Snoop Dogg, born Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr is one of the most successful hip-hop artists in existence, but his fans are only just learning how the music mogul got his nickname
People are just learning how rapper and music legend Snoop Dogg got his nickname over 30 years after he burst onto the hip-hop scene.
He may have been born Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr but culinary queen Martha Stewart’s BFF is best known as Snoop Dogg, previously Snoop Doggy Dogg, and briefly, Snoop Lion.
Having sold over 37 million albums worldwide, the rapper is one of the most successful hip-hop artists in existence and holds the record of having 17 Grammy nominations without a win, the most of any artist.
Fans first heard of the D-O-double-G when he was discovered by Dr. Dre who featured him on the song ‘Deep Cover’ in early 1992. His debut album, Doggystyle, was released in 1993 on Death Row Records and debuted at number one, eventually selling 11 million albums worldwide and spawned several hit singles, including ‘Who Am I? (What’s My Name?)’ and ‘Gin and Juice’.
But it’s only now that the masses are discovering the origins of Snoop’s legendary alias. In a chat with NBC Nightly News anchor Lester Holt, the 52 year old music titan disclosed: “My mother’d say, ‘You watch [Snoopy the dog] so much, you startin’ to look like him.’ So she started calling me Snoopy. That’s the only name my mother called me my whole life.”
“My mother never called me by my real name, my whole life. She just ever called me was Snoopy. And I owned the name in every space I entered from the playground to the classroom to the chapel, I was known universally as Snoopy.”
The interview, which became a hot topic on Reddit, had the caption: “Today I learned American rapper, Cordozar Calvin Broadus Jr, got his ‘Snoop Dogg’ nickname from his mother because she thought he looked like Snoopy from the Peanuts cartoon.”
The revelation sparked a flurry of comments. One amused fan replied: “Savage! Literally roasted by his own mother haha.”
While another was surprised: “Today I learned Snoop Dogg’s birth name! ” A third noted: “He totally does look like Snoopy! Especially before the facial hair.” Someone else expressed amazement: “I can’t believe this is the first time I’ve ever considered that Snoop Dog had a name before Snoop Dog.” Another person jestingly suggested an alternative moniker: “Just think, he could have been Cordy B!”
Back in 1993, Snoop faced charges of first-degree murder for the fatal shooting of a rival gang member. However, he was cleared of all charges on February 20, 1996, with the case concluding in 2024.
One of his significant collaborations was with rap legend Tupac Shakur on the track ‘2 of Amerikaz Most Wanted’, released in 1996, which turned out to be one of the final hits before Shakur’s untimely demise following a shooting on September 7, 1996.
Snoop underwent a transformation on July 31, 2012, when he announced his new alias Snoop Lion. He explained to journalists that a Rastafari priest in Jamaica bestowed the name Snoop Lion upon him. The star returned to using the name Snoop Dogg in 2015, though, when he released his LP, Bush.
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