-out retro video, the song was Snoop's fifth solo single to hit the Billboard Top 10. (Photo: Courtesy Death Row/ Interscope Records)

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"Sexual Eruption" - Snoop kept up with the times on his 2007 hit "Sexual Eruption" (also known by its censored title, "Sensual Seduction"). Featuring an Auto-tuned Snoop and a pimped-out retro video, the song was Snoop's fifth solo single to hit the Billboard Top 10. (Photo: Courtesy Death Row/ Interscope Records)

"California Gurls" - Proving his star power hasn't dimmed a single watt, Snoop dropped a guest verse on Katy Perry's 2010 smash "California Gurls," which snagged a Grammy and hit No. 1 in 10 countries across the world.  (Photo: Christopher Polk/Getty Images)

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"California Gurls" - Proving his star power hasn't dimmed a single watt, Snoop dropped a guest verse on Katy Perry's 2010 smash "California Gurls," which snagged a Grammy and hit No. 1 in 10 countries across the world.  (Photo: Christopher Polk/Getty Images)

Snoop Dogg - Snoop D-O-gizzle was one of the voices that put Death Row on the map, starting straight away with his debut, Doggystyle. He maintained that way — as a hit-maker — through several deals including No Limit, Priority/Capitol/EMI, and Geffen/StarTrak/Interscope.(Photo: WENN.com)

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Snoop Lion - One reason Snoop's career has lasted is because of his ability to keep reineventing himself. In 2013, Snoop studied the ways of the Rastafarians and released his 12th album, Reincarnated. Totally switching it up, Snoop recorded the album in Jamaica, no rapping, all reggae music. (Photo: WENN.com)

Beautiful - Snoop's 20-plus-year run doesn't look to be running out of steam anytime soon as he's just revealed that he'll be releasing his 13th album next year on Pharrell's I Am Other imprint through Columbia records. According to Snoop, Skateboard P did the album "from top to bottom."(Photo: Mike Coppola/Getty Images)

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Beautiful - Snoop's 20-plus-year run doesn't look to be running out of steam anytime soon as he's just revealed that he'll be releasing his 13th album next year on Pharrell's I Am Other imprint through Columbia records. According to Snoop, Skateboard P did the album "from top to bottom."(Photo: Mike Coppola/Getty Images)